Prior Restorations

I found this table at an antique store for $40. It was in atrocious shape. The legs weren't attached. The leaf was missing. Everything was terribly scarred. It had a black burn on it from someone leaving an old-fashioned iron on it. But it was bird's eye maple and I loved the style. Joe came out and looked at it for me. He transported it to the shop where he proceeded to turn it back into the work of art that it was. He custom made a leaf out of another piece of matching maple. (I believe he cannibalized an old dresser, so the leaf is even of the same time period.) The table has some tricky routing on the edges which he re-created on the leaf perfectly. But best of all, there was NO sign of the burn or any scarring. By sanding and artful use of stain he made it disappear. The color turned out gorgeous, the finish is superb. While the table was in the shop a dealer wanted to buy it, I turned him down of course. A few weeks later, Joe delivered the table to my doorstep. Joe is a craftsman and an artist. I adore his work. I have had to table for a couple of years now and the finish has held up remarkably well. I actually started using the table for more than decoration and it's doing fine!