Advice needed for some new projects

[oscara]

Sounds like you got a nice chest at a great price now we need pics please

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[Horsecroft88]

Thanks I think it is and with some hard graft it will come up really nicely. If you go to Gowans Auctions website and look at past auctions, (held yesterday) and look at items listed with pictures, there is a photo of the chest (item 0291). It shows the front of the chest. As soon as I can I will load up pictures of this project for sure.

So far today I have continued to work on the top. It now has had around 9 coats of shellac, with two cutbacks. I am now going to leave this to harden overnight and all going well tomorrow I will cut it back again with 0000 grade steel wool and apply another 3-4 coats of shellac. At that point I think I will have applied sufficient and will leave it to harden. I will only cut it back and wax once I have reattached the top to the chest carcass, but I will need to find some large screws to re-attach from underneath as this is how it needs to be fixed. The screw holes are all there and access wont be an issue.

So next off will be probably to start work on restoring all the drawers and thereafter sort out the chest carcass. This project will take a little time simply because of the size of it. Plus I do have the box to finish, let alone plenty of other stuff. But I will post progress as it happens.

[Lawry01]

Dave, I have had a significant trade restriction placed on me by SWMBO until such time as I prove myself further with existing projects -in-waiting!!! What is it that she just doesn't not comprehend????? And tomorrow is the Ipswich Antiques & Collectibles Fair!!!!!! I will feel like a eunich among the harem!!

[Horsecroft88]

Dave, I have had a significant trade restriction placed on me by SWMBO until such time as I prove myself further with existing projects -in-waiting!!! What is it that she just doesn't not comprehend????? And tomorrow is the Ipswich Antiques & Collectibles Fair!!!!!! I will feel like a eunich among the harem!!

I really enjoy your posts Lawry, they put a smile on the dial . You poor bugger the missus is quashing the purchase of more projects on the pre-text that you havn't completed what you have already. What about your fab English Oak desk or the Piano stool. They must count. Man I would hate to have such an embargo placed on me. Hmn, well I kind of have this, inasmuch as I am fast running out of space, time and I have to also say my fingers/hands have taken a beating over the past couple of weeks while on leave. Afterall there is only so much working on projects, as well as renovations that the body can handle.

As I previously mentioned I really hadn't intended on buying the large cedar chest, given I already have one, but when the other half said she really liked it, and she knows from past experience what I can do, I kind of had the green light. And then when only one other bidder spoke up and offered $10 more than the original reserve, I have to admit I did think bugger it, I can't let it go that cheaply. Afterall, I do know what it will be worth once finished. So that is kind of why it followed me home.

Now while I havn't done any more work on the box apart from finding some cedar planks I remembered I had, which need cleaning up and cutting to size, I have done a little more work on the chest. 2 drawers have been completed, and I have made some structural repairs (gluing/pining) a section that was broken on another drawer, plus replaced a runner with a fine strip of cedar. So next off is a light sanding and I can start to shellac polish the third drawer. The top is finished (apart from cutting back and polishing) but if I can find the screws I need I will get this sorted and re-fit to the chest. So some small progress.

I am back at work on Monday, so will load up some images of all of this.

Now mate, I do hope that you managed to get along to the antiques fair, afterall even if not buying surely you could always justify it to SWMBO on the grounds of Research. And I can't see that as not being perfectly reasonable. That is unless she has other plans for your Saturday such as mowing the lawns etc !!

[Horsecroft88]

The set of photographs posted below, show the chest as obtained and delivered home, and as a work in progress. I have now completed repairs (cracked/split sections), missing runners etc and repolished the 4 top drawers and the top. Next off will be the 3 large main drawers and thereafter I will need, somehow to get the chest into my "workshop" so that I can tackle the repairs to the underneath to enable me to fit up the feet, once I have also figured out what to use for this. You can see on the photo of the underside that there is a section of timber which has rotted out, which I will need to replace. As this also forms a part of the base plinth, I will need to shape this on the outer edge, plus drill a hole for the dowel section of the foot to attach to the chest.

[gyropilot]

Very nice !

Luckily I don't have the trade restrictions, it is more like she who brings me the items !!!
And then adds "shouldn't take you too long to get a bit of life into it"
Thinking 10 minutes is all it takes............ I wish...



Cheers

Geoff

[Lawry01]

Very nice !

Luckily I don't have the trade restrictions, it is more like she who brings me the items !!!
And then adds "shouldn't take you too long to get a bit of life into it"
Thinking 10 minutes is all it takes............ I wish...



Cheers

Geoff

Geoff...is there any such thing as a free lunch?? I do have some comeback with swmbo as she is developing an interest in collecting some form of beswick figurines....6 so far! Much to her dislike I call them M1 M2 M3 etc. (M standing for Mortgage!) So....I figure the tally is pretty even! However, the Ipswich antique fair deliveed a zero cost other than our travels.....not much in thye way of things wooden, and I have little interest in china figurines! (other than rejuvenating a beautiful table or two for them to sit on!!)

Dave..love the look of your new project.. I can almost smell that lovely old timber scent just looking at the pics.

[oscara]

Nice looking chest you have there. I love the color.

[Horsecroft88]

Thanks guys, I will post some more pics as I get some more completed. I am still working on the first of the large drawers. Am nearly finished, should have it completed in the next day or so. The colour and grain is coming through really nice and yes Lawry it sure has some lovely old timber scent . Actually, once finished it should have that great bees wax finish odour.

Geoff, yes I know what you mean re the 10 mins to finish something, my other half has some similar kinds of thoughts when it comes to restoration of our country house. Funny that as it has taken us the past 6 years to get it to where it is and there is still plenty more to be done yet !!

[Horsecroft88]

Finished and fitted up the first of the three large lower drawers. I must say I am really happy with the colour, finish and grain. Pictures below. So onwards with the next drawer. I will need to make a small repair to one of the sides as there is a small split but it should only be a simple glue and clamp job.

[Horsecroft88]

Am working on the last of drawers, not too long now and it will be finished. Then for the chest carcass. Will be good to see this all come together.

All going well I will get the last drawer finished over the weekend and have made a start on the chest. More photos to come but perhaps not until early next week.

[Horsecroft88]

As mentioned last time I noted I intended on getting the last of the drawers finished. So now having got this completed the next stage is to start getting on with restoring the chest itself. First off I needed to make a repair to the base plinth, which had a section broken out of it on the front face. Luckily I had the missing section so all it needed was a light cleaning up, and then reglue and pin back into place. This done, I can now make a start on sanding back lightly all the front face sections and start polishing this up. This will be this week's project, thereafter the sides and finally repairs to the bottom and sorting out the feet.

Don't worry I havn't forgotten about the cedar box it is just that I need to get the clamps and some other things and just havn't managed the time to get organised on these things. The box's restoration will continue when possible.

Now for the latest photos of the chest drawers finished and re-installed.

[Horsecroft88]

Ok, so I know I have been a little absent for a while. First off had a trip to Sydney and thereafter been busy with other matters, including our car club hillclimb last weekend, but just to re-assure a little more progress has been done on the chest in the interim. No photos though as nothing all that startling to show. First off I have given the front face of the chest a sanding back, as this was needed. The faces were a little rough due to drawers having been taken in and out of the chest over its lifetime and while I don't (and havn't) lost the evidence of this wear, I just needed to face it off lightly given it was a little too rough. That completed I also needed to reglue and pin the cedar veneer strips on the verticals (each side of the chest face) even though it is solid cedar has a fine strip of cedar veneer. On my other chest this is done in cross banding, but on this chest it is just normal cedar. Don't ask me why they would have done this but anyway that is how it is made.

From there I was able to apply the base coats of shellac until I ran out, and given it was too late in the day to get some more metho to make up a brew I have had to leave it. I will get onto completing this part of the restoration shortly. However, also in the interim my brother in law has chased around some antique furniture restorers to find someone to make up a set (turn) of "new" bun feet out of cedar. Once made, with dowels these can then be installed onto the chest. The cost for the turning of feet, about 2/3rds of what it cost to buy the chest but given that the generic ones that are available in "restoration" shops here in Hobart are at best very average and also more Victorian rather than Colonial in style, there really is no other option. Waiting until a set of 4 correct design/proportion feet might come available is just not really practical.

In the meantime, I do need to get on with the other repairs to the base, including installing a new section of cedar for the base plinth as well as making up 4 cedar blocks for the feet to marry up with. So I need to raid my cedar supplies out at the country place for these jobs. The other thing I will need to do is a couple of small repairs to the RHS of the chest at the base where there is both a small broken area which hasn't been repaired well and a small missing piece of cedar. Luckily I have some cedar at home for the missing section and so just need to cut to size and glue in. Once these repairs are completed (and yes I will take photos of all this work), I can also get on with sanding back and shellac finishing this side.

Will post again soon when I have more to talk about and show.

[Horsecroft88]

Once again it has been a while but life just keeps on getting in the way. Had to do some minor repairs/rennovation work on my home over the weekend so no time for the chest restoration. I had my builder undertake some repairs to the early 6 glass panelled Sash windows in my bathroom, among a range of other repairs. Sadly water had got into the windows and caused some rot. All fixed now and mostly all re-painted. But like all such minor repairs I encountered a level of rennovation creep, the window ledges inside needed to be re-polished, given 11 years of use and wear. But as ever they came up really nice.

Given tonight telly is looking pretty rubbish, I managed to put in a decent hour or so, sanding back and re-shellacing the front face of the drawer edges of the chest. I kept on going until I had built up a decent level, probably put on around 6-10 coats, and then cut back with 0000 steel wool and waxed polished it up. Was really pleased at how this came up. I have taken a couple of photos with the drawers out of the chest and re-installed to show how it all looks now. So that has the front of the chest completed.

Next for the sides of the chest and thereafter repairs to the base including cutting blocks and drill the holes to allow for the feet to be mounted, once received from the furniture restorer who is turning the feet up for me. Will post photos of the feet once I get them.

[Horsecroft88]

Am happy with this. Now for the sides.... woo hoo getting closer to another project finish.