Popular Woodworking 2009-11 № 179, страница 54
Flexner on Fixing BY BOB FLEXNER The Thick & Thin of Veneer Repair Veneer is just thin wood - so don't be afraid of it. I love repairing old furniture - the older the better. I find repairing more challenging and satisfying than making new because someone else, or time and age, has set the parameters within which I have to work. I've written several articles in Popular Woodworking on furniture repair, including "Regluing Doweled Chairs" in April 2007 (#161) and "Animal Hide Glue" in August 2007 (#163). Both articles are available free at popularwoodworking.com/finishing. But I haven't written on veneer, and lots of things can go wrong with veneer. For some reason many woodworkers, and even professional furniture restorers, have a fear of working with veneer (some shops even refuse to do it). I find this fear difficult to understand because veneer isjust thin wood, subject to the same rules as thick wood. Recently, I had the opportunity (joy, really) of replacing some missing veneer on one of the oldest pieces of furniture I've ever worked on- an early 18th-century George II bachelor's chest with a hinged top that opens to a desk. The challenges were a little greater than usual, so I thought I'd show you how I dealt with them. One aside before starting. After you've worked on a lot of old furniture, you become adept at spotting anomalies that indicate fakery or a "marriage" of two or more pieces of furniture. On this card table I saw nothing to make me question its authenticity. Bob Flexner Is the author of "Understanding Wood Finishing" and a contributing editor to Popular Woodworking. Top closed. With the hinged top folded closed, the piece serves as a chest of drawers. Notice my veneer repair in the lower left-hand corner of the top. Top open. With the top opened to rest on pull-out lid supports, the chest becomes a writing desk. Notice that the veneer on the back half may have been at some point replaced. The two halves should be bookmatched - but they're not. 66 ■ Popular Woodworking November 2009 photos by theauthor |
