Thread: To restore or not to restore?

Just for some examples I guess, below is the piece that inspired the whole post. I have cleaned up the top and hit it with some restor-a-finish to see if there is any life left in the existing finish, but I feel it will need a strip and re-varnish. But is it worth it? Hand cut dovetails but no makers marks, nice and solid but missing a handle..

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And this is one of the grandkid items. Missing some legs, top needs replacing (plywood has delaminated due to moisture) and a few bits of glass need replacing, all within scope, but this is also a "do I refinish it or leave it" item. I want to re-veneer the whole thing, but again, am I doing more damage than good?

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How do you folks, objectively and/or subjectively, make these calls?

Great post

- What criteria do you use to determine if a piece is worth the time?
For me it is split between a piece is to be worked on for me to gain the knowledge (maybe unique construction), skill and touch without ruining a piece of history. I have started to learn that not too many pieces I get aren't recoverable if I had the skills. I have a meat safe that is honestly only a frame with a top and bottom but I figured these are sound and materials from others could be used with it. I did have a set of nasty pine drawers that had been laminated and then drowned in some awful brownish paint and left in the weather, for this I decided not furniture value, no skills to be gained and the only materials were the handles and bun feet.
Others would be a very old pine dressing table that only needs a clean and some dark shellac applied to tidy some cup / glass rings and then be a new protective coat. This piece requires little but will make a nice antique for someone.

- How do you decide the level of effort you will go to in terms of finish restoration?(polish? Strip and refinish? Veneers etc?)*

Where finish is missing or gone to dust I'm happy to jump in clean, finish and polish. For vintage items with great grain but no of historical significance I'm more willing to show the grain but when they have historical significance then I want the original finish type. When it comes to veneers I'm juts getting the skills for cleaning them before preserving. I have a Bell Brothers flame mahogony sideboard that I have cleaned the veneers and applying blonde shellac to give it depth and protect it. I have a broken silky oak sideboard that was for practice with stripping, French polishing and polishing - what was a practice piece has become a major invest in skills and will probably be used again.

- If one is looking to restore to sell, are there any common gotchas which can hinder the outcome?
Look to see f there is even a market. I find little interest in big wardrobes. This week end I demolished a silky oak and maple unit that had both been cut into and had no great value but for me the wood is the value and I know of value to others. In the other more interesting area I am matching chairs with tables and intent on making complete sets nice again for people to buy (not at a profit but to recover costs and see the pieces used again.)

- Are there any common resources someone new to the game should know about that will help answer any of the above?
I love the YouTube Thomas Johnson videos. Between YouTube videos , some old masters I visit and the masters in this forum I get 90% of what I believe I need. I am also starting to build a library of books including my first being "A Polishers Handbook" by Neil Ellis. Outside of these time and practice.