I was approached at my last Farmer’s market by a lady who had a lap cross stich holder that needed to be repaired. It had three “posts” which held the holder up above a rounded plywood base, which sat in your lap. The posts were glued into the hoop, and had broken off. To fix it I need to disassemble it, build new posts, and re-assemble/re-glue it up.
The posts were made out of pine, so I chose to use the same items. I made them a little thicker than the original (3/4 vs. 5/8) to give it a little more strength. I also laid it out on the edges of the pine board, so the wood grain was quartersawn (more stable)
Cut them out on the bandsaw, sanded them clean, then used the router to put a small round over on three edges, similar to the original pieces.
From there, I had to cut out a small “notch” at the top, for the hoop to glue up to.
I then cleaned up the old glue on the hoop, and used gimlets (the metal tool shown) to drill the holes needed for the screws which hold it to the plywood bottom plate. I find the gimlets are easier to control than trying to do this with a battery powered drill.
I used several coats of shellac to seal the new wood. While the posts are lighter than the original, they will darken with time. From there, I glued the hoop to the three posts, using quick clamps to hold them for 24 hours to make sure they are strong.
Turned out fairly well! A relatively inexpensive fix ($40) for someone who obviously used this a lot.
Kevin