How do I approach the back of this chair?

[inkedgal]

Good morning everyone,

I'm back with another question. This is my friend's chair.



I'm having trouble figuring out how to approach the back. The fabric seems to be blindstitched on in one solid piece but how do I get it in place without removing the wooden dowels holding the chair together? I've got a feeling I'd have to remove/replace the dowels but boy do I not want to open that can of worms.

here's the back




and here's a closeup


I think I can remove the bottom without a hitch.




Any advice, tips and/or magic spells are greatly appreciated and I thank you in advance for your time.

-Jennifer

[Joys Shop]

Those are most likely just wooden plugs that are about 1/2" deep

they are easy to remove (and if broken in the process) easy to replace with new ones

There will be screws under the plugs that you just unscrew to remove the back

[kodydog]

I use my regulator (ice pick) to pry the plugs out. Most home improvement stores have new ones.

[MinUph]

Be carefull when removing the plugs so you don't damage the wood around it. You can drill a hole in the center and screw in a screw to putt it out with no damage. Also some will pop out if you tap the edge with a tack hammer. Again carefully. Its easier to replace then than try to save them unless they come out real easy. You can pick them up at a home center or hardware store. Paint to match and reinstall to cover the screws.

[inkedgal]

First off, thanks for the advice all.

I'm having a bit of trouble getting them out and my husband thinks they may have been glued in. I'll keep at it, slow and steady and hope for the best.

well, back to work...

[gene]

Be careful that you don't damage the wood or finish and you can add steam to those plugs and it may loosen up the glue and they will pop out easier. Tape off the wood real good first. Be careful of the wood and finish if you try this!

Also, pry the plug on the bottom of the plug so the little dent that you make will be on the bottom, and put the plug back in with the same orientation. If you do chip off some of the wood, it may come off as one piece with the plug. I use an ice pick. My regulator is only used on fabric, stuffing, etc. Nothing that could bend the point. (Yea I know, I'm a real wuss about this.)

You do need to take those plugs out and unscrew the back. Once you do that you will be able to see that they used chip strip across the top and then pulled the fabric down. It's really rather easy once you know how it works.

Also, that chair would have been awesome to have matched that pattern on the top of the back of the chair with the front panel that comes over the top.

Hey, has anyone missed a nights' sleep and you're drinking a lot of coffee the next day and you look at fabric just like this fabric, and all of a sudden your eyes get a bit more focused and you see that the fabric you are looking at is a solid?

Good luck.

gene

[JuneC]

Those are most likely just wooden plugs that are about 1/2" deep

Funny...  on boats, those are called "bungs".  Typically they're sanded off level with the surrounding wood and have to be replaced after the piece is screwed back in place. 

June

[byhammerandhand]

I  tend to remove them with a chisel.  Tap in from the bottom and pry out.   Stubborn ones, I do like described above,  run a screw through them and wait until it bottoms out on the structural screw below.

Look for "wood buttons."
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=851&filter=buttons

You can find them at any hardware store.   I probably have 5000 of them (a lifetime supply I stumbled into).

[sofadoc]

I drive a 1" drywall screw right through the center of the plug. When the screw reaches the head of the screw underneath the plug, it will usually force the plug out.
Normally, I wouldn't even try to save the plugs. But those plugs look like they can be saved. If you do replace them, be sure to stain, or paint the plugs before you tap them in with a hammer. Otherwise, the hammer will compress the wood, making it difficult for the stain, or paint to penetrate the plugs.

[gene]

Keith told me about using a chisel and I do use a chisel now if my ice pick doesn't easily remove the button.

Sofadoc: I think it's been a few years since the last time I was not able to reuse wooden plugs. I find that it's so much easier, especially if it's a unique shape, such as a decorative mushroom shape, or if it's an old chair and the hole is an odd size. And no trying to match the stain.

June, I always wondered where the phraze 'bung hole' came from. It still amazes me how much of our daily language comes from boating.

gene

[Darren Henry]

I'd try turning those back and forth with a pair of slip joint pliers as I was pulling outward. If that didn't work I'd run the screw through them.

[byhammerandhand]

Bung comes from the stopper used to plug up a barrel or cask.  The "bung hole" is the opening into which it goes.   Coopers (barrel makers) have a whole set of specialty tools, one of which is a "Bung hole borer."   It's a tapered drill.  
http://www.girlonawhaleship.org/jernapp/artifact.do?shortName=cooper_bung_borer

Barrels were a primary "container" of shipping by boats, both river- and sea-going.

People interested in old hand tools joke that if if a tool is something they don't recognize, it's a "Cooper's tool"    I go to an antique tool auction held every year.  They typically have 600 or so lots of tools for sale in a five hour period.  One year, they liquidated a cooper's shop.  Lots of interesting tools.  Another is a "Croze."

June, I always wondered where the phraze 'bung hole' came from. It still amazes me how much of our daily language comes from boating.

gene

[hdflame]

With all of the advice you've already been given, I don't think I can think of any more suggestions that haven't already been mentioned on "Bung" removal! ;D

But, I would suggest that since you're putting time and material into covering your friends chair, that they would want to refinish the wood.  I would hate to see your nice new cover put on with the finish looking worn.....unless that's the look they're going for.

Be sure to post some pics of the finished chair! 8)

[Grebo]

Those are most likely just wooden plugs that are about 1/2" deep

Funny...  on boats, those are called "bungs".  Typically they're sanded off level with the surrounding wood and have to be replaced after the piece is screwed back in place.  

June

This side of the pond  :D We call them plugs as well & the bungs are for sticking in holes to stop leaks, typically you have a bag of  assorted sizes on board.   ???  ....

Suzi

[sofadoc]

But, I would suggest that since you're putting time and material into covering your friends chair, that they would want to refinish the wood. 

I agree. That's why I wouldn't waste any time trying to save those plugs. You can always stain some new ones while you're refinishing the wood.
I have a refinisher nearby that I work with on jobs. I strip the piece down. He returns it to me complete with a freshly stained set of NEW wood plugs.
Many of the pieces I get in are missing a few plugs anyway.
If the job isn't getting refinished, then I spray new ones with as close a match as I have on hand. Usually, if the customer doesn't care about the finish, they won't care if the plug isn't a perfect match. For a natural finish, just about anything will do. Lemon oil, WD-40, heck sometimes I just SPIT on 'em. ;)