How to Repair & Restore Furniture
W.J. Cook & Sons

Review by Mark Gezella – September 2005

Since this month brings us another meeting, and a picnic, and a field trip…you probably won't have much time for reading, but…!

We now have another furniture book to add to our growing collection of woodworking resources.  However, this "book of the month" is not about building furniture, but how furniture is built, and how to care for and repair antiques, heirlooms, or anything in need of a little TLC.  "How to Repair & Restore Furniture" holds pages upon pages of information, generously sectioned into multiple parts; Introduction, Tools Equipment & Materials, Surfaces and Finishes, Chairs, Tables, and Chests and Cabinets.  It also includes seven projects to emphasize how practical the techniques are, which are scattered among the latter sections of the book.  The author even ventures into repair of an 18th century carved chair, and restoring a fire-damaged table.  This is extreme restoration, man!

The book provides an awesome array of solutions to all kinds of problems with older furniture.  It is so information packed that it delivers solutions to problems I didn't even know could exist!  Not only does it offer extensive descriptions on how to fix furniture, but it supplements content with over 1000 "colour" illustrations - WOW!  A great combination of quality, glossy paper infused with rich color brings a very vibrant, almost "live" look to it.  And yes, you will see some oddly spelled words and unfamiliar descriptions because it comes to us from England (courtesy of Hermes House Publications).

Before the lessons commence, Mr. Cook goes to great lengths to provide much on the history of furniture.  This bolsters two basic schools of thought towards repair; these being whether to restore or conserve.  Furniture restoration enables you to bring a piece back to it's original form - it's former glory if you will.  Furniture conservation revives utility in a piece, essentially putting it back into service.  The final decision dictates the methods, materials, and ultimately the care needed to accomplish the task.

The intent of the book is to provide a thorough guide for all levels of reparation, be it basic or advanced.  Right out of the gate, a section is provided that elaborates on requisite tools, materials, and equipment to help round out what might be needed to tackle a given task.  For basic repairs, there is abundant information on "everyday" restoration; e.g., loose joints, broken legs, resurfacing, etc.  More advanced work is exemplified with reference to special skills; e.g., using a lathe, carving, and marquetry/parquetry techniques.  I don't think anything is left out.

But how about some way-cool stuff you otherwise might not get the opportunity to try?  Have you ever cut wooden threads using taps and die stocks?  How about doing a glue-up using your own, homemade bandclamps?  These are just two of the myriad examples of how to tackle a repair job.  Additionally, there is a wealth of solutions to non-wood problems associated with quality furniture of old, such as correcting ornate gilding, fixing upholstery problems, applying new leather, replacing glass in a lead-glaze cabinet door, etc.  All you need to know about tooling is included as well, though sometimes it's a bit confusing.  For example, there's a section on attaching a new leather writing surface to an antique desk, which describes how to emboss the leather with a decorative wheel that must first reach a "spitting heat" to work properly - anyone ever heard of that?  Another one that stuck with me is how to using a "packing piece" to shim a cabinet door before resetting with original "clout nails" - it's like a foreign language!  One more tickler - anyone know what an overloe is?  I didn't until the book came along - it's simply a formed block wrapped in sandpaper used to clean up concave moldings.  While the nomenclature is odd, there's a real elegance to the simplicity of it all.

As you might know by now, I really enjoy this kind of reading due to all of the references to hand work.  Page after page illustrates artisans carving new blocks to fill a void, or shaving legs to match existing profiles, or using files and rasps to bring initial shapes to a stick.  That's not to say that powertools are shunned; there are just as many examples of cutting, sanding, and routing operations using power as we are all prone to do.  In fact, you don't have to read far at all to find many pictures of DeWalt tools, which seem to be "favoured" by the author.

So, this month we have a mix of old and new again; the book is new, but the content is old!  You may never need to restore a highboy or dining table to its original luster, but isn't it thrilling to know that you could?  With this book and some patience, I bet anything is possible!  Thumb through it as time permits - you'll enjoy it.  This book is currently available for check-out in the Guild library.