Thread: Fix Mums Table

What's wrong withe look in photo number 3?

Hi Calm,

I understand your position, and those "love" jobs are like flye's, you get rid of one, and a dozen come to replace it...!

Once upon the time, I was restoring old furniture for a living, challenging but financially not rewarding, unless you restoring and extraordinarily rare piece, that belong to the Queen or something of that value. The rest is very much a self satisfaction of restoring or "copying" a rare and old piece of furniture but, if one have to pay the bills out of it, doesn't work, 80% of the restoration jobs have to be under charged, as charging per hour ($30 to $50) would make most common jobs too expensive, and if if have to put, a whole day's work plus your materials, plus running costs, for a $50 charge, you either have a good source of income, you don't need money, you have a natural charity heart, or you are mad...!.

You most certainly aren't mad, and you know that, reason the offer to put in someone else's hands to have it fixed, huh?. But after all Calm, she is your Mum, doesn't that count for something? You will need only 6 hours in the first day, to make the bit missing on the leg, glue, screw, and sand all down to bare timber the whole thing, then you give it a coat all over with some stain, and leave it to dry until next day. On day 2 (approx. 2 hours), give it a coat of sending sealer in the morning, and in the afternoon, light sending all over and then one coat of either varnish or timber oil. On 3 day, (approx. 1 hour), very light send and a second coat of whatever you used on the first one. Then, "voilà" 9 hours in 3 days and is all done. But if you want to spent less time with it (approx. 6.5 hours in total), do most of the steps on day 1, then instead of giving it a coat of stain by brush (by hand), get some 2 in 1 steps Walnut finishing stuff, put in a spray gun and give it a good even coat all over. This stuff will stain the timber and varnish (satin or gloss) in one go. Leave it overnight and if the colour is even and dark enough, (you can give it a very light send if needed, normally don't), spray some clear varnish (satin or gloss) over it, and let it dry for a couple of days, and you all done!

Let you have the satisfaction, of seen your Mum surprised with the job you done, is probably a good idea also, to use the opportunity to set with your Mum, the maximum number of restorations you are willing to do in a year, lets say, once a month, or..., once every 2 months, do you get the drift?. This way, everyone is happy, and no big surprises or disappointments...!

Good luck!

Cheers
RBTCO

I may not have explained it properly. It is from the Op-Shop and will go back there and be sold for under $10 so i still think kindling is the best option.

I dont have the tools or patience to copy a leg and repair it back to it's original look.

When you see it up close it is not very good quality or finish so it is never going to be more than a "cheap" table/vase stand or what ever from the op-shop. You would pick up a better one at a trash market for $20 so it is a job to do when i have nothing better to do.

Even if it had belonged to the Queen, simply repairing/patching the broken leg doesn't look too promising. The grain orientation should have been more like its neighbour to deter breaking as it did, and a new leg would be the go.

Looks like firewood from here. Or use the post for a turning blank; lathe tool handle, bunch of bottle stoppers or pens, ...

Joe

G'day Calm,

Sorry, I misunderstood the table's origin and destiny,
Obviously, that changes the whole thing, and I though the table was of better quality. In that case, I wouldn't even used it as firewood, the toxic fumes out of it, are no good. How far is the "dump" from you?

PS: I still stand for what I said, if the circumstances were different!

Cheers
RBTCO

The bottom cap of the pedestal should come off. The broken leg should tap out of it's dovetail. A new leg of straight-grained oak and some time to carve a new dovetail, should have it back together in a couple of hours, or so.

Why not just get it to stand upright and leave it to whoever buys it to do a better fixup job?

Just screw a batten to the side of the broken leg and a bit more underneath as the new foot giving a pirate peg leg look to the job?

Some people might be happy with that for $10, it is the OP shop after all. Others may use it as the base for a decoratror look buy covering with a floor length tablecloth that covers the whole mess.

Originally Posted by OGYT

The bottom cap of the pedestal should come off. The broken leg should tap out of it's dovetail. A new leg of straight-grained oak and some time to carve a new dovetail, should have it back together in a couple of hours, or so.

WHat would be the postage to your place?? Like i said all offers to fix are welcome.

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

Why not just get it to stand upright and leave it to whoever buys it to do a better fixup job?

Just screw a batten to the side of the broken leg and a bit more underneath as the new foot giving a pirate peg leg look to the job?

Some people might be happy with that for $10, it is the OP shop after all. Others may use it as the base for a decoratror look buy covering with a floor length tablecloth that covers the whole mess.

Sorry to disapoint you but although the Op-shop is cheap they take a lot of pride in the stuff they sell. I think my inheritance could suffer if i came up with a repair like that. Then again with 6 of us there is bugger all anyway.

I was hoping someone in Ballarat or within 50 miles would offer to take the challenge. MAybe it should be in another section. (HELP DJ)

why not replace all 3 legs?

knock them all out of there dovetails, trace around one onto a new peice of wood 3 times cut them out round over the edges with a router or sumpthing cut new dovetails on the backs of them a slip[ them back into place.

there you have it a table with 3 matching feet.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

why not replace all 3 legs?

knock them all out of there dovetails, trace around one onto a new peice of wood 3 times cut them out round over the edges with a router or sumpthing cut new dovetails on the backs of them a slip[ them back into place.

there you have it a table with 3 matching feet.

Why didnt i think of that. I could cut bits off that cypress that would be close enough. Sometimes the obvious just eludes you. Now it can sit in the jobs to do pile until i get the motivation or i get sick of walking around it.

Thanks Carl

after 1000 posts you got something right

'Nother dumb question from up here. What's the op-shop?

Originally Posted by OGYT

'Nother dumb question from up here. What's the op-shop?

Oportunity shop usually run by the church or charity group selling secondhand clothes/furniture/anything.

Commonly thought of to be for poor people to buy from but a lot of others also use it.

Workers are usually unpaid volunteers. I am sure you have similar - what are yours called.

Opportunity Shop... that's a good name for it. We do have the same here, also with volunteers. They're called the Thrift Store, or Salvation Army Store, or Goodwill...
That's where find some used Rollerblades.