Restoring a Swiss Antique Cabinet - Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- Tom Johnson of Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration in Gorham, Maine restores this antique cabinet of Swiss origin, whose upper areas had been damaged in moving. Tom has been restoring furniture professionally since 1979. Visit our website at www.thomasjohns..., or write us at thomasjohnsonrestoration@gmail.com. And for those on the west coast looking for custom framing, be sure to check out Tom's daughter's shop, www.emcollier.com (@emcollierframes on Instagram).
Great job! Thanks for posting. Class is always in session when a new Tom Johnson video hits UA-cam.
Thanks!
This reminds me of Furniture I seen in the Black Forrest where we used to go on vacation. Usually those pieces had been in the family for Generations and if I remember correctly on the inside one could see what I think are the old saw and planer marks but then again I was a kid and just wondered why the inside wasn't as smooth as the outside. Beautiful how you fixed that one up.
Thanks! I think these were built in cabinets originally, converted to free-standing, hence the irregularities
Such perfectionism and pride in workmanship. A rare thing these days.
Thank you!
I've been binge watching for 3 days now and just wanted to thank you for sharing your work with us. Regards from Vienna :)
Wow! Thank you!
So glad to know I'm not the only one who has binge watched these wonderful videos.
Ditto
I really enjoy watching you investigating the pieces and deciding what is wrong and possible solutions. Fascinating! And your opening and closing shots are works of art. The black cat looks like a twin to my Houdini! Bless you and your shop.🕊
Thank you! Great name for a black cat!
Nothing ever "clamps" your style, Tom! I think it looks pretty good. Thanks for another great video :)
Good one! Thanks!
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I love watching your videos. I have learned a lot by watching you. Been able to apply what I have learned in small jobs around the house. Thank you
You’re welcome! That makes me happy!
Beautiful piece Mr. Johnson, it's incredible that this cabinet was brought back to new. Can't see the damaged area. Nice work!!
Thank you very much!
I'm a complete novice, self taught trial and error wood worker. Happened upon Tom's videos about 3 days ago. This dude's an absolute animal. Love your work!
Thanks!
Wow....you have bluebirds. I am in Ontario and not seen for years. Thanks for sharing
Lucky guy😊
Thanks! Only once in a while - I was extremely lucky to get them on video
Looks pretty good.
Yes!
You're absolutely the best at Restoring!!! Bravo!!!
Thanks!
Great work. I recently repaired a chair that I used one of your techniques on. It worked out great. Thanks for all your information. Keep the videos coming.
You're welcome! I'm glad that I could be of help
Lovely fix.
Thank you!
Always entertaining and informative!
Thanks!
@@johnsonrestoration You are welcome always a pleasure to watch and learn from such a gracious host.
Immer wieder ein Genuss ihnen bei der Arbeit zu zuschauen
Vielen Dank!
Its amazing to me the way you figure out how to fix the damages to these pieces. Experience? Your patience and desire for perfection is inspiring. Beautiful work.
Thank you!
The logic, experience and craftsmanship on display here is impressive. I especially appreciated the complex clamping technique that you made look so easy. My only suggestion is that you might include the link to an earlier video in which you discuss those angled clamps at greater length. Was it the butler's desk? Anyway, great work as always.
Thanks! I'm sure I'll be using that technique again, and I'll try to explain it better.
Tom, i'll tell you what, you're the boss when it comes to clamping
Thanks! Lots of practice!
Lol at "better than new"........exactly what I tell our customers, Tom. And yeah, it looks pretty good! Nice work, Tom, keep the videos coming, always learn something new.
Thanks!
and you fix it using a swiss knife, of course
nice touch and great video!
But of course! What would we do without our Swiss Army knives!
Brilliant work on a nearly worst-case scenario. The finished results looked "pretty good". Great matching with the wax stick. It was invisible in the finished piece.
Thanks!
Thanks for posting Thomas, I learn a lot watching your videos.
You're welcome!
Great Thom
Thanks!
Always love watching your restorations. Thanks for posting...rr
Thanks!
beautiful job as always Tom!!!
Thanks!
Thanks tom!
I have learned so many priceless tips from your videos!
You're welcome!
Yes sir . . . it looks pretty good . . . Your standard of pretty good is pretty high . . . and that too is a good thing. Thanks for sharing these videos.
You're welcome Jeff!
Your restoration work is beautiful and I'm in love with your black cat!
Thanks! me too!
Thanks for the videos Tom! Your work is meticulous and your talent is inspiring! I watch you before I sleep, it helps me to relax and doze off. Also I love the little animals touch
You're welcome! I never cease to be amazed that people can watch from so far away! Hello to Singapore!
It does look pretty good ;-) Very nice work. Marc
Thanks Mark!
Beautiful piece. Nice save.
Thanks!
Hey Thomas, finished product came out great!
Thanks!
A neat trick I use to get glue into small cracks is to use an air compressor....blowing glue in where tools won't reach.
Interesting! I might try that!
Yep! Looks pretty good,👌. I never realised how strong wood glue is, it is obviously under a lot of stress in this cabinet but it holding it together.
Thanks! If you have good contact with the pieces you are gluing, the wood glue is extremely strong. Where you get into problems is when you don't have a good fit. Wood glue cannot fill in a gap.
I get lazy and have not clamped things as much as I should since getting a pin nailer. Watching your vid has made me repent..lol. Thx for sharing.
You're welcome! And people have told me I should get a pin nailer!
Better than new!
Well, I don't know about better, but thanks!
Nice fix!
Thanks!
Lovely nice work as always.
Thanks!
Great again !
Thanks!
More than pretty good!
Pretty good!
I appreciate your insight into how the pieces have to go back together. I love your tools. I wondered why you used wax at the end instead of filling the cracks with wood filler or sawdust and glue?
Thanks! I often use the wax, as no sanding is required, it doesn't disturb the surrounding area
Nice job!
Thanks!
Lovely 😊
Thanks!
nicely done.
Thanks!
Hi Tom. once again a great video! I like the way that you keep and use all the original parts from a restoration piece. My question this video is why was the cabinet originally shipped to your shop? was it damaged in some other way or was it a personal item? pure curiosity this time around. Thank you.
Thanks for watching! No, it was shipped to the owner's residence, I picked it up there
What may have happened - goods were mishandled during discharge from the overseas conveyance (possibly Swissair) - and might have been prevented if consignee had arranged for a certified Marine Surveyor to attend and approve discharge of goods. Also, the cabinet might have benefitted from full LANDED value being declared to the carrier (rather than reliance upon a low per pound (weight) limit of carrier's liability - always inadequate amount.)
Thanks! That’s good info. You must be in the business!
What would we do without restorers wax? It's saved the day so many times!
Thanks! you're right, I love the waxing part
Appriciate the time you take putting your video together. Before finally gluing the curved section into place, did you replace the door to check the top curve of the door had an even gap, to that of the curve of the top cross section, or did you work on the basis that the gap would be whatever it was, after setting up the best clamped and glued position of the top? (Sorry for the long question. I hope it makes sense as it is an interesting dilema.)
Really enjoy your work, and look forward to your other videos in due course. Thanks Alan.
Actually, I didn't check the door, I was just gluing the curved section back exactly where it was originally. But you're right, I should have checked it to make sure. Could have been a mistake, but I lucked out.
Thanks for explaining. Luck sometimes has its part to play. Very satisfying when it works out. Again, from a relatively new viewer, great video's of you work. Alan.
I can’t believe you did that in 9 minutes you are fast
Oh yeah! Speedy Gonzales!
That was some geometry to clamp up
Thanks! Who knew the geometry in 10th grade would pay off! If I remember, we took algebra1 in 9th grade, geometry in 10th (there must have been more than just geometry), algebra 2 in 11th, and trigonometry in 12th. I end up using those principles constantly!
Were those Blue Birds in your opening sequence? We haven't seen Blue Birds in Southern Ontario for decades! The last time I saw one was in 1975 and that was the only time I saw one...
We have been seeing them just a few times in the past couple of years. My friend just 60 miles south of me had a lot this year. I think you can build bird houses that will attract them. I'm going to look into it
@@johnsonrestoration Unfortunately, the problem here is that there are other birds that will take over a bluebirds nesting. Back in the 70s and 80s many houses were put up and TOTALLY failed because of this. Starlings mostly, but in this article, it goes into more specifics. Apparantly, they are said to be making a come back.....
www.discover-southern-ontario.com/bluebird.html#:~:text=This%20was%20due%20to%20the,boxes%20on%20fences%20around%20fields.
Great work. Thank you for making this video I have never seen wax being used for repair.
Thanks! We use a lot of wax, and the wax I use is made for this purpose
What an odd piece of furniture, was that it's pair in the background?
I wonder how old they were and what wood. They're very far out of my wheelhouse so I have no idea.
Thanks for watching. Yes, a pair, created from a built in cabinet. I'm not sure of the wood, maybe beech?
Chiffon pink, Carmel, white silver gold
Sounds nice! Thanks, sorry for the delayed response!
Hi Tom, you mentioned that the cabinet came from Switzerland for repair right?. We are proud of our craftmen.
Thanks! Yes, Swiss Craftsman are well known! The owners brought them from Switzerland, so I assumed they were made there.
@@johnsonrestoration The craftmen that I mentioned was you Tom. :)
The part from 1:20 to 1:45 made me think I'm watching an orthopedic surgeon at work!
Only tougher! Thanks
I'm really curious as to why the front of the cabinet seemed in such good shape, very shiny and finished while the top looked worn, dirty and almost unfinished. (from the beginning I mean)
Thanks! Me too! I think that these were originally built in, and then repurposed into free standing pieces
When you receive pieces damaged in shipment, do you deal with owners or insurers? Just curious. Love creative use of clamps. Thanks
Thanks Paul! I will not deal with insurance companies. The customer pays me directly, they can get reimbursed by the company, I don't care. On occasion the insurance company wants to speak with me to clarify the estimate, I don't mind that.
I really like your restorations, i really enjoy watching it, although I do not understand English well, please continue to post videos, Have a great day.
PD. sorry for my bad english xD
Andrés Jerez Your English is really quite good :)
Thank you very much, Freyja, you are most kind. :)
Thanks Andres. I do try to minimize the talking, so language is not much of a problem.
Thomas, I think it's great to show us the techniques and products that you use, because from a distance I can not go there to ask for a restoration, in the future I'll use your tips to try to repair my things using what I learned from your channel , Congratulations on your work. thank you very much.
Great work Tom. Any idea what wood that is? I was thinking that it might be pear, but not sure.
It's hard to say, but it wasn't quite the right color for pear. It might have been beech
Hi Thomas ! I love your work ! What's the name of the "crown moulding" stuff that you have used to reproduce the original crown molding and then cut it and clamp it ? Where can I buy it ? Any website ?
I'm Brazilian and I have never seen this kind of thing as simple as that here ! Thanks in advance !
Thanks for watching! It's just called "crown moulding", and different profiles are available at any lumber yard. Good luck!
Any idea of the age of the piece? Great to see a video from you. It had been a while and I was getting nervous you had retired.
I did not get a feel for the age. This looked like it had been part of a built in cabinet, separated and altered into a freestanding piece of furniture.
Yes.
What type of wood is this?
Thanks! I’m not sure, and it’s been awhile. But it was “some sort of fruit wood” as we always say, probably pear or apple
Hi Thomas. Tks, but I'd lime to know went the name of the gadget that 'copies' the crown moulding . And then use it it as a template to transfer the shape into another piece of wood. The gadget that looks like a comb. Thank you.
Hi Eliana, thanks for watching! That is called a contour guage. Mine is old, made of metal but they have much better plastic ones now www.rockler.com/10-contour-gauge
Hi Thomas ! Thank you só much for educating me about this material. I have also founde it at www.leevalley.com. My addiction site .... Lol Thank you very much
Tom, how do you decide on what glue to use?
Thanks! I thought you'd never ask! ua-cam.com/video/AmFot8H_2Kk/v-deo.html
Tom,
What knife do you use that we see on your hip in some videos
Cool! That's a knife and sheath made by my daughter, who is an artist and craftsman. (woman!)
where do you get your wax blocks?
Do you mean the wax I'm melting into the cracks? Mohawk Finishing Supplies
thank you
❤🤝❤Bravo
Thank you!
3:17
Hey Tom... I like your homage to the land of Cuckoo Clocks and chocolate ;0)
Thanks!
Looks like it was in a car crash and you had the job of figuring out what went where!
Thanks! Oh yeah!
could have blended in the cracks better
Yes, possibly, but sometimes you just realize you're not going to get it any better. Especially if it changes with the angle you're looking at
That's some bad shipping. I hope it was an insurance job.
Thanks! I'm not sure, I try not to get involved
The Swiss make good watches. Very apparent their furniture building techniques are not as good.
So true! I had not thought of that. Thanks!
epoxy? Really? Is this a joke? How is the Epoxy coming off in say fifty years time? Some poor Bastard will have to use a lot of ellbowgrease.
Do you think Hide glue would have held that on with the tiny amount of surface area there was? Sometimes you do what you can with what you have to work with but that's just me. I for one appreciate everything Tom does and the time he takes to show it.
Thanks for watching. 1) there is nothing wrong with epoxy, see my recent video "which glue to use" 2) epoxy is easily reversible with a little heat, just like other glues 3) I was gluing wood to metal, what would you suggest I use?
@@johnsonrestoration It's amazing what you can do with Shoe Goo.