Miraculous Restoration of a French Commode - Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- Tom Johnson of Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration in Gorham, Maine repairs a French commode that was glued so zealously that its thin walnut sides failed spectacularly under the stresses of seasonal variations in household temperature. 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).
Thomas, you are SO patient! All of the furniture pieces you restore are beautiful and ready to be used again.
Thank you Mary!
@@johnsonrestoration You’re very welcome. I would have kicked the piece of furniture and said some ugly words as I stomped away. Patience is a virtue I don’t have. 😆
Female here-watching these videos makes me wish I'd taken shop in the 60's instead of college prep, and learned how to use tools instead of a pen. I love your videos. I hope young people are learning your skills now.
Male back at you - thank you! My daughter has become an immensely talented craftsperson, so all is not lost!
ICanDoThis 123 > strongly agree! In our restoration business we added 24,000 sq’ of shop space for an apprenticeship program that allows students to earn income once they achieve a proficiency in multiple disciplines.
I was able to take a 'shop' for girls class in the 60's. Made a wooden purse. I still have it but as for useful...it's a better holder of recipe cards-wink.
@@johnsonrestoration My grandfather and I worked on furniture projects every Sunday afternoon. I see many of the tools we used in your shows. Years ago Grandpa and his pal refinished the dining table I am currently using. I remember him talking about a place the veneer had bubbled and they had to slit it with a knife and put glue under. I had a de je vu moment when you showed that technique. Your videos bring a great deal of knowledge but also quiet memory moments.
It’s never to late to pick up some new skills. I have basically rebuilt my house.
Am I the only one who sits and watches these videos with my mouth open? I'm in awe of these skills...
Thanks!
Here you are combining 18th, 19th, 20th & 21st century technology and with your expertise creating a really splendid restored piece. Thank you for making and sharing this video to over a quarter of a million viewers including me.
Thanks! I like that - never thought of it that way before
Enjoy these old shows, especially the ones with Ella!
Me too! Thank you!
Tbh, I was expecting to see an old wooden toilet being restored, which would’ve been sorta weird. This is much more useful. Another excellent job!
Thanks! Yes, commode doesn't mean what a lot of people think it does. I'm not sure how that came about
@@johnsonrestoration Seems to be a case of meaning drift. First you have "commode" as a chest of drawers; then it's used to mean a washstand; from there, it becomes a room for washing yourself up; and finally, a toilet.
Me too.
@@LurksNoMore An ornate women's hairdo also used to be known as a "commode."
I've been binge watching your videos since yesterday. My eyes are cooked & I'm still in awe of every piece you restore. I wish I had 1/10th your talent. Beautiful Work!!
Thank you!
Practice makes better...
I’ve never seen this one before. Love your Rhode Island Red chickens too. This piece required an awful lot of work. Wow.
Thanks! It did, but it came out great!
@@johnsonrestoration yes, it did. Beautiful!
5:30 AM in the morning and I am still watching your videos. Some even twice just for the learning of it. Thanks for doing this. Absolutely love what I am learning from you
Wow! You've got to get some sleep! That's the first step towards doing good work
Now that was quite the fiddly process! All that ungluing! it looks really nice.
It really is! That was a good job
Nice work. You honored the original builder.
Thank you! That's my goal
To all the complaining perfectionist restoration buffs out there: is there any doubt that craftsmen hundreds of years ago would have used PVA or and epoxy, had they been available? Of course they would have, and doubtless the design of joints and selection of materials would have reflected the technology. Love your work Thomas. You can repair - restore - fix - upgrade - renovate - titivate - reassemble - rejuvenate - un-bugger - up etc .................... my old furniture pieces any time. I don't care what anyone calls what you do; I stand impressed.
Thank you!
I like this channel and I respect every Craftsman´s work but I have to disagree here. Epoxy or PVA have no place in a Restauration. This is not about Puritanism, it´s about Facts. Also your Argument is a little bit of an Non-Argument: left aside the benefits of traditional matrials, you confuse Restauration with Repair. Restauration is not about going the quickest way possible for the matter of convenience. I have seen dozens of pieces restored with modern materials in my time, and not ONE would stand the test of time. I´m sorry, I don´t mean to be annoying or disrespectful here, but this point is just so important.
@@StLaparole We're not talking a Connecticut River Valley Highboy here. It's a simple utilitarian piece that the owner probably wants to use for years to come.
I build boats with epoxy so... The problem with epoxy is with wood it cant be effectively removed like glue if you try it will break the wood. So the furniture will be next to impossible to repair or restore later. If you use it dont use it in a place where it will impede disassembly or hamper a conservationist down the road, this goes for other non conservatory materials as well...Conservation of art and some of these pieces qualify is to be able to undo a restoration see Baumgartner ://ua-cam.com/channels/vZe6ZCbF9xgbbbdkiodPKQ.html.
My dad was an antique restorer and he got a lot of this type of work in when people started to get central heating in the 1960s. He also always wore a beret! We lived in Cornwall UK. I really enjoy your videos.
Thanks! I like the beret too!
"Looks pretty good", is an understatement. Tough job rendered very well. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
@@johnsonrestoration
James Moore said everything I wanted to say.
You Mr. JOHNSON are a master.
You are right, it is not looking bad at all!
Just like one of my favorite tool restorers, another master of his craft. He said, "Hopefully this is good enough" and to me it looked perfect.
I often think of whoever built these pieces, never dreaming that hundreds of years in the future people would treasure them. So much work here, so beautifully and meticulously done.
Thanks!
How interesting it is to hear you talk about how this piece of furniture lives its life and how it rebelled when it was put in a glue straight jacket.
Oh, and time has no grip on you Tom. 😉
That's good. I'm going to use that!
Restored to the same level as a piece one would see in a museum. Very enjoyable watching the work involved.
Thanks!
I'm learning so much from you and applying what I've learned to my own home projects. I've been binge watching your videos since I first discovered them. Thank you so much for your time and patience in making these videos and for passing on such valuable knowledge.
You are welcome! And I appreciate you watching them
These videos are worth repeated watching. I learn something new with each viewing. Thanks Tom.
You're welcome! Actually we are finding that out watching all movies a 2nd time!
Sir, You are the last miracle on the planet. God bless you and all like you 🙏 ❤️
Thanks! So nice of you
Watching your videos has made me realize why I might want to start using hide glue on my projects. Being able to take apart and repair furniture is really interesting.
Thanks! It is interesting, and comes in handy sometimes. It took me awhile to come around, but now I like working with hide glue
I'm wathing these videos on election night as stress relief. It's sooo good for ma heart
Good idea! Thanks! Will it never end?
Another excellent restoration 👌👌👌
Many thanks!
Truly admire Mr. Johnson's skills for problem solving. After watching so many of your videos recently I can understand every restored piece is unique with its own set of prior problems and history of prior repairs. I feel like a true entry level lady who over the years felt confident enough to have my own working tools. I better stick with my hand held stapler, electric drill and a few saws, hobby wood carving tools and just do a few jobs or hobbies that will pass my inspection (lol). I would have not gotten far when it came to measuring, making a temp plate....I am learning a lot just watching the videos, glad I am retired and can enjoy a master at work and to be better informed. Blessings from Capitol Heights, MD
Thank you! I appreciate your comments.
You do beautiful work. I could watch you all day. A true artist!
Thanks!
Amazing job Tom. I love to watch you do your magic.
Thanks for watching!
Oh Tom that is so precious! My Grandpa had a little red hen, Rhode Island Red, who used to follow him into the milking stall. That is so cute how you are holding and petting your pretty chicken. Just love watching your videos! Great restoration!!! The way you take things apart is amazing!
Thank you! Chickens can get quite attached! But the more chickens you have, the less interaction. Those RI Reds are the best, and the most likely to pay attention to you
watched this repeatedly as this is a very good example of perseverance plus technique. well done!
Thank you!
The high level of craftsmanship as duly noted…..your patience is a true inspiration at least to me and the restoration work I do with very old toys. Thank you Tom and best wishes.
You're welcome! Toys sound interesting!
Really enjoyed this restoration.
You sure do ' know your stuff '.
Thanks!
All we really need is for someone to invent a nail that can expand and contract. That'd solve so many problems. Nice work Tom. Thanks.
Well, metal can expand and contract, under certain conditions, so it wouldn't be a reach to think it might be possible!
Even though im more of a furniture builder/designer; theres something very useful in watching you restore past craftsmanship. I can see details and processes that earlier craftsmen have used, and use and unuse certain process in my work based on expansion/contraction
Thanks! Yes, I am constantly witness to what works and what doesn't work. Quite interesting
I just found you on You Tube, and man I really appreciate the quality of your work.
+Man Moon Thanks!
I've seen this vid twice now Excellent restoration, I've learned so much. Thanks.
You're welcome!
See this is why Tom can do these beautiful restorations with his own UA-cam channel and I can’t. Tom very calmly says: “Well I now see evidence that each of the drawer runners are also glued to the sides and my hot knives aren’t working. I’ll have to try something else.” Me irritated now with all the copious amounts of glue that has been used during construction yells “ Sawzall! Somebody bring me the sawzall!” Fade to black as the whirring of the reciprocating blade can be heard in the background. Tom! You go dude! You are so patient!
Thank you! I appreciate it
There can be to much of a good thing. Glad you were able to fix the mess that had been made.
Thanks! Me too!
Ok, you CAN'T ignore the beret french commode dichotomy... That was hilarious.
Oh yeah! Thanks!
An incalculable amount of work. Your perseverance is awesome. I know, I've been there......
Thanks! You've got to stick it out, especially when the piece belongs to someone!
So much glue - in all the wrong places. Almost as though they didn't realise wood moves with time. Very nice job Tom
Thanks! Yes, I see that all the time. It's amazing how often pieces don't have problems! We only see the failures
Incredible work! That's at least a thousand dollar repair. I work for a Furniture Medic and could not do that repair as well as you did. Very nice.
Thanks!
Beautiful job of restoration. Amazing that some one thought all that glue was a good idea. I believe that's what did all the damage. Thanks for your videos, they are great to see. :)
You're welcome!
Try doing that to a piece of IKEA! Lol
Mr Johnson Sir, I think you are peerless in your craft and an all around fabulous human being. Your restoration and preservation of furniture surely behoves the viewer to enlist the means necessary to restore and reclaim - and to cherish their possessions. I can't say enough here how much I admire you for presenting your skills. Your videos are as invaluable as the objects you care for. 9k, enough for now. Hope you are well, best Regards
Wow! Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
Lovely calming video and great restoration as usual, here in France these 'commodes' are quite easy to find, they cost about 40 to 80 euros usually, some are Worth it for the marble alone as many have inferior drawer bases. Thank you Tom.
You're welcome!
Tom your skills are amazing, I looked at multiples video of restoration you have made, my wife is also amazed at the quality of your work of art, but I cant believe people would pay so much for furniture that is so old, and some are still copies. Very old furniture needs an artist like you to be revived...!
Thanks! People are sentimentally attached to their furniture, and want to keep it!
What a terrific restoration and attention to detail. You have much patience, young man!
Thank you!
So much patience! Another great job Finished!👍
Thanks!
WOW! fantastic! I feel like an apprentice. I have done some restoration but want to take on some more challenging pieces. The piece I'm doing now is a large fire damaged wall unit, that I built about 5 yrs ago for a client after their house burned down. The the unit survived but needs extensive restoration. I'm almost done. Your the man Thomas!
Its always amazing to me how well the cracked sides of one of the chests you work on fade into the rest of the work after you glue the side and refinish it, Thomas. Thanks for the video
You're welcome! Seriously, me too
That was some job! Incredible watching you, your patience, and skill. It's almost like the piece of furniture speaks to you, telling you where 'it hurts...' rr
Thanks!
Yup, Thomas set it free again. Free to move, free to be beautiful without constraints. Simply free
What an outstanding job. I learn from you every time I see your work. Excellent job
+Israel Fernandez Thanks for watching and for your comments. I appreciate it. Tom
Just shaking my head. Wow.
Thanks!
Great as always!
Thanks!
Wow. Great, great work. A pleasure to watch. Hands on archeology.
+Ian Brown Thanks
Amazing work. Thank you
You're welcome!
Once again...you did a beautiful job! This must have taken some serious time and probably a couple pots of tea to think about your restoration strategy. Thank you for sharing your process. I was born and grew up in Vermont and I love the outdoor shots in your videos as well. Maine looks a lot like Vermont and I get a little nostalgic for the east...Arizona is so different.
Thanks for watching! Arizona is beautiful, but I've got to live where the water is and everything is green! I have back packed in the Blue Range Primitive Area - very beautiful! But then we had to come back down to Pheonix - 115 degrees!
Awesome videos. I learned more from you than I have from almost any other resource. Thank you
You're welcome! I appreciate it
My niece just graduated from Maine College of Art with a degree in Woodworking and Furniture Design. I hope she follows you. Your "pretty good" work is excellent, especially good is your take-each-problem-as-it-comes attitude. Sometimes the standard ways work, other times you have to improvise. Keep up the pretty good work!
Wow! Congratulations for your daughter! I hope she succeds. My daughter moved to Portland OR and started a woodworking studio, her main business now is framing art work for artists and galleries, all with locally harvested, sustainable woods. We're very proud of her
Fantastic restoration! I have one of those little ovens, but didn't think about using it with my putty knives to break down the glue joints. I'll have to remember that one!
Fabulous!
Emily Williams Thank you!
Yeah, it took me awhile to think of that
Great work Young Thomas!
Thanks!
Another excellent renovation 😉👍👍👍
Thanks!
Such talent.. I came for the fix my used teak chairs semi restoration and realized I can not do them justice. Such talent that I could never afford so hoping I learned at least to be more careful and wiser. I have to thank you for your knowledge and time
You are welcome! #1 rule - take your time
Stunning restoration! Masterfully done!
Thank you very much!
Very good. I learn so much. Thank you.
You are so welcome!
Bravo de France ! La commode française vous dit MERCI !😍😍😍😘
Et vous êtes bienvenue!
Wonderful work
Thank you!
You are unbelievably patient, hats off! :)
Thank you!
comme toujours : un excellent travail respectueux de notre patrimoine national ! l'amour du travail bien fait...
Vous êtes les bienvenus! J'apprécie le commentaire!
Surprised that 33 people did not like this video. Maybe they thought you were repairing a toilet. Great videos Tom. I always learn a lot watching.
Thanks! Who knows - I wonder also
Thank you for your wonderful, detailed videos. I always look forward to the finished project as compared to the beginning.
You are so welcome!
Once again a professional job. A++++
***** Thanks!
Amazing work
Thanks!
Awesome restoration Thomas. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome!
That is a very impressive restoration and I wish I had a couple of those around my house, even cracked. Congratulations
Thanks! I appreciate that!
Beautiful job. I catch my self muttering "wow" During your videos. Probably patience envy. 👍
Thanks 👍 Yes, patience is the key
OMG, this gentleman has more clamps than I have laundry pegs! I'm in awe of the variety!
Wow, thanks!
You are one PATIENT man!!! Looks great!!!
Thanks!
Good Lord! What wasn’t glued?? You demonstrated amazing patience with this piece. It came out so great, as usual. Thank you!
You're welcome! This was a tough one!
Superb workmanship.
Thanks!
Thomas, beautiful job!
Thanks!
I really enjoy your videos. Thanks, Tom!
+Dan Rifenburgh You're welcome!
AHH, the wonders of putting antique furniture into a modern centrally heated home. But I guess it keeps us in business?
Thanks! Yes, so true! But the heat has killed off all the bugs and worms in furniture!
I would say SOME of the bugs and worms in furniture. Recently went to a customers house to assess a piece for restoration and the floorboards it was sat upon were riddled with worm, none I could see in the piece were alive but the floor was another story. It was in a room with a carefully controlled heating system and the furniture beetles loved it. They had no idea they were there. Turned out the piece was treated in situ about 6 months ago. I would not stand anywhere near it the boards had more holes than a sponge!
Fantastic job!
Thanks!
You have real skill and careful techniques!!
Thank you!
Helluva good job.
Thanks!
Wonderful work, a real pro.
+rick padgett Thanks
I really enjoyed watching you work.The art of a master.
Amazing! I can’t even see the damage anymore!
Thanks! Me neither!
Incredibly impressed with your talents and your patience...very much enjoy watching the process, but I don't think I cold live with all the frustrations.....
Thanks! I guess we all have to live with frustrations, but I get to choose mine!
Great Fix Tom.. That sure was a job. It's interesting how back east and central USA the furniture really expands and contracts. I see here in OREGON we have don't that problem. Its probably due to not having a huge humidity change. Those MINWAX wax sticks are great. Keep the vidz coming. Its starting to feel like spring here in Oregon, though it's pretty wet right now.
Thanks, Michael Frey
I think you're right. We get high humidity in August, and then crank the heat in the winter and the extremes are too much for the furniture. Same here, a little spring but a long ways to go!
cool hat. we love tom
Thank you!
i have been binge watching all your videos. I hesitated to watch this, however, as I thought a commode was something else.
Thanks! How did toilets come to be referred to as commode? Got to google that one
Beautiful work. I rigged an old soldering iron to a putty knife. I use a medium setting to soften old adhesive with a more rigid spatula to steadily lift the attached pieces. Cuts back on labor. By using a larger, wider knife, I can also do larger pieces.
+Heru- deshet That's a good idea. I might try that. Mohawk makes an electric knife with adjustable heat settings for burn ins. Maybe I'll get one
Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration
Great. You can do a video showing how it works out.
You do amazing work, my friend...truly fine work...thanks for sharing!
You're welcome!
I’m sure the English and French understanding of the word "commode" must have caused some problems in the past. "Where are my socks dear?" "I’ve put them in the commode!". I have seen the Chippendale Diana and Minerva Commode which is allegedly his greatest masterpiece, others say the entire furnishings of Harewood House are, for which he worked with Adams.
I love your channel for your skills and knowledge along with the sense of serenity you exude, but it’s even better when these nuggets of historical information come along. Thank you so much.
Thanks Mark. Yes, the word "commode" is used different ways for sure. I'll have to look up the piece you reference
Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration This is actually part of a BBC documentary that was on a few years ago ua-cam.com/video/1tOzQsHnd68/v-deo.html The commode is at 5:34.
Great work!
I'll probably end up watching all your vids... :))
Thanks!
didn't know expansion and contraction cause great damage to a piece of furniture until watching this video. awesome restoration!
Thanks!
I mean, Mr. T J is armed to the Top! He has everything! ( Heat! Who knew!)
Thanks! A lot of tools in the kit!
Brilliant job... takes alot of patience with that glue removal.
Thanks!
Very clever very interesting a lot of hard work 👌
Thank you!
also thanks for the tootsie roll link,couldnt wait on a delivery so i found some jb weld name brand,bonds and hardens very well but hard to tint thanks
Yes, they are difficult to tint, I gave up trying. I had OK success with dry powders but still too much trouble. I use 3 colors from Mohawk - walnut, oak & maple, and touch them up during the finishing process. You can get them from Woodworker's Supply also
Awesome work!
Thanks!