I have a set of Australian Red Cedar Balloon Balloon Back chairs (C1880) two of which were so badly damaged I thought they might be better off as firewood. ARC is a terrible timber to make chairs from. One of the balloon backs shattered like glass when it fell backwards on a tiled floor.
The top of the rear legs were seriously compromised and cracked open from the pressure of the dowel so the balloon backs had parted company from the legs.
I thought about getting them repaired by a restorer but the cost would have been prohibitive. Frankly, they would not have been worth the cost.
In the intervening ten years since the damage happened I have picked up a few skills myself so I have repaired them. I don't know if the repair methods I used would be what a professional restorer would have done but then they are still with us and in use.
The damage
Attachment 421174 Attachment 421175 Attachment 421176
The back leg repair process
I sawed a straight edge into solid wood which I then hand planed dead flat.
Attachment 421177
I then glued blocks into place with hot hide glue
Attachment 421178
Then shaped them to blend with the chair with chisels, spokeshaves, and rasps.
Attachment 421179
I will follow up with the rest of the repair process shortly.