[StevieDvd]

Hi,

I bought a new solid oak hi-fi cabinet from eBay at a really low price. It's new and was fine when I received it factory packed. After a week or so when it was in place with my hi-fi gear inside my wife noticed a crack in the top had appeared.

To cut the story short I have been offered a full refund (less shipping costs) though I've already re-cycled the mass of packing that it came in. This is because the crack would cost more for a local cabinet maker to fix than I paid for the unit.

The top is made of several strips of oak about 3/4 inch thick but the crack (which goes all the way through) does not seem to be along one of the joins, I am presuming the crack is from the wood drying out. it also looks to be screwed on to the base by about a dozen screws so may come off for easier access.

I'm guessing that the crack should be glued and clamped first than one of those wax kits used to fill in any remaining crack.

So has anyone done anything like this and have any 'polite' suggestions or tips.


Thanks

Steve

 

[rsaavedra]

How about posting a couple of pics of the damage Stevie, and pics of the cabinet itself as a whole? That would help understand much more precisely what the damage is like and what might be doable.

There are a few woodworkers here, I like DIY but I'm not one of headfi's woodwork experts by any means though. Hopefully some of them will post some advice.

 

[Bob_McBob]

Yep, post some pics.

 

[Genetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by StevieDvd /img/forum/go_quote.gif The top is made of several strips of oak about 3/4 inch thick but the crack (which goes all the way through) does not seem to be along one of the joins (...)

Simply because the joins are much more stronger than the wood on both side.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StevieDvd /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm guessing that the crack should be glued and clamped first than one of those wax kits used to fill in any remaining crack.

About the filling part it could be plan A. Or during your next visit to the woodwork shop ask how to do your own filling using the ( for the lack of a better expression ) remaining «wood dust» comming from a little piece of wood from ( if possible) the cabinet. Sound esoteric? Your local woodwork shop guy will explain it much better than me.

Bottom line it's quite easy.

Good luck

Amicalement

 

[StevieDvd]

Thanks guys,

The unit looks like this (brochure shot not my hi-fi gear):

and the close up of the crack looks like this:

I've told the seller that I'd either fix it myself (or if the top does come off see if a local wood shop would do a fix for cash), and they have given me a part refund which is nice given the low price I paid.


Steve

 

[Genetic]

Which country does it come from ( I'm a bit perplexed ).

Quite frankly if there is a major difference between your home and the place of origin (in humidity) it could be followed by some other splits.

BTW it's probably due to the actual top fixation screws.

Unscrew the top for a while.

Amicalement

EDIT: if you stop putting credit cards in the crack you wont need anything more than glue...

EDIT 2: I hope there's no back to that furniture. If not the heat wont help either.

 

[stewtheking]

No ideas about the problem in hand, but thats a cracking [sic] cabinet you've got there Steve.

 

[StevieDvd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stewtheking /img/forum/go_quote.gif No ideas about the problem in hand, but thats a cracking [sic] cabinet you've got there Steve.

Yes and a cracking price too. The crack was a bonus.

 

[StevieDvd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which country does it come from ( I'm a bit perplexed ). Quite frankly if there is a major difference between your home and the place of origin (in humidity) it could be followed by some other splits.

Made in UK from season timber, seller specialises in cancelled orders, over runs etc. May have sat for a period in a container until sold. It was very well packed. My wife likes the house cold so if anything it'd be warmer in the container!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif BTW it's probably due to the actual top fixation screws. Unscrew the top for a while.

Will be trying that tomorrow hopefully. I'll get back if the crack closes up when unscrewed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif EDIT 2: I hope there's no back to that furniture. If not the heat wont help either.

There is a back but it's a slatted design which is not as highly finished as the sides/top.

Even with the crack in it the unit beats the cheap laminated or chipboard units for sale so I'm not unhappy with it.

I presume it just needs a little bit more attention and an occasional oil (like we all need)

Steve

 

[fran]

If you feel confident about doing a bit of WW:

get some (white) oak dust, mix with some PVA glue so that you get a semi dry paste. Fill it into the crack. Leave it for some hours. Use ideally a cabinet scraper or a paint scraper to level the paste at the top of the crack. Allow to set fully (O/N). Sand back the area of the crack and refinish. If the wood is natural, then you can oil. If its lacquered, then its a bit more complicated.

option B - get a local joinery/woodwork/furniture restorer to do it.

Oh yeah, and don't fix it yet - the timber will take a few weeks to acclimatise to your house so it may actually open even more or may close up depending!

Fran

 

[swt61]

I would force some wood glue into the crack as best I could with a brush from both sides of the crack (top & bottom). Then you'll need some clamps long enough to span the entire top piece. Clamp the piece until you see glue coming out and the crack close up. Use a damp cloth to remove the excess glue before it dries. Leave the clamps on for several hours or overnight. You shouldn't have much if any space to fill in after you remove the clamps. If there is some I would use one of the wax type wood filler pencils from Lowe's or Home Depot in the color closest to the Oak.

 

[rickcr42]

sounds like it took a major hit in shipping and why a crack opened up.Yes wood will split when it dries out but that is why the top is made from multiple strips instead of a solid pice of oak.

If you insist on the repair you will need at least three bar clamps,some pieces of flat pint to put between the actual clamp and the surface being repaired (don't need dents on top of a crack

),couple of rags and some good old carpenters wood glue (looks like Elmers but more yellow

)


put a rag on the shelf below the crack to catch the excess glue later,squirt the glue into the crack proper LIBERALLY from the top,end to end,then clamp it in the middle plus both ends.Carnk that puppy down until the excess glue oozes out then wipe it with a damp rag immediately to remove the glue residue and let the piece sit 24 hours clamped.

If the crack reappears after all that likely it had a crack AND a warp/twist and will mean removing the top,totally wtting that sucker down,and i mean SOAK IT !

Put on a totally flat surface,place a sheet of luan or plywood on top then weight the entire top with cinder blocks or other heavy items along the entire warp and let it stand like that until the "crown" relaxes and the board goes back to flat.Obviously this will only work if the finish is one the moisture can penetrate and if yes will mean banging down the grain raised by the moisture with a #120 sanding block then a coupled of splash coats of poly (or whatever the finish is i.e. tung oil (ragged on and buffed),spray lacquer in stages with #120 then #220 sanding between coats,etc)

finally another option is to go to a place like Home Depot and have them cut the same dimension ($2 per cut) out of an oak coffee table top.You won't have the same edge detailing unless you have a router table but at least you will have a crack free flat top ready to toss a coat of poly on and call it a day

rickmongo

 

[mr_baseball_08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swt61 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would force some wood glue into the crack as best I could with a brush from both sides of the crack (top & bottom). Then you'll need some clamps long enough to span the entire top piece. Clamp the piece until you see glue coming out and the crack close up. Use a damp cloth to remove the excess glue before it dries. Leave the clamps on for several hours or overnight. You shouldn't have much if any space to fill in after you remove the clamps. If there is some I would use one of the wax type wood filler pencils from Lowe's or Home Depot in the color closest to the Oak.

This is precisely what I would do. The other options others are giving here are good as well, but if you follow them be prepared to spend a lot of time and effort on the project. The problems with the other fixes are basically you'll end up sanding, refinishing, scraping, etc... This process can take a considerable amount of time and unless you really really have experience and know what you're doing, you'll end up refinishing the whole top which in turn, may not match the rest of the piece..

Dig up some bar clamps and glue.. Use a turkey injector found at your local grocery store to inject some wood glue down into the crack and get about 2 clamps on it. You may want to watch it for the first couple of hours and wipe up any glue that's coming out so you won't have to deal with it when it hardens. Leave the clamps on at least 24 hours and it should come out ok.

Also, you may want to pick up this book in case in any problems like this occur in the future. This is a book I recommend for any DIY handyman.

Weekend Refinisher

 

[StevieDvd]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I've decided to have a go myself, mainly so I have the pleasure of having fixed it myself and the budget will also provide me with some more tools (clamps) to add to my increasing collection of seldom used but manly to own things

.

I'm off to the diy stores to see what clamps are available and whether to order online for better quality.

Once I start the repair I'll take some pics either to gloat or show how not to do it.

Steve

 

[Genetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by StevieDvd /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm off to the diy stores to see what clamps are available and whether to order online for better quality. Steve

We have created a monster....

Amicalement

PS
Or you could rent the clamps....