Any carpenters out there?

[Blue Ginger]

Yep, one of the many reasons all my kit furniture is put together without glueing the dowel.

If you manage to pull it apart and you can always replace screws the screws with dowel. just leave a bit sticking out so you can pull them out again if you need to dismantle the desk again.

[Eireann]

I got some photos of the underside about half an hour ago. You will see the dowel peeking out of a crack between the main body of the desk and the top (this is in the front of the desk, next to the drawers). And, yes, the top is glued down, as you will also see.

[Blue Ginger]

Yeah, I don't think it's going to come apart.

[TheSHAD0W]

I got some photos of the underside about half an hour ago. You will see the dowel peeking out of a crack between the main body of the desk and the top (this is in the front of the desk, next to the drawers). And, yes, the top is glued down, as you will also see.

That looks like it's been re-glued together, probably using a modern glue, and frankly it might be easier to redo part of your building than to take that apart and get it together again without causing unacceptable damage.

I'd have to suggest selling it and getting something else.

[Eireann]

Update!

A guy came over to look at it today. He's a member of some craft association. He carefully turned the desk over and looked at the base. Turns out, the feet are part of a wood cutout glued to the bottom of the desk. He measured the desk without the feet, measured the doorway, and told me that we can get it inside if that part is removed. I made sure of the measurements - desk, feet, doorway. He's right.

He told me that it may cause damage. I was prepared for this. It certainly won't cause as much damage as trying to remove the top would have done. I mentioned something I read online, that vinegar helps to dissolve glue. He said he'd never heard of it. I said I'd check again.

So, a couple of guys are going to come over, remove the wooden cutout on the bottom, and move the desk inside. I told him not to worry about reattaching the base; just put it on the floor and set the desk on it, so that it can be moved later.

How does that sound, carpenters? And what about applying vinegar to the glue well in advance of their visit?

[sstabeler]

vinegar's an acid, so it PROBABLY would help. I'm not sure, however, if it would allow you to successfully unglue it- not to mention, it may or may not do damage to the desk anyway.

[Eireann]

Success!

Two guys came over yesterday and went to work with admirable efficiency. They asked me if the desk would go through a window. Nope - well, it would, but it wouldn't go through the doorway after going through the window. They measured the desk, the base, and the relevant doorways.

They tipped the desk on its side and one of them carefully chiseled off the base. It caused some damage, but not much - and it's the base; it's not going to be seen. They carried the desk inside, I cleaned off the base, and they reattached it with screws. I hadn't intended this, but the lead guy pointed out that it can easily be disassembled; just unscrew it.

I was tired of futzing around with it by that time, so I just put my computer equipment on it and called it a day. I'll get around to dusting it later today, in addition to putting things in the drawers.

Which reminds me, two of the drawers stick. Rather than planing them, would sanding do? I have sandpaper. I don't have a planer.

[wolfie]

Which reminds me, two of the drawers stick. Rather than planing them, would sanding do? I have sandpaper. I don't have a planer.

First, find out WHY they are sticking before doing anything irreversable (such as removing material). Is it sitting in such a way that the opening is pushed out of square, causing the drawer to stick on diagonally opposite corners? If so, try to re-position it so the opening is no longer pushed out of square. Is it deteriorated finish which has become tacky? If so, cleaning it off (or adding something like talcum powder to "use up" the stickiness) is the first order of business.

If it's a true "excess material" sticking, first try applying a bit of wax to the sticking spots (you'll be able to identify them by the wear marks). If that doesn't work, for a non-expert sanding is better than planing because it removes material more slowly. Be sure to use a sanding block (doesn't have to be a fancy one - just wrap the sandpaper around a block of wood) so that you're sanding with a flat surface, rather than your fingers (which can introduce waviness). Take off a LITTLE and retry - you can always sand more off, you can't undo sanding off too much.