Do it yourself.
I have this bench that goes with my kitchen table. One of the legs has come loose, so that if you sit on the bench, there is about a 30% chance of the leg failing, and you slipping towards the wall.
I’ve had this thing for months, and I finally decided to fix the thing, instead of buying a new one.
So, I bought a clamp for $14 and a tube of wood glue for $3 dollars, to put the threaded insert back into the pilot hole, and hopefully the thing stays in the wood now. If not, I have a couple of other methods to try.
The impulse on these things is to throw away and start over. I say that you should at least try to fix most things you own first, because throwing it away is always an option.
That said, this method only works if the cost to replace something is greater than the cost of fixing it, or the skill and tools earned along the way (as a benefit) vastly outweigh the cost.
For instance, my microwave broke a few months ago. Instead of trying to get a new magnetron for the thing, I elected to buy a $30 one off facebook marketplace. Couldn’t I do the same for the bench? Probably. But I will use a clamp and some wood glue on other things as well, so it doesn’t hurt me to try.
Do it yourself. You might as well try, eh?
Am I too preachy?
Thanks for reading.