Noob disaster recovery

[UK-Blade]

Hi folks, first post and a plea for help.

I'm a very amateurish woodworker, with more enthusiasm than skill, way more.

I've been working on a rocking chair which my wife wanted to breastfeed our son in.
I'm a little late (he's 8!!) but would like to get it finished, but have run into a couple of problems.

I have sanded most of the chair (the wife wanted it varnished, not painted) but am struggling on the legs.
There are some thin grooves, which I am really struggling to sort out.

Then last weekend, armed with new power tools and big slice of frustration I went into the garage and *%^&%^&^$ it up. I've managed to sand away some of the grooves and made a right pigs ear of it.

So I need help with 2 things,

1. Any advice on how I can salvage this and make all four legs look similar.
2. If 1 is possible, tips on how to sort out the other grooves.

Pictures above.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks in Advance.

Sean

 

[Chrispy]

No no no no no no ........................ she shouldn't be breast feeding an eight year old thats just .............. :shock: :shock:

Sorry, chair after 8 years just wack some dark bri-wax on and shine it up, make it look old - which it is after all. (hammer)

 

[Roughcut]

Hi folks, first post and a plea for help.

I'm a very amateurish woodworker, with more enthusiasm than skill, way more.

I've been working on a rocking chair which my wife wanted to breastfeed our son in.
I'm a little late (he's 8!!) but would like to get it finished, but have run into a couple of problems.

I have sanded most of the chair (the wife wanted it varnished, not painted) but am struggling on the legs.
There are some thin grooves, which I am really struggling to sort out.

Then last weekend, armed with new power tools and big slice of frustration I went into the garage and *%^&%^&^$ it up. I've managed to sand away some of the grooves and made a right pigs ear of it.

So I need help with 2 things,

1. Any advice on how I can salvage this and make all four legs look similar.
2. If 1 is possible, tips on how to sort out the other grooves.

Pictures above.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks in Advance.

Sean

Sorry I cannot help you with any technical advice but I almost spat my coffee out reading that!
lmfao :lol:

 

[Noggsy]

Can you dismantle it still? If you can, then you can remount the spindles and turn away all of the grooves. If not, I'm really not sure...chisel out the bands followed by pulling a strip of sandpaper to round it off again perhaps??

 

[neilyweely]

Hello mate
Crikey - you did that with a sander??? I don't know if I could do that if I tried.
OK - remedy. You have a choice, and its all about lines. You have to draw a line. Do you go for gold and get the leg returned, which could be expensive, or do you jus accept the damage and call it character? I would go for the latter if in your position. I would say to fold a piece of cloth backed abrasive to a crease, and use it to get into the corners, rub back as well as possible, then rub down with some sort of wax, maybe a Briwax. As long as it hasn't compromised its structural integrity you should be OK. I don't think any sort of power tool is going to help as what you are doing is trying to rub down a rounded surface with a flat tool. Its not going to work very well.
So, there is another way. If there was someone in your area with a lathe you could ask them to turn it for you.
I am in Bedford. Didn't see where you were. But I'm useless on a lathe anyway.

Sorry I couldn't help more.

Neil

 

[Froggy]

Perhaps wait another 8 years and get your son to do it :lol:

Only kidding - good luck!

 

[Chrispy]

Still no help from me BUT i've been thinking again (note to self, must stop thinking) an 8 year old and a rocking chair in the house.....hum.......might be better to leave it in the shed for another eight years. :lol:

 

[tekno.mage]

Wow - that's some sanding damage! As to recovering the situation and assuming you do not have access to a lathe which would let you make a new leg to replace the damaged one you could...

Round over the sharp edges on the damaged piece so it could plausibly look like "vintage damage" - then carefully hand sand the good grooves by using a piece of quality sandpaper folded in half (or folded around a very thin piece of wood, like a ruler edge) - which would be time consuming and tedious - but not very damaging. You may want to add some other "vintage damage" to the chair (chips, scratches etc) so it looks less like a perfectly good chair with one damaged leg. Then stain and wax the whole piece, or varnish the whole piece.

An alternative idea might be to remove the grooves entirely on all the legs - possibly by judicious use of whatever powertools you used before, sand the resulting recesses smooth and then use a decorative rope or cord wrapped around inside the recesses to make it look like a deliberate feature.

Another alternative would be to use wood filler of some kind to rebuild the damaged leg and also to fill in all the other grooves so that all the legs are plain.

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi folks, first post and a plea for help.

I've been working on a rocking chair which my wife wanted
I'm a little late but would like to get it finished......

Sean

Hi Sean,

I think you have most of the advice you need. Just wanted to say, in view of the above (The bold text), I reckon you'll fit right in as a woodworker! :lol: :lol: :lol:

best of luck.
J

PS Kym's advice sounds bona. After all, you don't have to admit to anyone else who caused the damage! 8)

 

[Kalimna]

I wonder if the best thing might be to, as suggested above, fill in the 'bad' leg with wood filler (and do the same on the opposing side) in several passes and then sand to a cylindrical shape with a block and abrasive (no power tools this time perhaps). Stain a rather dark colour to blend in the wood filler to the wood - I reckon doing anything else would require considerable skill on the part of the 'finisher'. Leave the good legs as they are, but possibly stain also. Then coat in preferred clear finish, varnish etc.

Good luck,
Adam