Reworks, then cuts, stale old joke (8)
I believe the answer is:
chestnut
'old joke' is the definition.
(as in an old chestnut)
'reworks then cuts' is the wordplay.
'reworks' is an anagram indicator (I've seen 'reworked' mean this).
'then'+'cuts'='thencuts'
'thencuts' is an anagram of 'CHESTNUT'.
'stale' acts as a link.
This may not be right. It may belong to another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for chestnut that I've seen before include "not a cracker!" , "Hunt sect behind a big tree" , "Golden to reddish brown colour" , "Old joke - edible kernel" , "Sweet -; horse -; water -" .)