Help! How can I bodge my broken chair?

[spanglechick]

I bought, second hand, last spring, a magnificent throne of an office chair. I need a magnificent chair because I have long long working days (up to 12 hours), I have arthritis in my knees and back, and I weigh more than cheap office chairs will tolerate over time. I cannot, therefore, afford the full purchase price of an equivalent work-throne.

But my chair has broken. See how, in this picture:


The metal of one of the five spoke legs has sheered away from the central hub at the welding point.

I don not have welding equipment.

What I need is some kind of ingenious MacGuyver-style fix, using household materials and no specialist skills. Something both audaciously creative and actually reliable. At the moment I’m wondering if some kind of splint and cantilevered bandages combo might work.

Here are more pictures in case the broader general area of the chair legs is significant. Please solve my problem!

 

[bellaozzydog]

I’m sorry to say I think that’s terminal unless you have a greasy neighbour who lurks in his garage joining bits of metal together with magic light

 

[platinumsage]

My mum would wrap lots of sellotape around it and then carry on using it as if it had actually been mended.

 

[existentialist]

As I looked down the photos, I feared that I would have to be the one to tell you that it's almost certainly unfixable, without resorting to welding.

Thankfully, bellaozzydog has spared me that duty

But he's right - I am pretty sure that no adhesive is likely to be strong enough to anchor that leg, given the leverage it will be applying to the join. The only way would be to brace it with something else, and then you're right back in "how do I attach it" land...

 

[Chilli.s]

Stick it back together with an epoxy putty like jb weld.

Or take off the wood and get it welded, looks easy. Fixable

 

[Saul Goodman]

Replace it with the base off any old swivel chair.

 

[souljacker]

My mum would wrap lots of sellotape around it and then carry on using it as if it had actually been mended.

I would do the same but with lots of duck tape.

 

[prunus]

Welding is obviously going to be best, that joint is going to need to take a lot of strain and hence be strong.

However if it was me, and there's nothing better I like than a bit of bodging, I would have a go using a steel right angle screwed into the wood on the top of the strut and into the central metal pole. Will require a power drill, but I have one of those, and like you no welding equipment.

 

[existentialist]

Welding is obviously going to be best, that joint is going to need to take a lot of strain and hence be strong.

However if it was me, and there's nothing better I like than a bit of bodging, I would have a go using a steel right angle screwed into the wood on the top of the strut and into the central metal pole. Will require a power drill, but I have one of those, and like you no welding equipment.

It's going to have to be quite a chunk of steel, if it's to take the load without any kind of corner bracing...

 

[Crispy]

Chop all the legs off with a hacksaw and wedge it into a sand-filled outdoor umbrella stand.
Semi-serious.

To avoid welding, you might be able to bodge something with some steel strapping/angles, bolts and a thread-cutting tap.
But that doesn't really count as household and tbh I'd be second guessing the strength of it every time I sat down.

Put it this way, if this was my chair, I'd write it off. It's a flimsy design with that thin section right at the weld.
Second-hand office chairs are easy to find or at least they were pre-pandemic. The one I'm sitting in was £20 from the place on top of Brixton Hill and it's been going strong over a decade. Single cast piece for the legs so will never break like this.

 

[prunus]

It's going to have to be quite a chunk of steel, if it's to take the load without any kind of corner bracing...

Yes - I've done something similar on a chair leg, using 4mm right angle steel bracing strap, 150mm length each leg. Works ok. I'd be most concerned about the fixing to the central pole - might drill all the way through to use a bolt I think. But I'd certainly give it a go!

 

[spitfire]

Yes, some serious bargains to be had on Gumtree for office equipment.

 

[weltweit]

In many circles welding something is also considered a bodge. I would be tempted to ask around, perhaps car repair shops where they go for their general welding and follow that line of enquiry.

 

[scifisam]

Spangles, have you asked Boycey?

Chop all the legs off with a hacksaw and wedge it into a sand-filled outdoor umbrella stand.
Semi-serious.

To avoid welding, you might be able to bodge something with some steel strapping/angles, bolts and a thread-cutting tap.
But that doesn't really count as household and tbh I'd be second guessing the strength of it every time I sat down.

Put it this way, if this was my chair, I'd write it off. It's a flimsy design with that thin section right at the weld.
Second-hand office chairs are easy to find or at least they were pre-pandemic. The one I'm sitting in was £20 from the place on top of Brixton Hill and it's been going strong over a decade. Single cast piece for the legs so will never break like this.

It's different now - everyone's sitting on computer chairs at home. All the secondhand ones are shite. And even then having chair that actually suits you makes a huge difference, health-wise.

 

[Crispy]

It's different now - everyone's sitting on computer chairs at home. All the secondhand ones are shite. And even then having chair that actually suits you makes a huge difference, health-wise.

I suspected as much

 

[Saul Goodman]

Yes - I've done something similar on a chair leg, using 4mm right angle steel bracing strap, 150mm length each leg. Works ok. I'd be most concerned about the fixing to the central pole - might drill all the way through to use a bolt I think. But I'd certainly give it a go!

Wouldn't work without a gusset.

 

[Saul Goodman]

It's different now - everyone's sitting on computer chairs at home. All the secondhand ones are shite. And even then having chair that actually suits you makes a huge difference, health-wise.

All you need is the base. The hydraulic/gas rams are pretty much all the same size. Just knock the old base off with a hammer and fit the new one, and you still have the chair you like. I've done this many times.

 

[Sprocket.]

Welding material like this will require a fillet or gusset to ensure the weld has taken to a decent depth of steel. Otherwise it’s similar to stitching new cloth to old cloth and liable to tear again in the future.
A decent DIY welder should be capable of fixing this or failing that an auto body shop may be able to help.

 

[Pickman's model]

I bought, second hand, last spring, a magnificent throne of an office chair. I need a magnificent chair because I have long long working days (up to 12 hours), I have arthritis in my knees and back, and I weigh more than cheap office chairs will tolerate over time. I cannot, therefore, afford the full purchase price of an equivalent work-throne.

But my chair has broken. See how, in this picture:

View attachment 256229
The metal of one of the five spoke legs has sheered away from the central hub at the welding point.

I don not have welding equipment.

What I need is some kind of ingenious MacGuyver-style fix, using household materials and no specialist skills. Something both audaciously creative and actually reliable. At the moment I’m wondering if some kind of splint and cantilevered bandages combo might work.

Here are more pictures in case the broader general area of the chair legs is significant. Please solve my problem!

View attachment 256235
View attachment 256234
View attachment 256233

If it's needed for work your employer should provide, talk to your union who should be able to assist

 

[gentlegreen]

disc - (perhaps crude) of ply and several bolts- including into several other of the radials ?

 

[spanglechick]

Ok. Hmm. So, I can’t take it anywhere. It’s the size of a small armchair and I’m disabled.

A new base sounds like the most viable bet, but where would one find one of those?

I can just imagine the reaction if I asked school or the union about a chair this week! We have a big old crisis to deal with. One woman’s chair is.., while technically something I have a right to bring up, is really nowhere near a priority. And theoretically we’re back at work in a week’s time. Of course, there will be more remote teaching to come, but they can’t spend money on that possibility, however high. And although I need it for working evenings/weekends/holidays, I don’t think they’ll buy me a chair on that basis... though it would make an interesting test case since teachers are required to work at home even pre-pandemic.

Sigh. I’m going to have to go further overdrawn arent I? It’s not the worst thing in the world, but the fucking carI’ve barely driven in the last year cost me £400 already this month and that went straight into the overdraft too.

Oh god, and I’m going to have yet another piece of broken furniture in my house/garden. It’s like fucking steptoe’s yard already.

 

[Aladdin]

If it's needed for work your employer should provide, talk to your union who should be able to assist

This....is what I've used for the past year. It's a piano stool.
My back is killing me.
..

 

[Saul Goodman]

A new base sounds like the most viable bet, but where would one find one of those?

You'll find them on Ebay or Amazon. Shouldn't be much more than about £20, or pick up a second hand one. But make sure you can remove your base first. They can take some persuading, as the ram fits into a tapered hole, and they lock in very well.
I'm sure there will be a how to video on YouTube, if you need one.

 

[youbeauty]

I can just imagine the reaction if I asked school or the union about a chair this week! We have a big old crisis to deal with. One woman’s chair is.., while technically something I have a right to bring up, is really nowhere near a priority. And theoretically we’re back at work in a week’s time. Of course, there will be more remote teaching to come, but they can’t spend money on that possibility, however high. And although I need it for working evenings/weekends/holidays, I don’t think they’ll buy me a chair on that basis... though it would make an interesting test case since teachers are required to work at home even pre-pandemic.

This is your employer's responsibility. Surely a school has got some office chairs lying around unused as everyone is working from home. Get them to drop one off. This sort of thing makes me cross!

 

[gentlegreen]

If it happened to be an otherwise perfect chair, I might well get a disc cut in steel and welded - on to reinforce all the radials.
Annoyingly I recently got a free chair from my neighbour and the boss diameter was too small to repair my more adjustable chair I already had...

 

[Aladdin]

This is your employer's responsibility. Surely a school has got some office chairs lying around unused as everyone is working from home. Get them to drop one off. This sort of thing makes me cross!

Schools over here would be hard pressed to send out anything really.
I aaked for some funds to help with setting up for wfh over the past year.
All staff were allowed €20 towards phone costs if they had to contact parents while school was closed. I didnt even get that..

So far I have had to buy a printer, cartridges, A4 printer paper x 6 reams , envelopes, stamps and a separate broadband portable dongle and portable hard drive.

I doubt I will see a red cent

 

[youbeauty]

You're probably right but I'm sure it's not beyond them (school management) to ask someone on site to put a chair in their car or van and drive it round to the OP's home. If they wanted to be helpful that is . . .
spanglechick - are you on good terms with the facilties staff? Might be worth phoning someone direct. Sorry, I realise this isn't actually helping with fixing your chair.

 

[gentlegreen]

I used to work in classroom IT and even though people told me not to, I found it difficult to resist making one good chair out of two bad ones - the advantage being was they usually had compatible parts...

 

[Pickman's model]

Ok. Hmm. So, I can’t take it anywhere. It’s the size of a small armchair and I’m disabled.

A new base sounds like the most viable bet, but where would one find one of those?

I can just imagine the reaction if I asked school or the union about a chair this week! We have a big old crisis to deal with. One woman’s chair is.., while technically something I have a right to bring up, is really nowhere near a priority. And theoretically we’re back at work in a week’s time. Of course, there will be more remote teaching to come, but they can’t spend money on that possibility, however high. And although I need it for working evenings/weekends/holidays, I don’t think they’ll buy me a chair on that basis... though it would make an interesting test case since teachers are required to work at home even pre-pandemic.

Sigh. I’m going to have to go further overdrawn arent I? It’s not the worst thing in the world, but the fucking carI’ve barely driven in the last year cost me £400 already this month and that went straight into the overdraft too.

Oh god, and I’m going to have yet another piece of broken furniture in my house/garden. It’s like fucking steptoe’s yard already.

If there's a big auld crisis this is the best time to ask for a chair as it's something easy to deal with in comparison to the major clusterfuck.

 

[spanglechick]

You're probably right but I'm sure it's not beyond them (school management) to ask someone on site to put a chair in their car or van and drive it round to the OP's home. If they wanted to be helpful that is . . .
spanglechick - are you on good terms with the facilties staff? Might be worth phoning someone direct. Sorry, I realise this isn't actually helping with fixing your chair.

Our school has only two chairs that are built well enough to be adequate for my disability. One is at my desk in the PA office, and the other is in one of my teaching rooms - they were purchased after a referral to occupational health and the e whole process took almost a year and involved Lambeth making me go to a Harley St doctor (whose office was only accessible via lots of stairs) who asked me if I had arthritis. Which I do. Cant imagine how much that cost them. This had to happen before I could have my case referred to the Lambeth occupational health team, who eventually did a site visit, and said I needed better chairs. The school bought two, which took more than two months to come, but couldn’t afford one for each room i teach in. Instead I was advised to request a caretaker move one of the chairs whenever I need it in another room. I’m not going to get bought another one for exclusive use at home.

If I get someone to bring one of my two chairs round for the next week, and then take it back on/before the 8th, I’ll still need a chair at home.