How to fix wooden drawer knob?

[BarefacedNovice]

Hi All, 

A wooden knob has come off one of our drawers and it's really worn away inside. Each knob has a metal insert that the screw firmly fits into. Unfortunately the one on this knob easily falls out now. 

Could I just fill it with wood putty or wood filler? What product might work? I think the matchstick trick would only work on much smaller holes. 

Any suggestions for the repair would be greatly appreciated?

Thanks so much

 

 

[EricL · Accepted solution]

Hello @BarefacedNovice

Thanks for sharing your question about how to fix a wooden drawer knob. The traditional method of fixing this is to remove the old glue inside the drawer knob. I suggest using a small flat head mini-screwdriver to chip away the old adhesive until it is nice and clean. I recommend purchasing or making a small timber dowel approximately the same size as the hole in the door knob. 

However, before putting the dowel in, I propose putting some timber glue in the drawer knob hole and then pushing the timber dowel in. You then trim off the excess of the timber dowel and wait for the timber glue to cure. Once the glue has cured you can then drill a new hole in the drawer knob, preferably one that is marginally smaller than the drawer screw.

Position the drawer knob in front of the drawer screw and proceed to screw it into place. If you wish to use an adhesive between the drawer knob and the screw, I suggest using Gorilla Glue 51ml Clear Bottle. It is a multipurpose glue and is water-resistant for indoor and outdoor use.  

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Noyade]

That missing metal insert - how deep did it go? That exposed threaded bolt looks awfully short?

Could you simply incorporate a longer screw?

Just a thought.

Cheers.

Graeme.

[BarefacedNovice]

Thanks so much. It's a good idea but I think the end is particularly short and only a small portion of the screw will hit the wood that way. Love the diagram. Thanks again. 

[BarefacedNovice]

Great stuff, I'll give that a go. Thanks again.