Pye Twin Triple - To repair or not?

[SurreyNick]

I haven't posted for a while because the hobby has had to take a back seat, but I have a project in hand and need some advice.

I have two old Pye 'Sunrise' radios which I want to partially restore and sell on to fund some other projects.  The first is this Pye AC4D Twin Triple from 1930.  In its day, quite a good radio by all accounts.

The cabinet on this one has suffered a bit.  Both sides have splits and due to warping of the base it is literally pulling itself apart (see pics).  I had hoped the base, which is affixed to the bottom of the cabinet, would come away easily.  It doesn't.  The glue is well bonded.  Ideally, I'd get the base off, plane it flat, re-glue the finger joints and then re-affix it.  However, I am worried I will do more damage trying to get the base off, than just leaving well alone.

If the base is stuck with hide glue I was wondering if applying heat from inside the cabinet through the thinner cabinet bottom panel might sufficiently loosen the glue so I can prise the base off?

Has anyone here encountered and tackled such a problem before?

Thanks

Nick

               

[AlanBeckett]

Would some Steaming and squeezing work?

Alan

[SurreyNick]

Squeezing?
Can you elaborate Alan?
Thanks

[pwdrive]

The shrinkage and ultimate distortion of the big lump that's the base, is opposite to the shrinkage and distortion encountered in sawn through and through timber when it dries out, it is indicative though of what can happen when a larger baulk of timber is resawn to give thinner boards, that's with my Sawyers hat on.....Not that that info is any use to you.

You could try soaking it for a week or so in a shallow tray to try and release the glue line, it might also be pinned, hard to say from the photo's.

Good look whicheverways.

Lawrence.

[SurreyNick]

I can't see any evidence that is was pinned. There are 4 screws from the inside of the cabinet through the bottom panel into the base, which I removed, but this didn't release the base at all.

[AlanBeckett]

Lawrence is braver than me. I was thinking that as it has a flat(?) Top it might be possible to soak the Bottom and pull it flat with Clamps.

Alan

[boater sam]

The warp doesn't look too bad, seen a lot worse. 
Animal glue is infinitely better than modern stuff as it can be removed with hot water, PVA cannot.

I would suggest repeated soaking in hot water for as long as you have the patience and then cramping and tying the cabinet back into shape with a little fresh glue once the joints will realign rather than taking it apart. If it will not go back into shape when soaked than you may have to disassemble but I would treat that as a last resort, the distortions could prevent you reassembling it without major surgery.

Ratchet straps work well if you have no sash cramps, rope with Spanish windlass also works but use some angle brackets to protect the corners in all cases. Don't have any metal in contact whilst it is still damp, it will stain.

Once back in shape you need to let it thoroughly dry whilst still clamped, and maintain a heavy weight on the joint for a long time else it will warp again.

[pwdrive]

You might be hard pushed to clamp the warp out of that unless it's referenced to a thick slab of timber or a heavy steel plate using duty heavy ACME threaded clamps, If possible I would go for separation then plane up the base true, PVA then clamp to the actual cabinet bottom and re screw, Not sure from the photo's what timber the thick base is, could be Pine, Douglas Fir or Ash......Or something else.

EDIT: A quick and dirty method would be to cut some slits in that base with a circular saw, about three quarters of the thickness of the wood deep or even a bit more, glue the finger joints and sash cramp/speed cramp between the bottom of the base and the top of the cabinet, using a thick board on top of the cabinet for some stiffness.

Lawrence.

[AlanBeckett]

If he was a bit closer I could let him have some thick wall 4 x 2 Box Section and M18 Threaded Rod

Alan

[SurreyNick]

OK. Thank you very much folks. A lot of very helpful advice.

I shall sleep on the suggestions, but at the moment I'm thinking I will soak it repeatedly in hot water until I can gently prise the base off. Having let the base dry I will then plane flat the face that adjoins the cabinet bottom. While this is going on I can repair the cabinet itself and re-glue the joints. Fortunately I do have sash clamps and G-clamps etc.

Once done, I am very tempted NOT to re-glue the base to the cabinet, just allow the screws to hold it in place.

Nick