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Posted: 6/19/2017 12:00:42 AM EDT
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I need to replace this arm rest on one of my grandmothers swivel chairs.

It is laminated wood that has been split where it screws into the chair.

What are my options to replace it?

They do not make the part anymore.
Link Posted: 6/19/2017 3:39:31 AM EDT
[#1]
Reproducing the whole part will be tough; you can bend and laminate a replacement with a piece of pipe, a couple of caps, some boiling water, a jig to form the pieces and a bunch of clamps, but then you'll also have to match the finish and patina of the rest of the chair to avoid having it stand out like a sore thumb.  I'd look very hard first at whether there's any chance of rebuilding the split end(s?) with colored epoxy and re-drilling the holes. Some closeups of the damaged areas would be nice, but from the pic you posted it looks like maybe they'd be repairable...
Link Posted: 6/19/2017 7:47:08 AM EDT
[#2]
Your best bet is a two-part epoxy made for woodworking.  After its set, you get thin veneer, in the same wood species.  You make a clean cut with the laminate and you sand down your epoxy, put your veneer on and stain it and top coat to match the current finish.  You will need to do some work mixing different colors to get a near close match, but it can be done with a little patience.  Most folks won't see it and grandma gets her chair back quick.   If you are really daring, give her a chair make-over, and repair with 2-part epoxy and then paint the chair and you can skip the veneer and color matching the stain.

A word of wise with epoxies and wood:
  1) DO NOT use auto epoxies.  They are typically polyester compounds with no structural strength.
  2) You want a structural epoxy that can be sanded, mitered, screwed, etc...
  3) You want something that penetrates into the wood fibers and grips, aka a liquid/gel, not a "putty" type that rests on top.
  4) If you don't have to mix it- its garbage!
 
Best stuff for woodworking repairs that has all of the features is Flex-Tec epoxy, but it is not cheap.
Link Posted: 6/20/2017 9:12:59 PM EDT
[#3]
All sorts of advice here, but it all may be pointless if the OP is lacking certain tools.

What sorts of woodworking tools does the OP have?    Any sort of machinery, like a thickness planer, bandsaw, maybe a drum/thickness sander?  You can make the form with just a sabresaw, and then do some sanding to get it smooth.  It has to be a nice smooth curve, no bumps, especially if you glue up laminated strips
No machine tools, how about old hand tools some old relatives gave or were passed down to you?  It looks like an oak species - so that would be easy to make by bending green or semi dry wood.  I could make that part steam bent with a splitting wedge, drawknife, a spokeshave, card scraper, and a handsaw (and my steambox).  No glues to worry about.  And it will be just as strong as a laminated piece.
But if its something like cherry or maple, it may be easier (less problems with splitting when making a bend, if its made from laminated strips.

Whether the part is made with laminations or steam bent, forms will be needed.   When you make the form, if all you do is copy or trace the existing part, it may not come out exactly the same.  The piece will spring-back once taken off the form.  The laminated part probably less so than a steam bent piece.
Link Posted: 6/20/2017 10:17:05 PM EDT
[#4]
I'd fill the holes with epoxy and then and/or use a biscuit joiner and pocket screw to reattach.
I'd look into using a small "L" bracket on the inside of the arm to help with stress.
Link Posted: 6/21/2017 4:08:38 PM EDT
[#5]
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Quoted:
All sorts of advice here, but it all may be pointless if the OP is lacking certain tools.
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He needs no tools but a putty knife (dollar store), sanding block and drill.  That is it.  You mix the epoxy and use a putty knife to fill it.  If you have a unique contour, you profile out another putty knife to match and drag it along.  You let it dry. You sand it smooth and paint it.

No planer, no bandsaw, no drum sanders, no forms, etc.  All overkill for a minor repair like this. Even if doing a wood veneer top (versus painting) he only needs to add an exacto knife to cut the veneer.

There is a difference between a repair, what the OP asked about, and full restoration to new condition.  You also have to consider the original material.  Laminated wood with a veneer top = not a heirloom piece.  

Any old school furniture repair place will use epoxy, veneer, sand and re-stain on something like this.  On a scale of 1-10, its a skill level of a 3 if painting and 5 if veneering to match. Bending to forms and recreating parts is a restoration, not a repair.  An no offense to the OP, but if he is asking for help to fix that corner, even mentioning steaming and form shaping is an advanced skill, that requires a few more tools than he likely has and not something for a newbie on a project like this.  The failure that will come will only discourage future work.
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