Thread: A George II Irish Elm Dressing Table

Originally Posted by Waldo

Another job done. Any chance of a shot of the underside of the dressing table to see the construction?

I'll take a shot of the underside for you later.

WW magnificent work as always great WiP love the style and look...............yeh yeh that excuse is so old "The Dog ate it" bet you used it at school too.

Beaut looking Airdale

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Beaut looking Airdale

Where? That's a Wire Haired Fox Terrible, AKA Irish Gonad Hound. We have a Smooth Fox Terrible too viz.

Oh should have looked better at the first pic full shot, neighbour has short hair full breed pedigree, we have mini Foxy. The fur should have told me Airdales more Black n Tan, don't see many wire hair Terriers these days.

Originally Posted by Waldo

Another job done. Any chance of a shot of the underside of the dressing table to see the construction?

As promised. Sorry about the quality of the first image; I was trying to keep it tipped at a steady angle while operating the camera. It clearly shows the screw pockets and screws that secure the top and it almost shows the drawer guides.



The second image shows the leg junction and ear blocks a bit clearer.

Is it usual to stain elm? Is it left "au natural" very often?

Beautiful piece as usual.

WW, I ran out of superlatives to use in describing your work a long time ago. This latest piece is up to your usual standard....perfect in every detail.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that appreciates the history behind each piece as well.

But I have a question. You've stated before that it is not your intention to produce a piece that could be passed as a genuine antique, yet I look at this latest work and I see something that looks "old". As if it had recently been sold from an old manor house somewhere, where it has been nurtured and cared for all of its 200 yr life.

Are my eyes seeing something that I maybe "want" to see that isn't really there, or have you used some technique to ensure your furniture doesn't have that "brand new" look?

Cheers
Jim

Originally Posted by tea lady

Is it usual to stain elm? Is it left "au natural" very often?

Originally some elm furniture was unfinished, but has since earned itself a pleasant pale patina through the passage of time and latterly, through waxing and maintenance by those who wanted to protect a, by then, antique. However, much original elm furniture would have been stained a number of brown or red colours which by now have faded to some degree.

With this dressing table, I wanted to replicate the original and its (antique) colour which as I recall (and my notes concur), was "red to nut brown/olive" which means it started out quite red, but the highlights have faded over time to nut brown and the knees and feet are somewhat olive-ish.

Originally Posted by Grandad-5

WW, I ran out of superlatives to use in describing your work a long time ago. This latest piece is up to your usual standard....perfect in every detail.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that appreciates the history behind each piece as well.

But I have a question. You've stated before that it is not your intention to produce a piece that could be passed as a genuine antique, yet I look at this latest work and I see something that looks "old". As if it had recently been sold from an old manor house somewhere, where it has been nurtured and cared for all of its 200 yr life.

Are my eyes seeing something that I maybe "want" to see that isn't really there, or have you used some technique to ensure your furniture doesn't have that "brand new" look?

Cheers
Jim

It is possible to fool dealers and auction houses, but the amount of effort and time required to do so can be as much as it takes to make a piece of furniture. I am not trying to fool anyone with these pieces of furniture as I, and my family, will be the only ones to handle them.

But, I find bare, under surfaces a little garish when compared with the distressed outer surfaces, so I usually give them a quick lick of something to make them a little more agreeable.

Beautiful work and the dog ears seem to blend in quite well.

Originally Posted by Woodwould

As promised. Sorry about the quality of the first image; I was trying to keep it tipped at a steady angle while operating the camera. It clearly shows the screw pockets and screws that secure the top and it almost shows the drawer guides.

no need WW to apologise for the image quality

I'm curious about two things, was the top on the original also attached by screws in teh way you have attached your top
and 2, is any alloowance made in the screw pockets for expansion / contraction of the top?

Originally Posted by ian

no need WW to apologise for the image quality

I'm curious about two things, was the top on the original also attached by screws in teh way you have attached your top
and 2, is any alloowance made in the screw pockets for expansion / contraction of the top?

Yes, the original top was screwed down just as this is. At the time, many country-made lowboys and dressing tables would have had their tops pegged down (not that there's anything wrong with that method), but this table was in a different category altogether.

The clearance holes through the screw pockets are roughly 1/16" 'too big' so the screw shank has plenty of clearance. I tighten the screws down as much as they will go to compress the fibres and then I back them out a fraction. This leaves the top ever so slightly 'loose', but not so much that it rattles.

As I do the majority of my work outdoors, the furniture goes through multiple cycles of heating up in the sun and cooling down again and it's reassuring to hear the top creaking as it expands and contracts. It won't split or burst the carcase.

Great work Woodwould, a pleasure to watch as always.

As ever. (fill in your own superlatives, I've run out)
Something that interests me is the process of using Vandyke Crystals. Any chance of seeing how you do it?
Cheers,
Jim