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Monthly Archives: September 2009
A Dog in a Manger
I have had many a great dog in my lifetime, but with the best will in the world, I can barely remember all their names. What I do recall however, is none of them ever slept in the house at … Continue reading
Posted in Furniture Making
Tagged bed, castors, chinoiserie, cushion, Fox Terrier, shed, toile, workshop
8 Comments
A George III Style Mahogany Wing Chair
Wing chairs must be one of the most popular chair designs of all time. Factories have churned out (usually very poor) ‘reproductions’ of them by the thousand and judging by their proportions, an awful lot of them must have begun … Continue reading
Posted in Seating
2 Comments
A Hepplewhite Sofa
I am instructed we need a new sofa – and I have to agree really. The pair of sofas we dragged here from our previous location is typical of much modern commercially made furniture; they suffer a total absence of … Continue reading
Posted in Seating
Tagged chintz, eighteenth century, furniture, Hepplewhite, horse sauce, mahogany, shellac, sofa, upholstery, wax
2 Comments
An Ash Cricket Table
Virginia remarked of late that she would like another small side table, so I undertook to produce one. I thumbed through a few books and old auction catalogues for inspiration and we eventually settled on a cricket table. Cricket, a … Continue reading
Posted in Tables
Tagged ash, cricket table, eighteenth century, elm, horse sauce, joiner, oak, ogee, patina, pegs, seventeenth century, vernacular furniture, walnut
17 Comments
Fancy a Screw?
I’ve always fancied screws. That such a devilishly cunning device with no moving elements can impart immense force through simple rotation is nothing short of brilliant. Brilliance was Leonardo da Vinci’s code; he no doubt looked at Archimedes’ water screw … Continue reading
Posted in fasteners
Tagged eighteenth century, fasteners, furniture, James II, screw-cutting, woodscrew
4 Comments
Glue, not Adhesive
Cabinetmaker’s glue, also known variously as bone glue, hide glue, pearl glue, Scotch glue and most appropriately, animal glue, is all just collagen, rendered down from left over bits of cattle and retired thoroughbreds. My preferred nomenclature is ‘horse sauce’. … Continue reading
Posted in animal glue, workshop
Tagged adhesive, animal glue, cabinetmaking, collagen, furniture, glue, horse sauce, Windsor chair, woodworking, Workshop Dog
5 Comments
Lighting for Accurate Colour Matching
Half the secret of good furniture colouring is in the choice of workshop lighting. Banks of fluorescent lamps may wash a room with an abundance of ambient light and represent an agreeable balance between light quality, lamp longevity and ultimately, … Continue reading
Posted in workshop
Tagged ballast, colour, daylight, flickering, fluorescent lamps, furniture, reflections, workshop
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An Ebonised Clock Bracket
Most people familiar with bracket clocks will probably only have ever seen them sitting on tables or mantelpieces, but not surprisingly really, bracket clocks were originally designed to be placed on wall brackets. Like the protective leather cases of carriage … Continue reading
Restoration of a Mahogany Chest of Drawers
I don’t know the full circumstances behind this sorry chest of drawers other than it came in with both top drawers removed. The two drawers were so twisted they wouldn’t fit into their respective apertures in the chest – and … Continue reading
Posted in Furniture Restoration
Tagged brassware, chest of drawers, handles, mahogany, polish, restoration, veneer
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