The Trunk That Taught Me
One of my oldest projects is a large trunk that’s survived half a dozen moves since I made it over 40 years ago. Constructed of solid 3/4″ red oak, it…
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Repair
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 of decisions—technical, ethical, practical, and financial. Any serious restorer, and ……
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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 itself. It is here that the clock most clearly declares …
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Before the Restoration: Assessing an Antique Longcase Clock: Part One
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 piece of furniture in need of repair. It is an …
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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 complaining, a coworker told me to try mineral spirits next …
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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 and curves. At my school, we have a few old dividers, some…
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