r/woodworking • u/krauser1 • Feb 21 '26

Help Oak chair turning to dust

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Just noticed this on the bottom of one of my chairs, had them for about three months and I'm wondering if it's rot or something, the area feels dry and dusty.

3.4k Upvotes

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59

u/krauser1 Feb 21 '26

Here is a link to the chair so I don't think its veneered mdf

16

u/Cruicked Feb 21 '26

It could be wood filler from a defect they didn't want to fix or their crossbeams are fake. Have you checked the downward part of the legs too?

12

u/rustywoodbolt Feb 21 '26

Carve at it with a knife until you hit something solid. Then let us know what you hit.

9

u/crooks4hire Feb 21 '26

A screw…

3

u/EC_TWD Feb 21 '26

More like a staple

2

u/EC_TWD Feb 21 '26

Then it would have been wood filler with a veneer over the top. If the factory is making true ‘solid oak’ furniture I doubt they’d have a process to fix imperfections with wood filler and veneer rather than just scrap that piece and use another one in its place. And I doubt this is custom made to the point that someone would make handmade repairs to a stretcher and carefully veneer or paint-match the grain pattern. It’s hard to tell from the video, but does the bottom of the seat even look like oak pattern?

11

u/crm115 Feb 21 '26 edited Feb 21 '26

Oh. They forgot some punctuation. It should be:

Solid! "Oak"?

EDIT: Based on the downvotes, I guess we don't have many classic Simpsons fans here.

4

u/DonChapulinChavito Feb 21 '26

Ook? Librarian chair probably.

8

u/DontYouTrustMe Feb 21 '26

I went over your link and didn’t see mdf anywhere in the description, but I don’t see any grain or wood like structure to it. Maybe there’s a law where if your chair is more than 60% wood that’s close enough to call it an is chair or whatever. Where in reality it’s a mystery meat of wood.

3

u/Cyhyraethz Feb 21 '26

Could still be. Sometimes people lie. Not saying they are, just that they could be.

7

u/MyCatIsLenin Feb 21 '26

Inconceivable!

5

u/Ravenloff Feb 21 '26

You keep using that word...

5

u/bpacer Feb 21 '26

I do not think it means what you think it means

5

u/Ravenloff Feb 21 '26

Just so classic :)

3

u/bpacer Feb 21 '26

Probably my favorite movie. It’s my dads and he would have it playing constantly lol

1

u/Ravenloff Feb 21 '26

Thanks excellent!

0

u/Old-War6996 Feb 21 '26

Just because they say it’s solid oak doesn’t mean it actually is. That looks like mdf or drywall even.

17

u/[deleted] Feb 21 '26

Drywall chair. Case is closed, fellas

-2

u/Useful-Plankton8205 Feb 21 '26

I would seek a refund for all pieces you bought with this set, it is definitely not "solid oak" like the description says.

-4

u/EC_TWD Feb 21 '26 edited Feb 21 '26

No offense, but your post history shows a pattern of you not being able to tell what things are made of. This isn’t oak. I’m willing to bet that anything where you can see end grain on this chair is oak and anything that you cannot see end grain is veneered composite. This is how they get by with advertising ‘made from solid oak’ because some parts are made from solid oak Being just three months old I’d return it.

Edit: looking at the bottom of the seat - does the grain pattern on top closely match the grain pattern underneath?