Guides / How to Fix a Broken Wooden Piece (Without Making It Worse)
How to Fix a Broken Wooden Piece (Without Making It Worse)
A snapped tab does not have to end the build. Repair it properly in four steps.
Stop and find both halves
Do not try to force the joint. A clean break with both halves present is a ten-minute repair; a chewed joint is not repairable.
Dry-fit first, glue second
Hold the two halves together in the actual joint. If the break line closes cleanly, glue it in place rather than on the bench. Gluing flat and then trying to fit usually breaks it again at the same line.
Use a splint for load-bearing parts
If the part carries weight or moves, glue alone will fail. Cut a small strip from the leftover frame -- every kit has a waste frame and it is the same thickness -- and glue it across the break as a backing plate. Clamp with tape.
If a piece is missing entirely
The waste frame is your material. Trace the shape from the part map onto the frame, cut slightly oversize with a craft knife, and sand to fit.
Then ask for a spare
Any kit worth buying ships with a spare parts sheet, and any supplier worth buying from will post a replacement. Ask even after you have repaired the part -- a repaired tab is a weak point.
Applies to: All kits · The Journal
Kits for this job
Each kit links to its own page with the full specification.
