[BernieL]

I would think the staples (or brads - nails without heads) were used for a glue-up. Chairs get a lot of pressure during normal use and if the staples were the only holding agent, they would have fallen apart from normal use. If I'm right, they will be very difficult to pull apart and heat may be the only way.

 

[BernieL]

Sounds like those are glued - and like others have advised, if the joint is still strong, leave it alone.

Sanding finished wood to re-stain is a tough job. Lots of folks like to use chemical stain removers and although I'm not a big fan of these chemical stain removers (haven't used them in 25 years), I think the new versions of these are probably better then the ones I used long ago.

I'm a big fan of cabinet scrapers which are old time tool used before the invention of sand paper. A good scraper will leave wood surfaces at the equivalent of 220 grit sandpaper but are so much more efficient and aggressive then sandpaper. The only draw back to cabinet scrapers is the sharpening process. There are several conflicting methods and all are correct. You simply need to find which method works best for you. Her is a link to Rockler's set of cabinet scrapers... http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=4898&site=ROCKLER

Besides the scrapers, you will need to purchase a burnishing tool at about $20 - $30. This tool will be used for sharpening your scrapers. Some folks skip the burnishing tool and use a flat head screw driver to curl the burr on the scrapers.

Other folks may chime in on their preferred method of stripping and they will refute what I have just told you. Consider their advise. My method is not for everyone but it sure suits me fine.

 

[BernieL]

I'll still swear by my Stanly #80 scraper. It takes old finish off quick and easy and leaves a smooth finish, just as smooth as 180 sandpaper. The #80 is the easiest scraper to sharpen. I sharpen the blade at 45' and leave the bur on it. Sometimes I need to curl it back a bit more, but for the most part, I pop it back into the tool and scrape the old finish off. I could probably clean off all those pieces in less then an hr.

 

[BernieL]

Those pieces look good... nice job. I would strip all the pieces and stain them all at the same time for best consistency. Put that card scraper to work and finish the strip process. If the card scraper gets dull, try learning how to sharpen it. It will be worth the effort. There are a few ways of doing that and you can search the methods and see which works best for you. The instructions will tell you to crush the square edge with a burnishing tool. If you don't have one, a wide flat head screw driver can serve do the job.