RangerJay

..... you're right in all of your reflections - and to add credence to your logic - I'm finding myself dealing with a series of life/family events that have inserted themselves into may daily viewing of old westerns that bring a lot of comfort to what I am beginning to understand are my senior years ..... as in .... they really piss me off ..... .... my kids tell me I have become a grouch ..... .... I tell them something else .... Jay

There is not a heck of a lot I can add to the advice and opinions already given - but I might add that you would find it helpful to take a sacrificial chunk of plywood - thickness your choice - and simply cut the same pattern with different blades - then make your assessment. I am one of those that is a big fan of spiral blades - but recognize that flat blades have an important place that cannot be duplicated by a spiral blade .... Jay

My go-to woods for most projects are walnut and oak - choice is usually walnut as the primary choice with oak as the trim - but vice versa on some - but having said that I spend a serious lot of extra time on those special one-of-a-kind projects trying to make sure that the "WOW" factor is well represented by the wood choice - this inevitability means considering pretty much the entire range of woods that might be available at my local hardwood supplier - one thing that I have really noted is that it becomes a lot cheaper to use your go-to woods for the lions share of all projects - but then add some accent trim on special project from an alternative wood species - specifically;y chosen to take the whole work to another level - never been skunked by this approach. On occasion I have done a project that seems to demand a really unique approach to the kind of wood that is best - on these kind of projects I spend a lot of time and research on the wood choice - inevitably the choice is also a one-of-a-kind solution. Should also mention that those projects where an historical kind of "heritage" grain is really important then consider elm - it is without question my favourite wood for these kinds of projects. Hope this response makes sense - (sounded kind of confusing when I re-read it) - think what I am saying is gravitate to some basic and inexpensive choices for most of your work - then spend a lot of time picking what you will use for those one-off pieces that you want to really generate a WOW factor ..... Jay

Here is a bit of the detail on this project. Paint Removal: This was the least enjoyable chore – also the source of my first and biggest mistake. Started with the top surfaces using the paint removers I had in the shop – none of them seemed to touch it – not sure why – have stripped and refinished a few pieces in the past but never had any issues like this before – paint old, thick and hard? didn’t put enough stripper on? didn’t wait long enough? – regardless the reason I got frustrated and thought I could finesse the belt sander into doing the job – not a great decision – despite trying to be careful I sanded through the veneer in a couple spots and gouged the top in a couple others. Paint on the frame and legs was a lot easier to remove – used a floppy wheel sander on the dremel for the smooth portions – worked well – and used a small round diamond burr on the carvings – also worked well – cleaned up the legs with a mop sander on a cordless drill – did a great job – and palm sander on the flat portions of the frame – time consuming but no real issues at all. Repairs: There were lots ….. I came to think that the workings of the stretch features of the table were a bad design – or perhaps a good design poorly executed – this table had obviously been repaired before – many times – and that very likely all the repairs originated from forcing the tables stretch features when it just didn’t want to stretch (or close). Damaged top panels from hidden hinges: The folding top used two hidden hinges – mortised into top panels – unfortunately the hinges were small and the screws undersized – which loosened the hinges over time and caused a level of wear that actually broke through the panel surfaces on both sides of each panel. I chose to rout out a complete strip of the damaged wood and replace. I also chose to replace the 2 hidden hinges with 4 visible brass card table type hinges routed in to be flush with the surface. The routed voids of the original hidden hinges I filled with wood epoxy. Loose/damaged legs: The legs had obviously caused grief in the past – one of the carved front legs had previously been badly broken and repaired. There was no shortage of historical glue in the corner joints and it was also clear that the same leg that had been broken had also broken out that entire corner joint and then been glued back together. Despite both front legs being loose I chose not to take the joints apart – it seemed way beyond my skill level – so I reinforced the joints with more robust corner braces – cleaned and filled the joints as best I could with chair doctor glue – then clamped – and added a screw joining the weak side of each leg and frame - the screw holes I capped with a dowel. Should also add that each of the carved legs had been put together with laminated wood – which had cracked over time – I cleaned and filled the cracks with wood epoxy. I spent quite a bit of time on the leg joints and feel good about the outcome – they are very solid – hopefully for a long time to come. Warped/binding sliders: This I think was a pretty big deal and the root cause of a lot of issues – several of the pieces had obviously been replaced before – and a bunch of the dowels (used as stops) had obviously been broken and replaced as well. I took the sliders out and sanded them all to 220 grit – then waxed – there were two sliders that had warped so I removed them and ran them (lightly) over the jointer and through the planer – didn’t take a lot of material here – more a clean-up than anything else – I did end up having to replace a couple of dowels. Once put back together and waxed everything moved smoothly and easily. As I said before - my own sense of this design is that the sliders were an historical source of binding – which led to forcing, banging, kicking the table to get it to stretch or shrink ….. which inevitably didn’t work out so well ….. Large areas of broken/missing trim: Guess a hundred years or so of wear and tear is going to take its toll – and further guessing exposed trim is most vulnerable – the replacement trim I picked was close – but no cigar – in part I chose it because it was wide enough to hide some of the veneer damage that occurred when pieces of the original trim had been broken off. Broken emblem: There wasn’t a whole lot left of the original emblem left on the front of the table – this was a bit of a tough choice deciding how to replace it – thought about scrolling a replacement – thought this would be kinda neat – looked at lots of patterns but none of them seemed to work – ultimately found this leaf carving in Home Depot for a ridiculously cheap price …... decision made ….. Damaged/loose/missing veneer: There was quite a bit of loose veneer on the frame – all of the loose veneer was able to be re-glued and clamped – not a big deal. Where there was broken out and missing veneer (a couple small sections) I just filled with putty and stained over. Finishing: Sanding: Before spraying the entire table was sanded to 220 grit. Staining: After a lot of research and what seemed like hundreds of You Tube videos I chose to use Minwax Gel Stain (Brazilian Rosewood) as a product that should give reasonable control over the depth of the colour, allow imperfections to be covered where needed and still allow some of the original grain to show through. The legs and frame each got three coats. The flat table surfaces got 4. I can say that with the 4th coat on the table tops the colour turned out quite a bit darker than I had anticipated – close to black – but regardless I am happy with the outcome. Finishing: My finish is always the same: Minwax Semi-Gloss Polyurethane. Since taking up the scrollsaw I use rattle cans – this project took a heck of a bunch ….. good thing I get a healthy discount by ordering through our local hardware store. I waited 24 hours between coats and did a light sanding with 220 paper between coats. The frame and legs were 4 coats and the flat table top surfaces were 6. To aid in drying there is a de-humidifier in the shop that allows me to keep the humidity between 34 and 38% and I also have a small fan that I direct towards the work from a few feet away. Polishing/Buffing: After the last coat of polyurethane had dried the frame and legs were waxed using 0000 steel wool as the applicator then buffed with a soft cloth (I do this with all my scrollsaw projects). Table top surfaces were different – they took a bit of time, some serious TLC and a lot of elbow grease. I had wanted an attractive reflective gloss and think in the end this was achieved. Each was first sanded by hand with 2000 wet/dry paper. Then compounded by hand. Then machine polished with a typical car polish that restores dull finishes, then machine waxed with TreWax furniture wax (this gave it a bit of a hard gloss that I wasn’t all that fussy about), so put a final thin coat of Claphams Beeswax Polish applied by hand which seemed to give a softer, richer lustre that I was pleased with. Those who actually know what they’re doing might cringe at a few of the things I’ve done here – but in the end, despite some hiccups, it all seemed to work out and I’m pretty pleased. I’ve added a few pictures to try and show some of what I've talked about here. Final action was to take it into the house and integrate it into our living room furniture ……. my wife is going to have a seriously hard time letting it go ….. Thanks, Jay

Brilliant is not a word I'd attach to this project - but thanks for the comments - they truly are appreciated - I'll flush out some of the details - but it might take a bit of time -there is a very real possibility it might end up reading like an epic novel - in fact that old duster, "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" might be an appropriate theme ....... Thanks again, Jay

Many thanks for the kind words of all of you - I have to admit that - despite all the trial and error and time involved - this was a genuinely enjoyable project - and made enjoyable in no small part by the knowledge gained through watching the you tube videos of this guy: https://www.thomasjohnsonrestoration.com/ - unfortunately the lessons I learned were usually just a bit too late - meaning I had already screwed up ...... check out his you tube channel - you won't regret it. Thanks again, Jay

The restoration/refinishing of this table has been a long time coming - with a heck of a lot of trial and error along the way - but it is finally done! Not sure of this tables age but it was "discovered" in a back corner of the basement in a century old character home that my youngest son purchased some time ago - it had been horribly brush painted "white" and was covered in multiple layers of the kinds of crud and corruption you'd expect to find in a damp, dark basement - it had obviously been forgotten there for many years - maybe even decades - in other words - it looked downright scary ...... What you see in the pictures is that the table top folds over - and the frame stretches - to become a table twice its size - what you don't see is that the frame can continue to stretch out even more - and with the appropriate leaves - it will become a table roughly 6 1/2 feet in length. The leaves have long since disappeared - but I do think I will remake them so the table will truly represent it's original intent. I'm pleased with how it turned out - most of the dark staining and polished out gloss covers many of my mistakes - but do have one big regret ..... I didn't take a picture of what it looked like when I started!! Forgot to mention ...... ..... my son wants the table back ...... Jay

A stunning piece of work ..... Jay

Hope you're gonna have a great day Don. Jay

Once a blade is done I fold and break it in half - then save it to a cup sized container - after that it may find use most often as a delicate glue applicator for fretwork projects that need it - or- sometimes - much less often - as a manual "cleaner" where glue or finishing has interfered with the fretwork - or ..... (really) ..... (but not a lot) ..... (kind of embarassing) - I have found myself using them as a serious toothpick ..... (3/0 is the most effective ......) Jay

I have never really had any difficulty planing down to 1/4 inch - but do make an effort to try to minimize time, waste and also tear-out. If I can I will resaw the board to 3/8 or a little more (no less) - it's important to have confidence that your bandsaw is cutting true - (kinda frustrating to find one side of the resawn board at 3/8 inch - and the other at 1/4 with a bunch of bandsaw blade marks to plane out .....). For setting the first cutting depth I simply crank the deck down to point the rollers grab the wood - and in my case - then start planing 1/2 turn of the deck wheel at a time till I engage the wood - after that I will maintain 1/2 turn of the deck wheel till I am starting to approach 1/4 inch thickness then change to 1/4 turn of the deck wheel and finally 1/8 turn of the deck wheel till the 1/4 inch thickness is reached. Seems to work for me - never had trouble and I do it all the time. Should also mention that I do plane down to 1/8 thickness - so far without issues - but with a less confidence and a lot more caution - (I'm pretty sure somewhere in your planer manual you will find a phrase that says "do not plane anything below 1/4") ...... having said that I follow the same technique as above but will only use boards that are absolutely clear of knots/wild grain and my increments of changing the deck height wheel are smaller .... so far so good ..... Hope this makes sense - and is helpful. Jay

That is a great looking project - I can understand why you are getting orders - and I really don't see anything wrong with your choice of woods - makes sense to mix them up a bit if you are going to do a bunch - but absolutely nothing wrong with what you've already done. Jay

My method of dealing with scrap wood is very simple and effective - but a little brutal ..... once the scrap wood tote is overflowing and intruding into the shop then it's time for a campfire ..... Having said that it's worth pointing out that one of the big benefits of scroll sawing is that not a lot of genuine scrap wood is generated - in fact - it is a hobby that uses up "scrap" wood from other projects. When I do generate "surplus" wood that I feel can logically find a place in a future project - then that "fresh inventory" is stored in a shelving unit waiting for that project to come along ...... Jay

Isn't it funny how we are always our own worst critic - and in this piece it doesn't look to me like there is anything to even begin to criticize - lots of precision work where the tiniest mistake would show - and - as far as I could see - there is nothing showing but great work - (I looked hard .....). A great looking piece really well done. Jay

You're right - I've been spending a lot of time watching this guy - but he sure has given me a lot more confidence in doing this kind of work.

You and Audrey have been blessed - congratulations on a long and happy marriage. Jay

I found myself having to shift gears and move away from the Scrollsaw and into a family Furniture Restoration and Refinishing mode for a while. 45 years of marriage - a love of wood - and recent integration of a couple of estates from like-minded parents mean we have some great old furniture pieces that need work ..... Unfortunately this kind of work is WAY out of my comfort zone so, since starting, I've spent quite a bit of time and effort trying to educate myself. The purpose of this posting is to let anyone else interested in Antique Furniture Restoration know about a You Tube series created by Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration that has been really helpful: https://www.youtube.com/user/johnsonrestoration Thomas Johnson has created a huge number of videos and I have yet to find myself getting tired of watching how he works and tackles a range of restoration challenges - and - at least for me - I learn something new on every one. I really wish I had found this website BEFORE I had started - there is no question that it would have saved me a couple major blunders that I know compromised the historical integrity of the piece I am working on now ..... the piece will still look good ..... but I know I trashed any serious value it might have had ...... my bad ..... my BIG bad ..... so ...... .... learn from me ...... .....watch this guy BEFORE starting your next Antique Furniture Restoration Project ..... Thanks, Jay

Wow ...... very humbling ...... Jay

.... and here I always thought you were a dead ringer for 007 ...... nicely done! Jay

A beautiful piece of work. Jay

I have used a fairly basic branding iron that is heated by a torch for close to 20 years - still going strong - but if the piece is too small for the branding iron then I just initial it with a Sharpie - am thinking of getting a smaller, electric, custom branding iron with just my initials. Jay

LOL - what can I say - I use a lot of White Oak, White Pine, White Elm, White Spruce - guess it catches up to you over time ...... Jay

Superb looking piece. I don't have the courage to hand-hold something like that while feeding it into a sanding mop - even with a backer! Those larger, delicate pieces that I feel uncomfortable holding get (gently) clamped to the surface of my bench and I mount the sanding mop on an old cordless drill that spins only at 700 RPM. The grit is 220 and that is all I have ever used. Beyond that my routine is exactly the same as yours - 4-way passes to cover all directions - last two passes with the grain. Thanks, Jay

This kind of discussion seems to come up every few months and I guess I really don't understand it - there are - at least for me - a few items where I notice costs - and replacing my sanding mop refills is not one of them - they last forever - in my six years of scrollsawing I have purchased sanding mops twice (I checked) - both times I purchased two refills - and still have a spare refill waiting for the next time I need it - so I guess what I am saying is that sanding mops are not a big expense. My top three expenditures - by a lot - are: propane (winter heat); hardwood (walnut, oak, cherry, elm); and rattle can polyurethane - any significant costs associated with purchasing sanding mops refills really don't even get to the ball park. Jay

I also drill only 10 holes at a time - but I stopped my tally count quite a while back for two reasons - first is that despite how easy keeping track of 10 holes at a time sounds I found myself sitting at the saw wondering if I recorded the last 10 holes ...... second, and more telling, is that I found myself also questioning progress with something along the line of: "there is NO possible way in h**l that 100 holes can be that small a piece of the pattern!!!". Jay