Investigate the nature of the damage, determine its cause and work out the best possible repair so that the damage won't occur again.

Equipment:
Abrasive paper: 180 - 240 grit
Epoxy resin adhesive
Waxed paper or newspaper
Finish of choice
25mm chisel
Pincers or cabinet scraper
Quick-action cramps
Nail punch
Paint brush or spray gun

Securing a lid
The break in timbers in this blanket box occurred because the lid was allowed to drop back too far, putting strain on the timber and the joints. To prevent the split recurring, the timber around the break needs to be reinforced.

1. Remove the lid. Choose a timber for the stiffening rails that matches the species used for the box.

2. With a tenon saw, cut the stiffening rails to length. Glue and cramp the rails to the inside faces of the box and lid, adjacent the hinges. .

3. Reattach the lid, replacing the hinges and screws, if necessary, and screw-fix a length of light chain to the inside of the lid and box to prevent the lid falling back. The chain should allow the lid to open so that it is nearly vertical. Do not allow the lid to open at a greater angle, as this could cause the joint to break.

Here's how
1 Using a chisel as a lever, carefully remove any pieces attached to the timber. Take care to avoid splitting any old timber. Remove any nails left in the frame with pincers or a scraper. Pull any nails left in the panels through the underside of the timber. A nail punch can be used to punch the nails through the panel and out the underside. Choose a punch that is the same size or a little smaller than the head of the nail. Any evidence of chipping on the underside of the timber will be hidden from view when the piece is reattached to the frame.

2 If the joints are not broken, put epoxy resin adhesive in the splits. Hold each split open with a small timber wedge or a chisel, then apply the adhesive. Take care not to split the timber further. To fill a split that is very narrow, put a little adhesive on a piece of abrasive paper and insert the paper into the split, then remove the paper.

3 Cramp the splits together, applying pressure in two directions using quick-action cramps. Use cramping blocks to protect the timber and put waxed paper or newspaper between the blocks and the timber to prevent the blocks from being glued to the timber.

Finishing
4 Give the furniture piece a final sand all over with abrasive paper, then apply a finish of your choice. A modern finish of water-based acrylic lacquer was applied to the blanket box in the photograph above. The handles of this blanket box were removed and sprayed with a black gloss paint from a pressure pack and reattached to the box when the finish had completely dried.

Source:Repairing Furniture (Murdoch Books)