Thread: Wanted Wood Carver or CNC to replicate old Billiard table leg/bolt cover plates

Copied from Market Place - Miscellaneous section.

This looks like a better place for it.

Cheers - Neil

Hi Craig .
That piece sitting on the coffee cup is 28mm thick ? Must be the picture and Me , It Looks thicker.

Its an English made Billiard table is it ? Being Walnut which it looks like it is . Can you show the legs and rails as well please . It helps getting wood and style of things correct when judging restoration to see as much as possible. It does look like Walnut but its a mild looking version of Burl walnut . Probably because it is solid and not some of the more intense veneers I have seen. There are some other figured wood that can look similar. Judging by pictures alone is risky . You got to have the stuff in your hands before buying wood for such work.
Has it got a makers label on the table ?

Solid Figured bolt covers like that is nice , harder to make or replicate though .
Because if I got on the phone now and asked every supplier I know for solid, medium to light Burl Walnut , First option would be Euro Walnut, second option would be US Black Walnut, in sizes large enough to remake those, chances are next to 0 its available . Plenty of Veneer around . The other reason is moulding or machining such figured wood takes a bit more care , it can chip and carry on a fair bit more.

Sometimes in restoration work where it gets hard with the material you either go for something similar or do a simulated grain job with the staining on something as close as possible . Done right it can be almost impossible to pick.

You said
"I assume they are hand carved due to their rough appearance and inconsistent lines"

They were moulded not carved . The options, all which do the same thing, were spindle moulder or moulding planes . Scratch stock is also an option but not so much at that time or for those sizes. The movement is because of the figured wood used. They have changed shape since it was new. A good example of why figured timber is used thin as veneers or facings and glued down to a stable ground .

How it was made and how to do it now .
There is going to be lots of ways suggested here about that . I don't think Ill get involved with that yet . I will PM you though and talk it over if You like .

Rob

Your chances of finding matching timber will be limited. What you have there appears to be high grade European walnut. Not cheap. In Australia most of this stuff gets snavelled up by gun stock makers. Veneer would be your cheapest option and probably more readily available.