Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Fixing and making things, what tools to get and what skills to learn, ...
jacob
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by jacob »

Ego wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:08 pm
Today I found this small antique table top for $10. It is about 15" across and did not come with legs. I will have to figure out what to do about the missing teeth and solve the leg problem.
You could turn it into a Lazy Susan. Get rid of the side underneath and use a rotary/lazy susan bearing. You'd need a foot. If you don't want to DIY (I built a bearing using marbles and plywood to turn a slab of wood with a live edge into a lazy susan), you need something like
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-6- ... /203661089
and
https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-2-in-x-1- ... /317213386
just to give you an idea.

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Ego
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by Ego »

jacob wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:24 pm
(I built a bearing using marbles and plywood to turn a slab of wood with a live edge into a lazy susan)
That's very creative. Nice.

Since I intend to resell it I don't think a lazy susan would work.

The bottom doesn't show any signs that legs had been previously connected to it so I believe it may pair well with those foldable Moroccan platter legs, like these....

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ETA: My knife-collector friend at the swap meet is always buying mother-of-pearl to make knife and gun handles. I think I'll ask him if he has a piece he can spare so that I can give the missing teeth on the table a kintsugi repair. Though I am not sure how well that will work out for resale. Hah.

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Ego
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by Ego »

This was left behind a tree next to a dumpster at an apartment building nearby about 10 days ago. I have walked past it twenty times. Today I decided to take a look at it. The first thing I noticed was the wheels. Retro 1960s stainless steel. I decided to wheel it home as it is very heavy. The wood is a beautiful heavy fairly hard wood. I have no idea what it was made for. The opening has no holes so it did not hold a record player or sewing machine. I don't believe it is deep enough to hold bottles of liquor. The hardware on the flip top is interesting. It forces the wood supports out of the side and then retracts them when closed.

Any ideas on what it is?

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chenda
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by chenda »

Curious...I wonder if it was a sort of desk annexe for extra space and storage?

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Slevin
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by Slevin »

It has the wood and mid-mod feel of one of the old danish drop leaf tables with self storing folding chairs, but the sliding compartment and overall design are a bit off for that.

I’m almost wondering if it is a drop-leaf changing table or something, but I feel like that would have more safety features for keeping a baby on top. It looks like something is supposed to slide in that slot near the end (that is now missing)?

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Ego
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by Ego »

It is about 27" tall. Here are a few more photos. @Slevin, maybe a chair slides in the slot? @chenda, I thought maybe it was a typewriter table? I sanded the top a bit by hand. It would be a lot of work to do a complete refinish. Not sure if it would be worthwhile. Hum.
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Slevin
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by Slevin »

Might be worth considering dismantling and using the planks to build something else; a table, or a cabinet, or shelves? I’m not good enough at woodworking to know the order of complexity, just hate to see good wood go to waste because it is put together in an awkward fashion…

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Ego
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by Ego »

I was thinking of removing the wheels and making it into a campervan kitchen/porta potty holder for resale. I think a small porta-potty would fit in the drawer area and a sink will fit in the open flip top. A two burner stove should fit in the open area.

Another alternative would be an electronics hideaway cabinet that could store a wifi router and organize all of the cables for phone and computer charging. A few years ago Mrs. Ego expropriated a paintings I was selling, extended the frame and made it into box to store our unsightly wifi router.

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Ego
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by Ego »

Another project. The guy was pulling it out of his truck this morning when I asked the price. $10. The legs and arms need to be refinished. It is brownish vinyl which is in pretty good condition so no need to reupholster. Pretty cool art deco style.

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Ego
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Re: Furniture & Art Repair and Restoration Log

Post by Ego »

Ego wrote:
Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:56 pm
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Well, it took almost exactly one year. I had listed the drawers for $650. A guy who just moved from New York offered me $325. I took it. He was thrilled. So was I.

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