This piece was trashed when we rescued it at a local auction. Water damaged legs that were rotted, drawer boxes with water and rodent damage, missing drawer knobs, drawers that were stuck in the case and would not open, warped top…. but when we saw it the lines of the case and overall heft called out to us. With a little sweat it transformed into a beautiful rustic piece we both love.
Once I pried the drawers loose I could address the problems of the case.
First up was the warped top. The entire chest was made of solid wood using 1 by’s (1″ thick wood). This was a workhorse piece of lumber in the day. Think roofs, floors, furniture, buildings almost everything could be made from this wood. We see a lot of casegoods made with 1 by’s and for me any solid wood piece is a big plus.
Luckily the top was bowed (think smile) vs cupped (think frown) and had less than a half inch gap. I started with a bunch of clamps to pull the top down and then brad nailed the heck out of it.
Next up came the rotted legs. One of the back legs needed a new piece to level the dresser out and one of the front legs kind of the same. I cut a piece of scrape for the back and needed to fabricate a two by four for the front.
The 2×4 I shaped with a Shinto Japanese rasp (check ’em out they are an awesome tool) to look similar to the original.
Next up were the drawers. What a mess.
After a bunch of sanding the drawers are back to functional and I can turn it over to Roie. She decided on a two tone cottage rustic look. She also replaced the remaining original knobs with new basic round wood pulls.
This is why we do what we do.
