Thread: Restoring antique dresser advice please

Hi .
One thing that helps us solve problems is seeing the whole piece as well as its problems . On an angle so we see side and front and top at least please.

The top has separated. The other open panel , is that a side ? ( Edit . I see its the top as well now .) And the runners have dropped out at the front !
Something is going on more than just shrinkage because drawer runners don't shrink much at all down their length. Slightly across their narrow width but not in length .

I can see its Oak and possibly 20s 30s English Manufacture . The ends are paneled . What are the joints like in the rails above and below the panels , going into the legs . Have the panels expanded at some stage and pushed the legs apart . Or more likely the glue has let go and the front legs are loose ? That's the joints at yellow arrows.

You can see how the tenons or tongue is back from the groove and a pale line down the panel front where I put a red arrow , the end of the runner is in line with that pale part and it looks like the front leg has shifted forward from it . You may have to sort a loose carcase first then re fit the runners . The top would have to come off . Be re glued and fitted back on later. The runners should be glued in at the fronts and at the back Green Arrows after the carcase is fixed . No glueing it onto the panel though . That's floating in its grooves with no glue .
IMG_6579 resized.jpg


First.
Just give the front legs a knock apart with a fist or mallet to see if its loose. If its loose there then you will have decide if you want to do it right and pull the piece apart or try and just get it apart enough to squeeze glue in from the side . Let us know if that is the problem before going further if you like.

Rob

Thank you for that comprehensive answer Rob. I’ll take photos of the piece as a whole as you suggested and put them up. I checked the legs when I first started and they seem to be still fixed in place on the piece. The side runners are affixed by a small nail at the back not glued which is how they can hang there.
There is a dowel fixing at the top/side which is loose too. Yep more photos.
Thanks again.

Okay more photos. Yes if you are calling the legs the whole corner piece it has come adrift clearly showing the 'pegs' at the top in one photo, which is why the drawer runners have dropped out of their little slots. So they need to be glued and the side runners glued in their little slots would that hold it sufficiently?
front on resized.jpgcomplete top resized.jpgshowing r adrift at top resized.jpgleft side resized.jpglegs resized.jpgright side 1.JPGtop resized.jpgright panellingresize d.jpg

The top (although showing in its 3 separate slats) is still affixed securely at the front and rear of the cabinet, and as shown in the photo can be slotted in together to fit snugly. In the third photo here the 'tongue and groove' shows clearly how it fits together. no glue remnant in there. Would rather not pull top off being the amateur that I am. I hope these photos give you more of an indication of whats happening. The veneer is lifting a little and the back is pretty poor but from what I can see the back can be replaced once the rest is holding (hopefully)
I have just hit a snag with my 2nd drawer. Some galah has put 3 nails to hold the bottom in but right through the channel. I can think of a couple of options
1. worlds smallest hacksaw and patience, 2. very careful grinder work, 3. notch 3 V's so the bottom slides in around the nails. Any other ideas??
Thank you for your time and advice.

Originally Posted by susandocurtis

The top (although showing in its 3 separate slats) is still affixed securely at the front and rear of the cabinet, and as shown in the photo can be slotted in together to fit snugly. In the third photo here the 'tongue and groove' shows clearly how it fits together. no glue remnant in there.

Would rather not pull top off being the amateur that I am.

Yeah I understand . When I get work come in that isnt done right and never worked it always costs more to do the right thing and fix it .
Taking the top off and clamping up right requires the right tools, like sash clamps , and some skill , to put it back right so that the joints line up , the top is flat and ends up being able to be repolished without having to go to the trouble of strip sand and re polish . If you just go putting glue in and not clamping it up right it ends up with gappy weak joints . I would recommend not touching it either until you have the tools and skill or pay someone to fix it .

The piece needs the drawer runners pulled out , top taken off , carcase knocked apart where loose , dowels checked to see if they are loose in both their holes, re glued , The original glue is hide glue , use that . The top needs joints cleaned , re clamped back together using some flat cauls to keep it straight , glue cleaned off . Then everything would need re polishing .

If you want to squeeze glue in as it is and just wipe off excess then you at least need some clamps. Trying to squeeze the carcase back together while also getting the runners back in wont work , or it wont be easy . They should be taken out and re fitted properly .

Rob

Thanks Rob for that great advice. I have got some clamps not sash clamps but I am lucky(?) enough to have a picture framers clamp which was great for the drawer. Will sleep on it, check the dowels and other things on it in the morning and ponder my next moves. Not sure that its worth for me to get someone to do it at this stage. I have another piece which is bigger and better that I may have to invest the $ and get someone to fix. I was arranging to join our local "woodies" club but then Covid hit. Due to age of members I don’t think they are very active at the moment.
I really appreciate the time you took to look over my dresser and advise me. I'll let you know how I go.
Regards
Susan

Hi Rob,
Hope your still watching this thread. Local ‘Woodies’ group definitely inactive due to Covid and even if they had flat cauls I would need someone there to help me use it. After pondering choices I decided to give it a go. I call it a ‘put back together’ rather than a restoration. Unable to get hide glue so ended up with some Titebond II.
With a friend to help we managed to glue, tap, push, pull, manoeuvre, bash and clamp the dresser into place. Usually a perfectionist I am quite happy with the result. It is still clamped and I’ll check fixings once I remove clamps. (Dreading moving it after that..!?)
Thank you for your advice, it’s a shame I could not follow it due to Covid and funds.
Hopefully I can attach photo of it for a laugh for you.
Regards
Susan

I was thinking about my next project and saw that I had not put up final photos of my last. Please don't cringe when you see it, the joins of the top have let loose a little (probably as you knew they would) but at least it is one piece, the drawers all slide and it can once again be a useful piece of my furniture instead of stored in garage awaiting love and attention. (Like my next project which is why I've come back to this forum but more about that in another post. Thank you once again for the advice received from this group.