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Why the screw makes it worse
A chair joint is a round tenon in a round hole, held by glue over the whole surface. A screw holds along one thin line — it crushes the wood fibers, cracks the leg, and wobbles loose again in a month, except now the joint is ruined for a proper repair.
If someone before you already drove a screw in: back it out gently, and we'll show you how to plug the hole with a glued dowel at the counter. The chair is almost never past saving.
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Take the loose joints apart
Flip the chair, seat-down, on a padded table. Work each loose joint free with slow twisting pulls — persuade with the rubber mallet if needed, striking close to the joint. Only open what's actually loose; a tight joint should be left in peace.
Label pairs with masking tape as you go: legs and rungs that came out of a hole go back in the same hole. They wore in together.
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Clean out the old glue
This is the step that decides everything. New glue does not stick to old glue. Scrape the tenon and inside the hole back to bare wood — a toothbrush dipped in warm water softens old hide glue on antique chairs; a card scraper or sandpaper handles the rest. Wipe dry and let it sit ten minutes.
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Glue, reassemble, clamp
Brush glue on both surfaces — tenon and hole, thin and complete. Reassemble the whole side at once, tap joints home with the mallet, then pull everything tight with a band clamp around the legs. Set the chair on a known-flat surface, check all four feet touch, and leave it overnight. Wipe squeeze-out with a damp rag before it skins.
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The joint you can't take apart
Tight-but-clicking joint that won't come free? Drill a 1/16″ hole into the joint line from underneath where it won't show, inject glue with a syringe kit until it weeps, rock the joint gently to draw glue through, and clamp overnight. Not as good as a full re-glue — but it buys years, and nobody has to see the hole.
Counter wisdom
Don't glue a wobbly chair on a crooked floor — you'll build the wobble in permanently. Clamp it on the flattest surface in the house, and shim under a foot if you must. The kitchen counter has fixed more chairs than the garage has.
Glue, clamps, and syringes live in Hand & Power Tools — or bring the chair to the next Repair Café and we'll do it together, free. Visit Hand & Power Tools