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The trick is hand carving the pegs exactly the right size to friction fit in the hole. Without a lathe that is tall ask.

But also I wonder if they didn't include some glue to hold that chair together originally. Screws in furniture are mostly just there to keep the thing together while the glue cures.

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From the old wood work I've seen around the house, most appear to have glue with a wood dowel, pin, or shim to lock the glued piece into place while it dries, and aren't applying excess pressure to the grain causing a split piece of wood.

Yeah, on said antique chair there is some old wood glue. I imagine the friction joints wore down over time and the glue was poorly slopped in in an attempt to keep the thing together, but that glue, too, failed. I suspect the original did not have glue.

Things wear down, and about the only thing you can hope for is replaceable parts. Chair of Theseus, indeed!

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