Is It Worth Restoring?

That old desk in the corner that is missing veneer pieces and the hinges have almost fallen off? Or your grandmother’s chairs that are so wobbly they make you cringe whenever anyone sits on them? How about those pieces that were retired to the attic long ago because of missing or broken parts? 

These relics are more than likely worth restoring. Some may be period pieces, which are certainly worth restoring. Others, although they are reproductions, may be better constructed, last longer and have more appealing designs than most modern furniture you could buy today. Still others may be worth repairing simply because of their sentimental value. I know that I spent a decent amount of time turning new legs for the cradle that I used as a baby when my first child was about to be born… Is the cradle worth it? Not if I were to sell it, but it was certainly worth the time and effort to me! 

​My Dad and I can often figure out the age of your furniture and can determine the best approach to restoring each piece. With a period piece, the approach is minimalistic. We are always concerned with maintaining the value and integrity of the piece. We use techniques and materials appropriate to the time period in which it was built. With real period pieces, we recommend doing as little as possible, yet restoring it to its original function and beauty. 

​With 20th century pieces, their worth is in their function or their sentimental value. We therefore have more flexibility in the type of restoration. We can even modify color and shape to your satisfaction. Dad and I have done all sorts of things to pieces, from simply changing bed widths and heights to changing armoires into entertainment centers!

We truly enjoy working on all sorts of different pieces, though admittedly the real antiques give us a special thrill and, occasionally, inspiration. I can remember working on an 18th century secretary desk that needed some repairs and a cleaning. I was only 15 or 16 at the time, so when I reached in behind a drawer and put my finger in a small hole, I was surprised and excited to see a secret drawer popping out at me! As I then went over the rest of that piece with a fine tooth comb, I found more than a dozen more secret compartments just large enough to hold a few letters or a couple of pieces of jewelry. Ever since then, I have dreamed of putting  a secret compartment in a piece that I had built. This year, my dream came true. To the master woodworker who built that piece, I say thank you, and I tip my hat to his skill.

Entering the Blogosphere!

Hi!
We at The Restoration Works make up a father and son pair of artisans. Dean Snell founded the business in 1993 restoring fine antiques when I was just 4 years old! He would occasionally build a custom piece for his customers, but spent most of his time restoring antique furniture. Fast forward about 20 years, and I, Dylan, joined my father full time, finally deciding to learn the trade fully after having spent many years working with Dad part time. It has now been a little over 2 years since I joined my Dad, and we have had some serious fun building and restoring furniture and learning together.

We have maintained a shop that is very nearly technology free for most of our years in business, having only a landline and a fax machine that only sends, but doesn't receive... so entering the blogosphere is a bit of a frightening prospect for us. Please bear with us as we figure out what the best format is for our blog posts! Also, since I am younger, and a little bit more tech-savvy, I (that is Dylan), will be posting most of these blog articles. Dean will have plenty of input on those postings, and may occasionally post himself, but I can't promise anything... he's a bit allergic to computers and the internet. He prefers tools, furniture, and technology from before the year 1900.

You may be wondering what has driven us to take to the internet after so many years spent hiding from modern technology! Well, we have begun to build our own line of furniture as functional art. Dad was a printmaking major in college many moons ago, and he spent much of his time practicing the time-honored art of Etching (Rembrandt etched in much the same way). Even though he hadn't done hardly any etching in nearly 30 years, we decided to try printing on wood, so that we could incorporate his etchings into the furniture we build using traditional tools and methods. It was a success! To this point, we have built a Chest of Drawers with an etching of a Grand Banks dory on it, and a few Low Tavern Tables with a couple of different etchings that can be set into them. Now, we want to let people know about what we're doing, and we have heard of these blog things, and figured we should give it a shot!