Irwin Chests

Front and back panels ready for pins and final joinery

Irwin Chests

Fitting the final dry run, chamfer cut and ready for panels...

Viola...now panel is ready for pins at each joint

Irwin Chests

Panels need to be paste filler and then once dried the paste fill is sanded off....this has to be done before panels are fit into the frames..

Irwin Chests

Cutting mortise and tenons for the framed panels....

Cutting a haunched tenon..the saw I use is a Japanese style saw which I prefer for cutting joinery...

Irwin Chests

Softener is applied to veneer panels and put under pressure in a vacuum bag..

Mahogany panels glued up with special urea formaldahyde glue and put in vacuum bag overnight...

Irwin Chests

Looking over the crotch mahogany for the chest panels..

Table restoration

Completed Restoration

Table restoration

Each " fan" has to be re secured to the table using syringes and hide glue. Most are loose and lifting off the table.

New fan sections are cut from satinwood. This is typical for a fan inlay, sand shading was burned into the fan sections and then carefully applied to the medallion...

The table is then colored with a chemical treatment that oxidizes the mahogany  "aging" it appropriately without darkening the medallion inlay..

Table restoration

This table is in rough shape, failing finish, missing inlay and a lot of bumps and bruises...

Irwin Chests

Hand selecting boards that work well together is a BIG part of a custom piece....