Knock all the stools back together and level......

and then inject Chair-Loc into ALL the joints

Here is a link that might be useful: Chair-Loc

Thanks! You guys are awesome!

Stocky, thanks for taking the time to type all that out! I will do it exactly as written!

-Carol

I do exactly what Stocky suggests. The only wrinkle is if some *)@#*) has put nails or staples in the joint. There is a special room in hell for those people.

So true, If those stools are lets say withon 15 or so years old. It's very possible that there are brads in all of the joints .
Gotta love those mass produced chairs with no glue at all or that lovely hot glue that bonds to nothing but itself.

Hope this post isn't too late...

I'm afraid stocky's method will only last a maximum of a couple of years. Yellow glue has very poor gap filling properties and that is exactly what it's function will be. Cleaning off the glue on the tenons will essentially size them too small to fit the mortise - and what about the old dry glue in the mortises? If there's any trace of the original glue in the joint (including inside the grain), there's little chance of proper adhesion with yellow glue, or any PVA glue.

The failing joints is mostly due to two factors: wood movement and improper joinery. Wear and tear only exacerbated the situation. Wood expands and contracts with the seasons. It also swells or shrinks depending on its state when it was milled and its final resting place. In your situation, the wood could very well have *dried out* since you purchased it.

Now that it's moisture content is relatively stable, regluing a loose joint with ordinary wood glue won't solve your problem. You need something that retains its strength while filling gaps. And that product is...

2-part epoxy.

West System and Sytem 3 are two highly regarded epoxies for wood. Follow the directions to a *t* as its strength relies entirely on the resin to hardener ratio and curing temps.

HTH

Zenmaster, ironic screen name ya got there.
I'm not sure if you make a living dealing with wood or just play someone that does on the internet.
Elmers wood glue is the best thing out there.
I would NEVER use an epoxy on wood.
Elmers is absorbed into the wood !
I'm not suggesting that you file the dowel down to a toothpick, only down to it's original size, to remove the dried glue product.
I'm willing to bet that an epoxy or a hot glue was the original product used and that's clearly why it has failed, THEY BOND TO NOTHING BUT THEMSELVES !

I guarantee all the work in my shop for the life of the furniture. If a chair comes loose we will reglue them the no questions asked ,no charge , no hassle.
I bet we haven't had to re-glue more than 5 chairs if that over the course of 30 years and that is more as a result of not lifting a chair when sliding it in at the table, when on carpet etc....

Can you back your work with a guarantee like that ?

Testy aren't we?

Listen, I'm not about to get into a deathmatch with you. The reason for the loose joints is the wood and tightness of the joint, not the glue. By your logic, "Elmers is absorbed into the wood !" and using it on top of old glue (whether it be PVA, CA, animal, et al) defies common sense. There's no way to completely remove all the old glue without resizing the m&t. If you don't, you're not opening up the pores/grain structure to allow for any PVA glue to be fully "absorbed". Hence, a glue with gap filling capabilities is the best option especially if the original milling was done poorly, which is likely the case. However, if this stool is valuable and something the OP wishes to keep for a long time, I'd consider using hide glue.

Guarantees or not, PVA is not the best option in this instance. It'll work for a while, but will fail sooner than later.

FWIW, I teach WW for a living and been in the biz for 20 years. I've also been contributing to woodnet, woodcentral, the old badger pond, SMC, and rec.ww for the better part of 15 years. Sorry but EOT for me.

Oh Zenmaster, You must ahve glanced over step 3 .

FWIW , a wall full of your diplomas doesn't make ya smart, it just means ya spent a fortune on what seems to be a useless education.

woodnet,woodcentral old badger pond ? Maybe you should have stopped by the chair re-gluing 101 forum.

You continue to use an epoxy to re-glue your chairs and I'll be in business for a liftime re-glueing all of YOUR loose chairs.