Part Three: The Restorer’s Dilemma — Three Paths Forward
Standing in front of Kay Yeomans’s longcase clock, it is easy to see that there is no single “correct” answer. What looks like one broken object is really a web...
Part Two: The Movement, the Maker, and the Making of a Longcase Clock
If part one focused on the cabinet as an archaeological object—revealing construction shortcuts, repairs, and surprises—this second part turns inward, to the heart of Yeoman’s clock: the movement [...]
Part One: Before the Restoration — Assessing an Antique Longcase Clock
First Look: An Old Clock and the Weight of Responsibility When I was first invited to look at the longcase clock, it was clear that this was not simply a...
Remove Spilled Candle Wax
After our last family birthday party I spent an hour scraping big globs of candle wax from several tables and our wood mantel. The next day, in response to my...
Restoring a Divider: Part 1
I use dividers regularly in my work. They’re indispensable for spacing out and dividing lengths—whether laying out dovetails, bisecting a line by drawing intersecting arcs, or sketching circles [...]
Replacing an old Hope Chest Lock – Part 3
After reducing the volume of the original half-mortise using two strips of wood and addressing the crack in the shallow recess of the catch plate (read part two of the...
Replacing an old Hope Chest Lock – Part 2
After fine-tuning the quirks with the new replacement lock and its brass catch plate, I turned my attention to the cedar hope chest’s half-mortise. I measured and compared the existing...
Replacing an Old Hope Chest Lock, Part 1
Last winter, a friend gifted me an old cedar hope chest. The piece was made by her late father-in-law, an amateur woodworker. Since she and her husband were preparing to...
Restoring Broken Plastic Hardware Organizer Drawers
One staple you’ll likely find in most woodworking shops is a fasteners/hardware bin filled with small plastic drawers. These drawers hold everything from nails and screws to hinges and glue...
Hanging a Hatchet Handle
Knowing how to hang a new handle on a hammer or an axe opens up numerous opportunities to restore your old tools and allows you to bring back to active...
Crown Molding Restoration, Part 3
After completing step (F), I used a gouge to hollow out the cove portion of the molding. I selected a gouge with a sweep that matched the cove radius and...
Crown Molding Restoration, Part 2
Read part 1 After allowing the glue to set, I carefully removed the clamped molding from the guitar maker’s vise. At this point, I removed excess wood from the glued-up...
