No surprises here

These two pieces are a delight. Like humble poodles at the barber enjoying a cut and shampoo, these two shop additions have been polite and silent. The red mahogany top is from an antique gate-leg styled drop leaf table. My customer suggested it was going to be easier to bring the top to the shop than to wrestle the entire table. I liked that idea, and the surface needing some work "flipped" out of sight when the table is expanded for use. (So, there would not be a color-related matching risk.)

What you see here (left above) is the pre-seal, stained look of that top. As you can already tell, this surface has a deep warm color, but it will deepen even more as the seal and two coats of clear finish coat are applied. Don't ya just love nice wood!


The little side table (right pic) features a tan leather inlay...and it's accented with a floral-type gold leaf trim that runs all along and around the perimeter of its top. You can't see that in the picture, right, since the top has been covered to protect the leather in-lay from shop procedures. You can see the attractive floral gold leaf, below left, along with some scars 'n bruises (...yup, time hands em to us all!).

This little table has a twin that did not make it to the shop (...and yes, it's lonely but we've discussed the prospect of its soon return). In this (right, lower above) picture you see the 2 newly stained surfaces. Again, (same pic) you can glimpse the top refinished surface stained and ready for sealing and finishing (As you can see, it amounts basically to an attractive accenting edge). The lower surface provides an ample shelf space and is, of course, the finished top side of the table's drawer housing. Both of these pieces are first-of-the-week delivery items.

That's Wood Talkin for today. Keep listening!

"Incoming!"

Here are that latest new additions on the shop floor...waiting their respective opportunities for some time and loving attention. Yup, I know, nobody wants to stand in line, but hey, these guys (and gals) know it's worth the wait!

I'll be telling you more about this pretty little leather-inlaid side table soon (it's got a twin who wasn't included this time, so we've gotta talk softly...shhhh.)

Till next time, that's Wood Talkin. Are you listening?

Dick

"Twins" Update

I think it's fun to see some of the ways manufacturers design and build their furniture. These two Broyhill solid maple side tables are no exception. For example, look at the way the legs of this table are secured to its top. In this picture (left) I've set the table on its side, so you are looking at the underside of the table to see a clamp assembly where the leg joins the top. This simple assembly utilizes a wing nut to secure the leg to the top. The homeowner can loosen the wing nut and remove the legs as needed for storage, packing or moving, etc. That's nice!

Here's a pic of the top (one of these twins) right after it's been stained and cured. Yup, it's a dull finish at this point (and appears a little lighter than it actually is) . Next in the refinishing process is the application of the sealer and then two--maybe three--coats of clear gloss lacquer. Then comes the buffing process. Lots of fun!

Ok. That's Wood Talkin for this morning. Be listening...you furniture really will "speak" to you!

Dick

"Incoming"

From now on I will be introducing new items to the shop as "Incoming." I'll do this initially for the sake of brevity, but it will also assure customers that their pieces have indeed arrived--an "I spy." So, introductory commentary--if there is any at all--may be brief until the item(s) are well "in process."

That said, here's twins; two identical Broyhill Maple Side Tables. These gals are solid maple about twenty years old, but they look like they're not far at all from the showroom's floor. They just need a little timely TLC to their finish surfaces.

That's Wood Talkin for today. Keep listening!

Dick

A Muted Glory!

That ole Zenith Long-distance radio radiates! Just look at it (Below is the before pic; top right is now). So, what do you think?

It's got a wonderful bright persona--the new signature of past glories restored...well almost. Something's still missing. As you can see it's got pride---pizazz; some of that 19th century enthusiasm impatiently waiting to just EXPLODE from inside that newly refurbished cabinet.

It's what we don't hear right now that's telling a tale, too. Its deep baritone voice awaits...still muted. Those amazing old vacuum tubes--all still in tact--and its supporting network of wires to capacitors, resistors, amp, to speaker and to tuner, are all--albeit understandably--deteriorated. (After all, it's been 80 years!). Like a "new" old man on Viagra, here's promise with impotence? But Yippee Skippie, this too can be fixed.

It's been whispering to me. I enthusiastically respond, "Yes--you're going home!" But what it doesn't know (and I haven't told it)--yet--is that I've got a secret: there's a good likelihood for an electronic update in its future, too. Wow! I want to be around to hear the results of that.

That's Wood Talkin for today. Keep listening (...and please post a comment)!

Do I Hear an Echo?

This is a fun one. Yup, its an old Zenith long-distance radio. Manufactured in the mid-1930's and featured routinely in family homes all over the country, these radios were particularly significant to provide the news--and a lot of really fun "family gathered around the radio experiences"--through several decades, but especially during WW I and WW II.

Consequently, there are multi-layered stories that can be told here. It's almost like hearing and echo. The first layer is about the stories this old Zenith can tell about itself. For example, it can tell some stories about its fabrication on the assembly line, and it can tell stories about the people relationships and family environs that were called "home" through the past 80+ years. The second layer is about the stories it knows to rehearse about important news and life-changing events occurring in this country and around the world through those same eight decades.

The refinishing process will require some special steps necessitated by the variety of woods and stains included in the cabinet. But we'll start with a methodical cleaning of the cabinet itself...there are a lot of dust bunnies hiding in there! Along the way features will be taped off and wrapped to prevent damage--both of the electronics that still occupy the upper portion of the cabinet and of the stain, elevation, and color transitions found across the cabinet's face and top.

The centered speaker on this model is positioned between two curved, burled walnut "columns." These handsome sentries received their share of ware and tear through the years, so they are variously scarred and bruised. During the repair process of the second shop day we realized that the burled surface we were working on was actually a very good photo grain applicae! It is wrapped and stretched over a curved (i.e., the "columnar") wood foundation. That discovery has required some appropriate changes in the refinishing strategy. In the second picture, left, you can see we've covered those burled surfaces having repaired the



scars (as best we can without actually replacing the photo finish). Then these were covered away for the next phase in the cabinet's refinishing process.

On the right you can see a detail of the top of the cabinet where the "column" on the left side of the cabinet joins details at it's top. See a portion of the attractive walnut burl on that side and across the top of the cabinet front--it's all part of that photo-plastic wrap, but very attractive for sure.


That's Wood Talkin for today, but check back to see what's happened since your last visit.

Dick

That Marvelous Old Cedar Chest

OK. Here's the progress report on that "is it a Lane" Cedar Chest. That question remains unanswered at this point, but whether or not it's looking good? Well...see for yourself. It's a real beauty. Look at those cute little flowers in its skirt!

But whether it's a genuine Lane Cedar Chest or not probably doesn't really matter when it comes to the quality of this beautiful piece, the story behind it, or its real value to our customer. Yup, and right now it's talkin' about going home.

Perhaps by this time tomorrow we'll have an answer to the "is it a Lane?" question, whether it really matters at this point or not. So, stay tuned for that fun update. In the meantime, check it out and enjoy what you see with us.

That's Wood Talkin for today. Are you listening?

Dick