Buffet Post #1

This last winter my aunt gave me my grandmother's buffet table. It had sat in her basement for quite some time so it has a mold issue. Her daughter had wanted it, but has since decided she won't have room for it in her house. I jumped at the chance to have it because I need another piece for the wall next to the bathroom door in the dining room.

Plus, I love pieces with a family history. So last winter I moved it right to my step-fathers shop with hopes of refinishing it before Christmas. Those of you with small children understand why this didn't happen. Now my mom has offered to spend the remainder of her summer break from school watching them so I can get it finished by next Christmas. Thanks mom!

It's not a "fine" piece of furniture. The exterior of the cabinet is an oak veneer. The legs and mirror frame are oak. But amazingly the old mirror is in wonderful shape, and the curved glass of the doors survived a household of 7 children and is still in two whole pieces. So once I get it in place in the dining room Molly and Elsie are never going to be allowed to set foot in that room again. Sorry girls.

I actually started the project yesterday, but I forgot the camera so I don't have any shots of the cabinet as a whole. Sorry. Yesterday I took all the hardware off and stored it away in a baggie. I removed the glass from the doors, and let me tell you that was the most nerve-wracking thing I've done in a long time. I was sweating and it wasn't hot in the shop. Bruce (my step-father) then helped me glue broken pieces of the veneer and replace a missing drawer guide for the upper drawer.

Today I got the mirror out of the frame and glued up where wood was separating on the frame. Notice I had lots of help from Cleo the shop kitty who decided that frame was also lovely frame for her ample kitty body.

It's been so nice. I had forgotten how good it feels to have a project. For some reason I really enjoy doing this sort of thing. Lately I've even been having a longing feeling for another house. Someone bought the house two miles down the road from us and has been doing renovation work on it. I'm surprised Tim doesn't stop driving by it with me because every time he does it goes, "Look they have a dumpster! Do you remember when we had a dumpster every summer? Don't you miss getting a dumpster?" or "Look their windows are out. Do you remember when we didn't have windows? I wonder what kind of windows they are going with." and so on and so forth. I know it drives Tim nuts but I can't help it. Tim doesn't have the found dumpster memories I do.