About three years ago I made a little stool for our granddaughters. Two weeks ago one leg failed; our daughter asked for a repair job, as this stool is such a nice one to have around.
My initial suspicion was the leg failed near one of the pocket screw holes, or along the line where sap wood meets heart wood; I was wrong. The following photo shows how the leg failed, but it does not explain why it failed (some grime is still present on the leg; am guilty of leaving the leg outdoors during a recent storm – but the rest of the stool cleaned up nicely):
Failed stool leg.
I suspect the stool was dropped on one leg corner, and a weak spot unzipped along the grain lines:
The failure did not happen at the pocket screw hole.
A repair was in order, as the rest of the stool is sound. I used the old leg as a pattern, and a while later I was giving the replacement leg a suntan outdoors:
The new leg in place.
I will apply two more coats of Waterlox, in the next day or so. Then I will allow the varnish to cure for a few days, and this little stool will be ready for heavy use again – our six granddaughters will use it every day.
— Al Navas
