Restoring a Mahogany Bowfront Chest |
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29_2011_7397s.jpgDamaged carcase side126 viewsMating peg in the missing stool likely caused this damage to the bottom edge of one side.Schwartz
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28_2011_7392.jpgBritish Arts & Crafts replacement hardware98 viewsThe chest was found with these handles. They were the second replacement to the originals, based on inspection of the drawer-front wear patterns. They exemplify an inverted heart motif associated with CFA Voysey, architect and designer of the British Arts & Crafts era. 1850-1915. This design was registered in 1909: the registration number was stamped on the back.Schwartz
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27_IMG_0091s.jpgHardware replaced twice116 viewsThe finished surface under the circular shadows left by Victorian turned wooden buttons reveals wearmarks, likely associated with earlier hardware. Some of that original hardware may have been pulled out or otherwise caused damage to some drawerfronts. The holes made for the buttons on some drawers are much larger than those on others.Schwartz
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26_IMG_0048s.jpgDrawer lock with fasteners.104 viewsOne drawer lock is completely missing, so I will eventually have to make one. Schwartz
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25_IMG_0032s.jpgDrawer lock and fasteners89 viewsEach lock was fixed in this way - two tacks and two blunt screws.Schwartz
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24_2011_6856s.jpgDrawer back90 viewsSchwartz
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23_2011_6857s.jpgDrawer side.97 viewsSchwartz
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22_IMG_0084s.jpgDrawer bottom92 viewsWear strips attached to the drawer bottoms are made up of diagonally sawn strips. This was done to prevent cross-grain splitting of drawer bottoms. Can anyone suggest where this technique originated? I don't believe I've seen it elsewhere. Sadly, a nail through the bottom into the back ensured a split in any case.Schwartz
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21_IMG_4284s.jpgDrawerfront detail100 viewsThe hardware was replaced twice. Most recent was a stamped plate registered in 1907: the pattern No. was on the back. The plate hid circles from a turned knob, fitted through a crudely rounded hole. Scratches inside the circles imply the earliest hardware was a knob on stem: someone reaching for the knob would scratch the surface with their nails. The original knobs were attached through roughly square chiseled holes less than half the diameter of the mounting hole seen here. Schwartz
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20_4_IMG_0115s.jpgInterior view of drawer.91 viewsSchwartz
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2011_8207s.jpgDrawer side secondary wood182 viewsExamination of razor-cut endgrain under 15X magnification suggests this is Black Ash (aka Swamp Ash)- a North American hardwood in a chest of British origin. Both side grain & endgrain closely resemble the sample shown at http://tinyurl.com/4yw7b8sSchwartz
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2011_8206s.jpgDrawer side of unidentified secndary wood100 viewsTentatively identified as White or Yellow Birch, based in part on the hardness & in part on the endgrain appearance.Or could it be a soft Maple?Schwartz
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