Repairing & Restoring Ercol Windsor 684 Dining Chairs

In this video I'll be repairing and restoring a set of mid century modern Ercol Windsor 684 dining chairs made in 1960 on behalf of a client. This is a furniture repair and restoration video.
The main problems with the chairs were loose glue joints in both the spindles that support the backrest, and in the chair frames that support the seat pad. In addition to that, the finish on the chairs was badly worn and needed rejuvenating.
During the project I accidentally broke one of the spindles as I was dismantling one of the chairs, and that made for an interesting repair challenge which features later in the video.
I began by dismantling the chairs, then I needed to scrape off any old glue before adding new glue and re-assembling the chairs.
The glue I used: geni.us/CRUn2Nd (Amazon UK)
#woodworking #repair #restoration
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[@gregmize01]

bro had a stash box of "dark-dust" at the ready. Legend!

[@dougsaunders8109]

Grew up in the town where Ercol furniture is made. Had a factory tour when mum and dad bought some furniture about 35 year ago. The materials and workmanship 2nd to none. Nice repair. That spindle would have kept me awake

[@popazz1]

Ercol, G-Plan, etc; definitely worth the effort where possible. Solid reliable quality made furniture made to last at least a generation of use. A very sympathetic renovation, I'm sure the owner was overjoyed with the completed project.

[@phillipsargeant1936]

Beautifully detailed, pragmatic and explained. Much appreciated. Phil

[@LegoMan-cz4mn]

Nice job!! Today would have been the last day of my restoration internship but because of the virus it was cancled 4 weeks early.. that was unfortunate because I had the time of my life over there, I could work with hand tools all day, learn joinery techniques from old furniture, I even got to use moulding planes for the first time in my life, they are amazing!

[@bigpete4227]

Thomas Johnson would be impressed.

[@normanbott]

Big Pete : Yes, my thoughts exactly as I watched it, especially the spindle repair. I think it looks good ;-)

[@bigpete4227]

Norman Bott it’s good to mull things over like that. Stuff usually comes to me in the bath later, but by then I’ve already hit it with a hammer once or twice.

[@mrhignettshorses]

But he wouldn't have broken the spindle. Still a good job!

[@onlyme7939]

My sentiments exactly

[@RagnBoneBrown]

True

[@negotiableaffections]

I was breaking into a sweat when you started the 6mm drill, so the 8mm nearly suffocated me! Wicked save man, you have b*lls of lignum vitae!

[@TheHkluivert]

Same here...l actually don't see why you went for size 8, wouldn't a 6mm dowel be strong enough? Or didn't you have any 6mm?

[@grahamcrean7484]

A master at work enjoying his skill

[@nickpotter5728]

Very nice repair on spindle.

[@karlsjov]

Well done, a very nice repair job 👍

[@JohntheSchreiner]

Slick spindle repair!

[@DC-et4ym]

what the? finesse is a virtue

[@pteddie6965]

Great, great job Keith! You are correct. These chairs are well worth preserving. They are beautiful. I'm glad that you saved them for another generation of users to enjoy. You have preserved a little bit of history. Thanks.

[@alanmuddypaws3865]

Ercol is lovely furniture, and to see it being sympathetically restored gladdens my heart! Good job on the spindle repair, hopefully it should mean many more years of service for the chairs..

[@user-oy4gf6ck5u]

Amazed as always and you had a clever approach of your mistake (thank god you made it ) !!!!!!!!!!!!! Great job !!!!!

[@alasdairmackenzie515]

Great job, Keith! Especially the broken spindle. Aside from that, they are lovely chairs! Best aye!!

[@SteveZodiac777]

The finished chairs look great - I share your love of Ercol furniture - thanks for an interesting video!

[@TroodosPoolGuy]

Great stuff, I figured out the same solution as you, last year, when repairing a very old chair, for my MIL.

[@tjacksonwoodworker3726]

excellent work. Furniture repair is a set of skills on its own. I like repairing furniture. Especially when the piece means so much to the owner. Sometimes the meaning is far more than the value. Good job..

[@JohnColgan.]

Great repair job, fabulous finish on the seat bases, really enhanced the grain pattern. I bet the client was pleased!

[@EddyCarroll]

Lovely job as usual, Keith. Great repair! I was impressed you managed to avoid crushing the broken end when removing it. Also, nice tip with the doubled-up sandpaper to keep the clamps steady.

[@Sammo-w2y]

You were right to refinish the chairs, really rejuvenated them

[@MichaelKieweg]

Good job! That spindle repair shows great caftmanship and you should be really proud of it. I also like your workethos.

[@charleenwright4336]

Great repair. Glad you refreshed the seats, too. They all look really good.

[@drancealot]

That spindle repair was really impressive!

[@mgabbard]

The grain detail on the seats really popped with the new finish of oil and wax. Very nice!

[@mikedeman5351]

Keith, amazing project, you did a great job of that !!!

[@karlpopewoodcraft]

That repair was brilliant Keith, God knows how you waited 2-3 days I would of gone insane thinking about it🤯. Definitely the right decision though. 😊

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Cheers Karl, I was too worried to even attempt it! Had to pluck up the courage 😂

[@nathanlucas6465]

Yup, very nice repair. I bet if you showed someone all 4, they'd be hard pushed to notice it

[@ronnieahman6958]

You nailed it. They look fantastic.

[@paultay23]

What a great result Keith, I bet Jack was well pleased with the finished job... I hope he threw in a few bob extra for your fabulous work..

[@monophoto1]

Brilliant repair. We use plastic reflectors to mark the edges of our driveway so that we know how much snow we need to remove in the winter. The reflectors are cheap, but they also are easily destroyed by errant snow plows- life expectancy is about two years. I generally hold onto broken reflectors because the fiberglass rods that support the reflectors makes a super-strong dowel for repairs such as you illustrated. Epoxy adheres really well to fiberglass.

[@carlthorpe4059]

Great work Keith, I was very impressed with that dowel repair. Stay safe mate, Carl

[@hdwoodshop]

Repairing nice furniture well is definitely not easy work. Nicely done.

[@KSFWG]

That was a fantastic job with the spindle repair, Keith !! Really an over the top job all around !!

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Great work on the repairs Keith! Thanks for sharing the video with us!💖👌👍😎JP

[@rakeyohn222]

Brilliant idea and execution on that spindle repair!

[@22smudger]

We have some Ercol furniture, that we gradually purchased over a number of years during the early part of our marriage in the 80s and 90s. As you say, it is beautifully crafted, and we saw it as a lifetime investment. Ours is now 30-40 years old, has survived moving to Australia, and still going strong. It was heartwarming to see you take examples that are actually older than me, and give them the love that they deserve to give them another lifetime of useful service. Let’s hope that in 50 years time, they will still be owned by someone that loves them enough to seek out someone like yourself, to keep them going again, rather than using them as firewood or landfill. You did a great job on them Keith - keep up the good work.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thank you

[@yeahchband]

Beautifully done. This was fun to watch!

[@CSW82]

A job like that takes a special kind of patience Keith. Great restoration and repair.

[@andressalas4266]

Cheers! Great idea for the fix on the broken spindle. Nice work!👍🏽

[@Bill.L.Carroll]

Mate, what an absolute professional job. 👍🏽 They look brand new, and that broken spindle, spot on. 👌🏽

[@daredevildarryl]

Nice job. I love the way you fixed the broken dowel.

[@ianroberts1997]

I have same broken spindle stub on my set so I’m looking forward to easing that out 🙄🙏🏻

[@pat1walls]

Keith - interesting project - particularly the spindle repair - well thought out & executed! Stay Safe ☘️

[@robshamel3210]

Top notch repair and video! Thx!

[@elchimpo9590]

Awesome job Keith !!!

[@terencecharlesworth1499]

Nice job speaking from my point of view as I have worked on a lot of these chairs over the years you were lucky you didn’t have to scrape all the chairs

[@bobbonham4823]

Nice work! And a great repair. Thanks!

[@nathalie5064]

Nice work ^^ Love to see repairing & restoring work.

[@colinaskey9777]

Another job well done Keith,you have certainly learned how to tackle awkward jobs,the video is well worth a 5 ☆☆☆☆☆ rating

[@arosenberger87]

This was a very beautifully done restoration!

[@michaelplays2449]

Very nice job Keith, thanks

[@CecilieSHoejberg]

I would just like to say that I really enjoy your videos. Especially your builds and repairs/restorations. I started watching your videos in january last year, while I was working on a difficult uni exam, and it really helped me de-stress. I find it calming to see people do projects like this, and your videos are especially good, because you take your time showing and explaining what you do, so it becomes enjoyable, even for beginners like me. So, thank you :)

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thank you

[@tomecin]

Fantastic video Keith. Been watching you for ages and I absolutely loved this one and have shared with my Dad. Great work and really inspirational.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thank you

[@afterthemouse]

Just shared this with the Ercol furniture fanatics group on Facebook - It is getting some nice comments over there...

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thank you

[@afterthemouse]

@@RagnBoneBrown No problem Sir, just spreading the knowledge

[@Kahuna1239]

Great Job Keith! Thomas Johnson inspired video. Love it!

[@feroanaseem]

The repair👍 love watching your channel and Thomas Johnson's channel. There's kind of great similar approach how you both do your work with such dedication and techniques as well..

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thank you! I'm not in the same league though 👍

[@bloggalot4718]

Very nice finish to a well done job.

[@peterpanassow7814]

Fantastic job! 👍

[@jamessiberrysaunders402]

Excellent repair on the spindle. I’ve used a similar repair to fix a broken chair leg. As the break was in the middle I couldn’t drill through like you did. So instead I drilled an oversized hole to allow me to position the leg properly and used a metal rod and epoxy to fill. Worked great, the chair has been in use for many years since. I suspect it is stronger than the original now.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Nice idea

[@leoojtt]

Great job on that repair I love your work

[@GrumpysWorkshop4]

A bloody good job. Dont think i would have the patience to do a job like that

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Cheers David

[@David.M.]

Great job on that broken spindle!

[@raymondmalone9721]

Great job and nice looking chairs 👍

[@wrzlgummidge7663]

Great job Keith, nice one. atb

[@Yet1moreUtuber]

Your shop and tool videos are cool, but these are the ones I *love* best. Great repair also!

[@lfavila50]

Great Job!!!

[@juliejulie7622]

Perfect!

[@AndreaArzensek]

Funny, I made so many chair repair jobs but it never occurred to me to make a video about it. You did some justice to those nice, now solid chairs. Cheers

[@RagnBoneBrown]

I'd love to see you do one

[@dublxxxx4407]

Good job

[@stevebosun7410]

Hi Keith, nice work. Glad to see all was well in the end, and the glorious grain on the Elm was the "icing on the cake". A couple of comments if I may. I would have filled the repair and finished it before assembling and gluing the spindle. The wedged leg tenons were there for a reason. Maybe these should have been re-done where necessary? Yes, it would have made refinishing the seat a little more onerous, but it might have been the best thing to do. Also, I don't know if Veritas still sell it, but they used to sell "Chair Doctor Glue", designed for injecting a special swelling glue into loose joints with a syringe.

[@cobberpete1]

Well done on the repair Keith. Excellent result. I have just this week finished refurbishing '14' chairs, (and two tables). Yes, I am over chairs. They dated back to before 1950, so hide glue thankfully. I used Meths and a heat gun to separate loose but stubborn joints. It was also the first time I had used Urethane glue, for the same reason you stated. Filing very loose joints. I did not take the care you did in taping everything and paid the price with having to do extra clean up. So I will remember that 'IF' I have a similar job. Great results on the finished chairs

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Cheers Peter. Wow 14?? 🥺 I think to be honest you had the right idea in not using masking tape, it takes a lot of extra time and I'm not sure if it really helped all that much with clean up all that much as it seems to peel off wood quite easily

[@richardkeith2778]

@@RagnBoneBrown When I repaired a similar chair, i gave the spindles a bit of wax before disassembly, so the glue came off easily where it didnt need to be.

[@xbrem19]

I can see Thomas Johnson influence. Good job :)

[@superiorbeing95]

Blue Peter style - here's some sawdust I made earlier! 8:18 You can see the concentration on your face, and a bit of fear lol I did a similar repair once and used epoxy with a section of a six inch nail instead of dowel, came out good in the end.

[@Paul-XCIV2]

Gid Joiner used a clever technique where it was going to be impossible to dismantle a chair.. two small holes drilled around the joint then pushed some glue in with a syringe.

[@stevenl6923]

Believe these are called Originals All-Purpose chairs now

[@thomasz.127]

nice job

[@Andy-te6jj]

well done

[@1957blaine]

Great Job Kieth you have some real talent for furniture repair, you may want to invest in some proper burnin knives they are a little more flexible than a butter knife. If you have a Mohawk finishing distributor in the UK you can get a burnin knives and heaters and all sorts of touch up products there, some times a little heat applied to the joint softens the glue and the joint comes apart a little easer just be carful not to harm the finish I had my own furniture repair business for 30 years and I repaired a lot of broken spindles and yes some that happened when i was taking things apart and your repair was almost exactly how I would tackle the repair only I used West System Epoxy mix with a filler to thicken it out and that seemed to work well. Take care and have a great Easter

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thank you I will check the burning knives out for sure

[@1957blaine]

Here’s a similar burn in knife to what I use from Mohawk you an also order burn in sticks. The knife will work with your hard wax sticks www.mohawk-finishing.com/products/tools-accessories/burn-in-tools/burn-in-knives/ Mohawk has a greater selection of burn in sticks that you might find useful Hope this will help Take care Blaine

[@Unlovable]

Nice use of your leather strop to tap in those spindles ;) 4:20

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Ha ha well spotted

[@colt1954]

Excellent video - very earnest guy, btw you might have got away with a smaller dowel dia repair on the broken spindle imo.

[@dalejones4186]

At 4:30 it looked like a crack in the seat by the whole for the end large spindle. Loved the video.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Yeah there were a few slight opens in the joins but not bad enough to disassemble in my opinion

[@CelticSaint]

9:45 - Ahhh memories of hot knives! I suddenly have the munchies.

[@dlamb2840]

Great result. Well thought out repair of that spindle. The fact you never charged your client for the time is very decent of you. It could be that by doing that repair, you actually did yourself a big service in that you developed a process that you might be able to use again. Possibly in a different way for a different problem. You solved a problem and have learned from it. That’s got to be very valuable to you in the future. Ps how’s Dylan getting on?

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thanks, yeah true. Dylan is good 👍

[@mrhignettshorses]

Looks pretty good. T.J.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

😂👍

[@rjcvintage1027]

Btw, BS1960 is the kite mark, not the date of manufacture. They could be older, or newer, but that is not indicated by this mark. It was withdrawn in 1977 I think.

[@chriswhite2387]

Great job, as always 🙂 I'm having real trouble cleaning up some dining chairs with a shiny varnish on them. I tried stripping it off with gel stripper, with a scraper and with sandpaper but it's really stuck to the wood. Apparently they used to bake the varnish to harden it. Any ideas as to how I can get it off without spending 1 week on each chair, please? tia!

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Hi Chris, it's not a problem that I have come across before, sorry

[@chriswhite2387]

@@RagnBoneBrown ok, thanks anyway.

[@tmmy.]

Is there a good way to repair cracks on the main seat!?

[@samanthakitch4736]

Excellent repair job! I am watching your other chair repair videos as well. I am getting ready to tackle the repair of my kitchen chairs. The legs and supports are all loose. Now I have to ask about the herring bone floor in the pictures at the end. What material is that? Did you install it?

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thanks. The floor is vinyl, a more economy version of a karndean type product 👍

[@richardkeith2778]

I think I've seen Thomas Johnson mark the feet positions on a piece of paper before disassembly, to ensure they go back in the right place. Would that have helped in the re-assembly , do you think ?

[@RagnBoneBrown]

That's a great idea, yeah I wish I'd have thought of that

[@hhansanfranz]

Great repair! Random question- what’s the song playing at 10:17?

[@EM-fh2tx]

Great video & repair; ditch the music though.

[@jasonkenny6432]

Great job Keith, would you recommend a card scraper for the tool kit? Tempted to get one

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Definitely, if you do similar work to me, I use them all the time and they're cheap 👍

[@uktony1525]

Did you edit out any bad language said when the spindle broke ? I always use the old Blackadder phrase of Clucking Bell when things like that happen😄. Great restoration and some of the furniture made in the UK in the 1960s and 1970s is so underrated but this showed the quality obtainable.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Ha ha I may have done 😂

[@Kaytaaay]

THE BOILED LINSEED OIL RETURNS.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

😂👍

[@TryDiy]

PU glue is not reversible which means the chairs can not be dismantled/repaired in future.

[@carolineweintz6449]

I have a set of my late parent's Ercol Windsor dining chairs, unfortunately the left legs on one of the chairs have got broken - is there any way of repairing the legs themselves?

[@RagnBoneBrown]

It depends on how the leg is broken, if it# a clean long grain break, regluing with oba will work fine, if it's across the grain then probably not, better off getting a wood turner to turn a new leg from some beech. Shouldn't be too much work

[@thewinenut9800]

Great video as always R&BB. Curious why you didn’t do the seat restore the seats before the reassembly?

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Thank you. For what reason?

[@thewinenut9800]

Rag 'n' Bone Brown Just thought it’s be easier to do the seat restores without the interference of of the legs and struts rather than when the chair was back together. Easter Greetings from Australia btw.

[@RagnBoneBrown]

Fair point, but working around the spindles wasn't too tricky, I think I did it in the order I did it to stop getting any glue on anything that I'd already cleaned up

[@thewinenut9800]

Rag 'n' Bone Brown Fair enough, great outcome to the project!

[@hansdegroot8549]

Great repair. Restoring things is a difficult job. What does the 2056 mean at 0:14?

[@RagnBoneBrown]

I'm not sure actually, I tried to find out but couldn't find much about it on the web

[@matt3642]

I know you've worked with them so probably hard to comment but how do hikoki compare to other brands would you recommend them

[@RagnBoneBrown]

I can't compare them to other brands as I haven't used many tools by all the other brands. I have talked about my thoughts on the tools in a video before and compared them to the tools I used prior to getting them