I have this cool antique table and I want to restore it.It has a lot of different problems but let's start with the wobbly structure. It's so wobbly it can barely stand.Immediately I could notice that some previous owner had attempted to reinforce the structure with nails. Some of them were super crudely hammered in but I managed to remove the extra nails without damaging the wood any further.Then I realized the 3 symmetrically inserted nails were actually original to the table. Believe it or not, this table doesn't have traditional woodworking joints. These carved galleries keep the whole table together and they're nailed (and glued) to the legs and the top.So here's the crux: the table is wobbly as hell, but most of the original nails are still in place and so deep in the wood that I can't pull them out. This means the table can't be taken apart for reassembly. And even if I could do that, there are areas with so much wood loss that I can't put new nails in. I was thinking I could rebuild this table with peg joints but it would sort of break the originality.What's my next move?
Here's the full view.
In case someone doesn't believe that the original nails are a real thing, here's another piece presumably by the same maker. You can see 3 black dots where the nails arehttps://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/tables/center-tables/19th-century-french-chinoiserie-style-mahogany-table-attributed-gabriel-viardot/id-f_11269441/#zoomModalOpen
>>2973303stabilize do not restore. if it has any value, it will lose it if it is restored.
>>2973303>This means the table can't be taken apart for reassemblyby you.the way you fix wobbly nail or (if they have them) screw holes.you remove the nails or screws.separate the joints. drill the original holes out to a size where you can install dowels, trim the dowels flush, and then pilot drill the dowels with holes for the nails that are slightly narrower than the nails. so you don't split anything putting the nails back.
>>2973316to be clear you do this on the part of the table that you can't see it.
>>2973316How do I reassemble the table so that it's perfectly leveled?I can't even imagine how professionals would do it.I'm pretty sure that if I do it, I'm just gonna put the table back together only to realize not all the corners are 90 degrees and it looks like shit.
>>2973303>>2973304is that fretwork
OP here again. What do you think the finish is?I wiped it down with a damp cloth and the cloth is now dark brown.I think I wiped off the finish whatever it was.
>>2973395Welcome to linseed oil. Now try to figure out why so many guys think it's the best finish ever.
Are you sure the nails are original, and not just a common aftermarket way to reinforce the wobbly structure?I get the feeling that the original artist would've at least hammered the nails in from the inside, not the outside.Unless it's some Chinese traditional thing
Stop messin with it anon. This stand was never meant to do more than display a tea set or some bone-cut fuck-all, stop thinking you can use it as an end table and start praying that you didn't completely ruin the finish.
>>2973578>This stand was never meant to do more than display a tea setThis would make sense because it is literally a tea table.Is that why it was put together with nails and glue rather than actual joints?I'm OP and I bought this thing to be my laptop table and I'm so bummed out it will never be able to handle actual modern use.
The wooden parts might be too slim / narrow for proper joints or drilling any holes in them, which is why nails were used.
>>2974101use the parts as stencil, cut out them from better wood and assemble the new table copy to be rigid and sturdy
>>2973395no you dofus, you wiped off dirt and grimeno traditional finish is water soluble>is that why it was put together with nails and glue rather than actual joints? no that was done for $$$$. But hey, its not like this is a chair
OP here.I was bored so I started taking the table apart. I can't fucking believe I managed to do it without breaking anything, with no prior experience or know-how. No idea what to do next. What I'm looking at right now is a tea table kit.Yeah, I realized that the carved parts are way too thin and brittle for actual joints. They felt like a cookie when I was taking them out. I get that the maker saved money by using nails and glue, but I don't see what else you could do.
These nails are impossible to take out.I started banging them out from the sharp end, but the wood at the other end started cracking so I had to stop immediately. You also cant pull them out.
keep the nails in, reglue with hide glue.
itt: OP removes 3 digits from the price of his table
>>2976451I'm OP.I took the table to a local college where they teach restoration and the main teacher there agreed to do this table for me for a nominal fee.I'm convinced the end result will look gud.Would post it here but this thread will be long gone by then.
>>2976627you greatly overestimate how fast this board moves, anon
>>2977317I also underestimated how quick the restoration teacher would be.He finished my table a day after my previous post.
>>2977565is it an actual usable piece of furniture now or will it still collapse if you fart in the same building?
>>2977565For reference, here's OP pic again but after restoration.Now the big question remains, how do I know if this was actually made by Gabriel Viardot? I've been looking at pics of his work on auction sites and antiques galleries. My table has many tell-tale signs of a Viardot table, but it's not signed. Similar to many famous ebenistes of the late 19th century France, not all of his work bear his signature. Unsigned work are sold as>"attributed to Gabriel Viardot">"possibly / probably by Gabriel Viardot">"in the manner / in the style of Gabriel Viardot"I think famous cabinetmakers like Linke, Sormani, Viardot etc. had huge workshops where they basically mass produced handmade furniture, meaning they must have had apprentices / helpers just like manga artists do in Japan. There are hundreds of Viardot pieces posted online. They're so intricate that I'm sure he didn't personally craft 100% of them.Were unsigned pieces made mostly if not entirely by apprentices? I also have a theory that these cabinetmakers sold products of varying quality so that everyone could afford them. "Mainline" products were built to a higher standard and signed.
>>2977567Forgot pic.>>2977566The guy said the original dowels were too small in his opinion so he drilled in bigger ones for more stability. Glued together with animal-based glue ofc.He said the end result is "quite sturdy" but I'll probably never trust this to hold more than a Thinkpad and a phone.
>>2977567anon, this is quite obviously the work of ligma, late 1800's, inspired by travels to asia, china in particular which is reflected in the gilded ornaments and he never marked his work because he thought it ruined an already perfect piece.
