Monthly Archives: September 2010
A William and Mary Walnut Chest of Drawers – Part One
Outwardly, the shape and form of these chests remained largely constant from around 1670 to 1720. The construction consisted of a dovetailed deal or wainscot carcase and was typically veneered, cross- and feather-banded in walnut (occasionally ash crossbanding was used … Continue reading
Reading Table Postscript
While researching eighteenth-century paintings to support Making a Reading Table – Part One, I came across another painting by Arthur Devis titled The Duet, painted in 1749. The painting clearly demonstrates the bare floorboards of a well appointed room, but … Continue reading
Making a Reading Table – Part Eleven
I quickly cut the new hinges into their respective positions in the table so I could dump them in the Bucket of Wrath and proceed with the finishing process. Old Red Walnut with its brown-red colour is often mistaken for … Continue reading
Making a Campaign Table – Part Three
This simple little table went together quite quickly. The gate hinges absorbed a little time, however, the top was straightforward, being attached with two face-mounted brass hinges. The entire table was oiled to clarify and deepen the chatoyance of the … Continue reading
Making a Reading Table – Part Ten
Brasses have been a particular thorn in my side recently. I rue no longer having my small forge and foundry. I don’t make a living from restoring antiques any longer now that I’m retired and I only produce pieces of … Continue reading
Making a Campaign Table – Part Two
The table is a very simple affair consisting of a hinged top, a front frame rail, two hinging gates and four moulded legs. The top is basically a wide board made up by rub-jointing four pieces of Padauk together with … Continue reading
Making a Campaign Table – Part One
This is a somewhat duplicitous title as not only is the subject of the post a compact folding table of a genre that accompanied many British officers on military campaigns during the latter decades of the eighteenth-century, but my wife … Continue reading
Beech in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Centuries
Beech (Fagus) is a large, broad-spreading native English tree that produces dense, fine textured timber with a characteristic fleck. The wood is uninteresting and was seldom used as a show wood; however, it was an important framing timber in the … Continue reading
