Marcus Sly - Furniture Making and Design

If we want furniture to last we must make it repairable.  In fact reparability may be an even more important factor in the longevity of a piece of furniture than strength is.  We can make things very strong with the use of modern adhesives, but once they are glued together it is almost impossible to disassemble them without damage.  Once they start to deteriorate or break there is little we can do to correct matters.  Realising this I have started to use hide glue which, although little used in recent times, has the great virtue of being not only strong but also reversible.  With the application of heat and moisture the furniture can be disassembled at a later date in order to allow for repair and restoration.

Another construction method which is much underused in modern fine furniture making is good old fashioned nails.  These seem to be considered by some makers as a bit too agricultural for fine work, but to me this is over precious.  I have started to use pins alone to secure the back panels to my carcasses.  They are quite strong enough and, like hide glue, are easily reversible.  The small indent left after the nails are set can be filled with wax, and while perhaps not ideal on the front of a piece, can be left with honour on the back - an honest construction detail which need offend no one.