Completed Mahogany Coffee Table

I wrote a previous post concerning the restoration of this coffee table. Below are some photos of the table completed with the new finish on it. I also cleaned the brass casters and found a drop pull that suited the piece (the original was missing). the leather was restored and has a coat of paste wax to keep it form getting damaged.

Mahogany Coffee Table With Leather Top (ca. 1940)

I recently picked up a Mahogany Coffee Table with a leather top surface. the main problems with the piece were the condition of the finish and the leather, and some loose joinery. The casters had also been attached with bolts in some cases which was an inappropriate way of doing this. the reason for this was that the bottom of the leg had been torn out and there wasn't much material to screw the caster into.

Sometimes I am not sure what I am going to do with a piece until I get it into the shop. The finish on this table was Shellac based, and at first I considered restoring the finish. As I began to do this I saw that the wood underneath was scratched and dinged up so I decided to remove the finish, sand and refinish the table.

This table was made by the Heritage Furniture Company around 1940-1950. It had the GENUINE MAHOGANY sticker on the bottom which was produced by an organization called the Mahogany Association (not a rock group, but a good name for one!) the Mahogany Association was a group comprised of furniture manufacturers who imported Mahogany into the us from the mid 1930's to 1969. The sticker says that all of the surface material (Veneer) and solid lumber and not some other wood made to look like Mahogany. This ensured that the customer was getting the real deal.

below are some photos of the restoration of the wood and leather. The first two photos show the table as it came to me.

The next two photos show some close up shots detailing the damage to the leather.

Here is the table getting the legs glued up.

This photo shows the damage to the leg from the caster getting pulled off.

Here is a photo of the patch I put in so the casters can be screwed back on.The next two photos show the table with the finish removed.

The table sanded and ready for staining.

The table and pull out tray after staining.

The last three photos show the table and tray during the French Polishing process and the leather restored.

Two Pillar and Scroll Tables (ca. 1840- 1850)

I received two tables which I have started working on. Both are of the Pillar and Scroll style. The first is a two drawer drop leaf stand and the second is a pedestal table. I thought that before jumping into the repair aspect of these pieces that I would write a bit about their history.

Most of the dates that and specific information that I am going to relate comes from an article I found online concerning this furniture. If you are interested you can follow the link below to the article:

http://www.buffaloah.com/f/fstyles/lateclass/lateclass.html

for all of the time that I have been a cabinetmaker I have referred to these pieces as American Empire. Recently while researching another piece I came across this term of "Pillar and Scroll".

The "Pillar" referred to is the pillar that supports the top of the table while the "Scroll" referred to is the scroll patten used to terminate the feet on many of these pieces. While many pieces have these features, the key characteristic is the use of tight grained crotch Mahogany veneer to create repeating patterns that decorate the piece. This is usually the sole means of decoration

on a piece.

The reason for this type of construction is that by the 1840's furniture manufacture had moved into a quasi mass production setting for the first time. While the joinery was still done by hand, the sawing of the wood and veneers was starting to be done by with the help of machines. The curvilinear designs for these pieces utilised the band saw to cut the initial shapes out of a secondary wood, usually pine or poplar. These shapes were cut from large stacked blanks or assembled from hollow forms. The shapes, once cut and sanded were veneered. The result was decoration which was relatively easy to produce and repeat. It was also inexpensive to produce. Only in the higher end pieces do you find carving for ornamentation. Turnings were sometimes used as well for ornamentation but overall it was the simplified veneer decoration which dominated this style.

While I use the term pillar and scroll the proper categorisation of these pieces would be Late Empire or Late Classical. I like the use of Pillar and Scroll because it properly identifies these pieces. This being said, these pieces have design elements taken from the American Empire movement in furniture and fall within this category.

The drop leaf table as it came to me was severely damaged by movers and was disassembled and badly gouged on the top. The Pedestal table was in better condition and but needed veneer work done as well as having he top refinished. below are some photos of the pieces as they came to me I will follow this up by individual posts concerning the repairs.

The drop leaf two drawer standDamage to the top of the stand.A close up of the damage.The Pedestal table.Damage to the top of the pedestal table.

Custom Items for Christmas

I am sure that no one needs to be reminded that Christmas is fast approaching, but I wanted to let my readers know that I am taking orders for custom items for the holiday season. I have included some photos below of some past projects as well as a few of my turnings. If one of these appeals to you, let me know, or if you an idea of your own let me know. We can work together on a design on the item of your choice. If any of this is of interest to you please feel free to email me at inf0@johnmarkpower.com or call at 703-727-5691.

Walnut and Tiger Stripe Maple Jewelry box

Walnut, Bubinga, and Yellowheart cutting board

Bubinga and Yellowheart serving tray

Walnut recipe stand

Beech natural edge bowl

Cedar bowl

White Oak natural edge bowl

Mulberry natural edge bowl

Locust turned box (lid off)

Locust turned box (lid on)

Walnut dining table with breadboard ends

Ambrosia maple coffee table

Oak tip and turn table

Locust and Walnut dining table

Victorian Walnut Coffee Table

Before I begin to talk about this piece of furniture, I need to clear up one item. There is no such thing as a antique coffee table. the coffee table is a 20th century invention. While this table might look like the exception to the rule, The fact is that the legs were cut down on this table to lower the height.
When I received this table it was had become completely unglued. not only was the joinery loose, but most of the pieces which had been stacked together to create the apron of the table and the top of the table had become unglued. this partly due to the fact that the table has a marble top which adds stress to the joinery. The other factor is that it was assembled with many different pieces of wood with crossed grain patterns. As these pieces expand and contract over time the glue gives up its bond. the result is the photo below:

Here is a picture of the first glue up. the top and bottom sections are held together with cleats, so I was able to glue them up separately.

here is a photo of the top section being glued up.

Here is a photo of the table after gluing and once the finish had been cleaned with mineral spirits. Note the white hazy look. this is the dirt and wax which the mineral spirits have separated from the finish. this is then removed with steel wool and french polish is applied.

Here is a photo of the coffee table french polished and with paste wax applied.