Care & Repair of Furniture
by Albert Jackson & David Day
Review by Mark Gezella – May 2005
This month's selection was my book of choice due to a project I had started at home. Our house never had a built-in dishwasher, and before I could install one I had to shorten an existing cabinet next to the sink. I have some experience with cabinet fabrication, but I knew this would be a challenge due to the construction of the cabinet and door. In the midst of the project I sought help from our library, and this book did not disappoint. It had some good information related to what I needed. But, more about that in a minute....
The book is divided into five sections; Buying Old Furniture, Restoring and Replacing Finishes, Chairs and Benches, Tables, and Chests and Cabinets. There is also a very brief introduction to "kick's things off", which is really nothing more than both authors collaboration on how one can justify spending the time and money to venture into this sort of woodworking.
Buying Old Furniture describes where to find old furniture and how to go about purchasing a piece you suddenly can't live without. Many pictures attest to a plethora of opportunities when seeking old items for a collection. However, all pictures are taken from various locales in England; London, Kent, Hertfordshire, etc. While they're reminiscent of old haunts here in the states, some pictures present unfamiliar areas which make you realize they are from another region. The last few pages offer some valuable hints regarding simple tests to administer to decide whether a piece is worth pursuing.
Restoring and Replacing Finishes is an interesting section that discusses, as you might expect, how to deal with a wide array of furniture finishes. It offers suggestions on how to deal with everything from slight cleaning through correcting water damage to complete stripping and refinishing. I find repairing small imperfections the most intriguing aspect of restoration simply due to a vast array of techniques that can be used. Did you know a scratch can be dealt with by at least four different methods? It's true; you can scrape away slight scratches, blend them using colored wax (paste or stick), stain them (carefully) with a dye, or even apply water (usually heated) in an attempt to raise them (though this is more often done to raise crushed fibers from a dent). There are several pages devoted to French Polish, but if you're really interested in that you should check out our copy of French Polish by Barstow & Waterhouse. This section also considers spray finishes, painted surfaces, stenciling, and even gilding.
Chairs and Benches is devoted to dealing with all sorts of repairs typically found in, what else, chairs and benches! You know, if you really think about it, the chair is probably among the most fascinating developments in human history. To paraphrase the opening paragraphs, it challenges the builder on all levels, because it must be well constructed, aesthetically pleasing, proportioned to provide comfort, and of moderate weight to provide mobility. This section is quite informative. It begins with chair anatomy, which includes stylistic references as parts are explained. It illustrates how to make simple repairs to thwart a partial or complete disassembly, then delves into restoring a chair when a complete break-down is unavoidable. It discusses how to fabricate replacement parts, and offers a few suggestions for jigs that aid in the effort. It also gives good information on weaving cane seats, and offers in-depth illustrations on how to reupholster a cushioned chair. Sprinkled throughout are some offerings on metal chairs and metal mechanical parts, but by and large the emphasis is clearly on traditional furniture and methods.
Tables is a moderately thorough section about how to handle all types of issues with tables. Just like with Chairs and Benches, this section begins with anatomy. I feel I would be repeating myself to list its highlights, as much of it echoes what was already stated about chairs - just a simple change of focus. Suffice it to say the content is just as thorough as what I previously described. This section does however, contain a unique contribution on veneering and provides a couple of pages with great pictures of select veneers. These also illustrate the yield when cut using a variety of different methods. To extend the concept of veneer usage, there are also pages devoted to banding, marquetry, and parquetry.
Chests and Cabinets is the final section which discusses how to make repairs to lids, drawers, doors, and carcasses. Again, the progression of information mimics layouts of previous sections. Not too much new here, though this does have some good stuff related to carving and fitting, as well as matching missing or broken sections of molding by using planes, scratch stock, etc. This section turned out to be of most value for my needs, even though my attention to it in this article may seem rather slight.
As for my escapades in the kitchen, I was able to disassemble the cabinet without much difficulty. After measuring (much more than once!) I cut all horizontal pieces and reassembled the parts to become a new, abbreviated version of it's former self. I repeated this activity with the drawer, then made a final cut in the drawer front to complete it. The door was the most difficult part of the task; it was a simple frame with an inner and out "skin" of plywood. I cut through the door to arrive at it's finished width, then tackled the cutoff. This meant I had to slice away the plywood "skins", disconnect the stretcher stubs, and finally plane the remaining "stile" until it would slide between the new door "skins" unencumbered. I think it turned out alright.
Care & Repair of Furniture has been around for a little over ten years, but our copy is still quite fresh and new-looking. I found it to be a worthwhile part of our collection, and I hope you will too. It's another Taunton publication - need I say more?! This book is currently available for check-out in the Guild library.