02-05-2011, 06:10 PM
Hi,
Many thanks Richard I’m pleased you like the story so far but now the real fun begins and here is another update.
With the two new side panels completed successfully I could turn my attention to fitting them to the cabinet. This was a daunting task to say the least because I didn’t know if it could be done and couldn’t find any such work being carried out on the Internet so once again I was on my own.
The side panels were nothing more than what appeared to be ¼” thick plain plywood that had received a thick brown finish to hide the fact. One thing was for certain I had little chance of causing much further damage as I looked at the severe worm damage and de-lamination of the ply. The panels were simply glued onto a framework made up of thick plywood and Beech hardwood.
I had considered removing the panels one layer of ply at a time but then decided if I was extra careful it would be possible to remove the bulk of the panel using my electric jigsaw which I did leaving a large hole in the panel so there was no turning back now. I tried using a wood chisel to remove the rest of the panel but this was tedious so then tried breaking the waste away with a large pair of pliers and this worked exceedingly well indeed.
[attachment=1109][attachment=1110]
I might have damaged it slightly and side removed
The cabinet was a wreck; the worm had eaten right into the frame members and panel making them hollow and confirmed I had made the right choice in replacing the panels rather than trying to fill them. There was nothing for it other than to carry on removing damaged sections; the thick front frame member was plywood; the bottom and back frame member’s beech. I removed all three members after firstly making a wooden support exactly to correct length and clamping the support firmly into place to ensure the integrity of the cabinet; this was very scary work for me and something totally new.
The side was glued to a bottom frame member and in turn this was secured to the base of the cabinet by screws; the base of the cabinet being plywood was also worm infested and crumbling so this was removed and two new members made of solid oak. Each end was originally attached with a stub tenon so the old joints were cleaned out and new tenons cut into the oak. This bottom member was then carefully glued into place. This job alone took a lot of time but it then gave a solid foundation to start building onto. New bottom and back frame members were machined from Meranti hardwood and the new front frame member machined from thick MDF. Joints were cut as needed but to give precise alignment for the front frame member I added three beechwood biscuits having a biscuit jointer to hand and it made a superb job of this giving perfect alignment at glue up.
[attachment=1111][attachment=1112]
Adding temporary support and Severe worm damage.
All this work was time consuming and it was still very cold with snow and ice but I kept at it and bit by bit I rebuilt the framework at one side of the cabinet. I was so cold some days I could only work for an hour before it became too dangerous to use my big machinery so the work was broken down into small sections so that I didn’t lose the plot.
The cabinet although still looking very ill was now starting to respond to all this TLC and it was a pleasure for me to have got this far because if all went well I could attach the new panel? I checked the new panel for fit and double checked I had actually selected the correct panel as it is so easy to make stupid mistakes especially whilst feeling frozen.
[attachment=1113][attachment=1114]
Major woodworm damage and cutting biscuit slots.
The fit looked excellent and I had made each panel a perfect fit to the bottom and back; so only needed to ensure these two were in perfect position at glue up as any mistake now would see me seeking medical assistance as my nerves were on edge. I gathered many clamps and opened them ready to size; cut protective strips to prevent the clamps marking the cabinet and at last applied a lot of woodworking adhesive; I didn’t want glue starved joints. With the cabinet on the bench open side uppermost I dropped the new panel into place again checking it was the right way around; it didn’t help my nerves to find the panel actually “floated” on the glue and this caused me a lot of trouble as I clamped the panel into place as it kept moving from position as the clamps were tightened; eventually it settled into place much to my relief and I applied all the clamps double checking they were all tight; lots of glue squeezed out and was quickly removed with a wet cloth.
[attachment=1115][attachment=1116][attachment=1117]
Worm riddled bottom section removed. New frame members in oak one glued in.
Tomorrow after the glue has set and the clamps removed would be success or failure but either way I could do no more as I had done my absolute best. With some apprehension I removed the clamps the following morning to find total success; I had pulled it off and to say I was over the moon would be a gross understatement; I just stood a while looking at the new panel smiling at me and now knew I was going to restore this cabinet making it something really special. The second side panel was much easier to fit as I now had experience and could work at a quicker pace. With both new side panels in place the cabinet was looking a great deal better but there was still a lot of work to do and the snow kept falling.
[attachment=1118]
Success or failure.
Kind regards, Col
Many thanks Richard I’m pleased you like the story so far but now the real fun begins and here is another update.
With the two new side panels completed successfully I could turn my attention to fitting them to the cabinet. This was a daunting task to say the least because I didn’t know if it could be done and couldn’t find any such work being carried out on the Internet so once again I was on my own.
The side panels were nothing more than what appeared to be ¼” thick plain plywood that had received a thick brown finish to hide the fact. One thing was for certain I had little chance of causing much further damage as I looked at the severe worm damage and de-lamination of the ply. The panels were simply glued onto a framework made up of thick plywood and Beech hardwood.
I had considered removing the panels one layer of ply at a time but then decided if I was extra careful it would be possible to remove the bulk of the panel using my electric jigsaw which I did leaving a large hole in the panel so there was no turning back now. I tried using a wood chisel to remove the rest of the panel but this was tedious so then tried breaking the waste away with a large pair of pliers and this worked exceedingly well indeed.
[attachment=1109][attachment=1110]
I might have damaged it slightly and side removed
The cabinet was a wreck; the worm had eaten right into the frame members and panel making them hollow and confirmed I had made the right choice in replacing the panels rather than trying to fill them. There was nothing for it other than to carry on removing damaged sections; the thick front frame member was plywood; the bottom and back frame member’s beech. I removed all three members after firstly making a wooden support exactly to correct length and clamping the support firmly into place to ensure the integrity of the cabinet; this was very scary work for me and something totally new.
The side was glued to a bottom frame member and in turn this was secured to the base of the cabinet by screws; the base of the cabinet being plywood was also worm infested and crumbling so this was removed and two new members made of solid oak. Each end was originally attached with a stub tenon so the old joints were cleaned out and new tenons cut into the oak. This bottom member was then carefully glued into place. This job alone took a lot of time but it then gave a solid foundation to start building onto. New bottom and back frame members were machined from Meranti hardwood and the new front frame member machined from thick MDF. Joints were cut as needed but to give precise alignment for the front frame member I added three beechwood biscuits having a biscuit jointer to hand and it made a superb job of this giving perfect alignment at glue up.
[attachment=1111][attachment=1112]
Adding temporary support and Severe worm damage.
All this work was time consuming and it was still very cold with snow and ice but I kept at it and bit by bit I rebuilt the framework at one side of the cabinet. I was so cold some days I could only work for an hour before it became too dangerous to use my big machinery so the work was broken down into small sections so that I didn’t lose the plot.
The cabinet although still looking very ill was now starting to respond to all this TLC and it was a pleasure for me to have got this far because if all went well I could attach the new panel? I checked the new panel for fit and double checked I had actually selected the correct panel as it is so easy to make stupid mistakes especially whilst feeling frozen.
[attachment=1113][attachment=1114]
Major woodworm damage and cutting biscuit slots.
The fit looked excellent and I had made each panel a perfect fit to the bottom and back; so only needed to ensure these two were in perfect position at glue up as any mistake now would see me seeking medical assistance as my nerves were on edge. I gathered many clamps and opened them ready to size; cut protective strips to prevent the clamps marking the cabinet and at last applied a lot of woodworking adhesive; I didn’t want glue starved joints. With the cabinet on the bench open side uppermost I dropped the new panel into place again checking it was the right way around; it didn’t help my nerves to find the panel actually “floated” on the glue and this caused me a lot of trouble as I clamped the panel into place as it kept moving from position as the clamps were tightened; eventually it settled into place much to my relief and I applied all the clamps double checking they were all tight; lots of glue squeezed out and was quickly removed with a wet cloth.
[attachment=1115][attachment=1116][attachment=1117]
Worm riddled bottom section removed. New frame members in oak one glued in.
Tomorrow after the glue has set and the clamps removed would be success or failure but either way I could do no more as I had done my absolute best. With some apprehension I removed the clamps the following morning to find total success; I had pulled it off and to say I was over the moon would be a gross understatement; I just stood a while looking at the new panel smiling at me and now knew I was going to restore this cabinet making it something really special. The second side panel was much easier to fit as I now had experience and could work at a quicker pace. With both new side panels in place the cabinet was looking a great deal better but there was still a lot of work to do and the snow kept falling.
[attachment=1118]
Success or failure.
Kind regards, Col
