Free the furniture joint, check the cam and dowel are aligned, then tighten or replace the lock to fix a wobbly flatpack joint.
FC-01Find the loose jointGently rock the piece of furniture and watch or listen for movement. Trace it to the panel joint, then look for the round plastic cam lock disc and the dowel peg it should be gripping.
FC-02Gather tools and sparesYou'll need a flat or crosshead screwdriver (check which slot your cam lock has), a spare cam lock or two, wood glue, and a few wooden cocktail sticks. Have a cloth handy for glue clean-up.
FC-03Get access to the cam lockRemove any back panel or fixing screws covering the joint. On some furniture you'll need to ease the two panels apart slightly to see the cam lock face clearly. Don't force it - flatpack panels chip easily.
FC-04Check the dowel is fully seatedPush the wooden dowel peg all the way into its hole in the opposite panel. If the dowel itself spins or wobbles loose in its hole, that's the real fault, not the cam lock, and you'll need step FC-06 as well.
FC-05Turn the cam lock tightFit the screwdriver into the cam lock's slot and turn, usually clockwise, until the slot points toward the dowel. This action pulls the two panels together. Turn firmly but stop as soon as you feel resistance - don't force it past its stop.
FC-06Repair a worn dowel holeIf the dowel spins loose no matter how tight the cam is, pull the dowel out. Add a little wood glue into the hole, dip 2-3 cocktail sticks in glue, push them in alongside the dowel to bulk it out, then push the dowel back in. Leave to dry for at least 30 minutes before reassembling.
FC-07Swap a stripped cam lockIf the plastic cam spins freely and won't grip at all, its teeth have worn away. Lever the old cam lock out of its round housing with the screwdriver tip, then press a new one in, matching the size (commonly 15mm or 20mm diameter) to the original.
FC-08Reassemble and testRefit the panel, tighten the cam lock fully, then refit any screws or back panel you removed earlier. Gently rock the furniture again to check the joint is now solid.
FC-09Tidy upWipe away any excess glue with a damp cloth before it sets hard. Bin the old cam lock and store any spares safely for next time.
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