Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

woodworm damage is accompanied by
secondary damage arising as a consequence of
combination with mechanical damage: partial
or complete breaks in rails, stretchers arms
and legs, sometimes at joints and sometimes
within their lengths. In addition to the basic
wood structure and its integral and applied
carving, moulding and other ornamentation,
lacquer, paint, varnish, japanning and gilding
are especially susceptible to damage due to
the very nature of their surface qualities and
by the additional handling afforded to chairs
in comparison to carcase furniture.
Carcase furniture
Although shrinkage in chairs, besides that
associated with joints, can sometimes be a
serious problem, it is generally less of a
problem than in carcase construction where
allowance must be made for the greater
movement associated with wider boards.
Certain allowances for this movement can be
and were made in carcase construction. For
example, drawer runners and other members
which run across the sides of carcases can be
slotted into a groove in the sides and only
glued into the rails at the front. Problems arise
with mouldings and inlays commonly applied
Deterioration of wood and wooden structures 311
Figure 7.16 Frequency of occurrence of various kinds
of damage in a sample of two thousand treatments on
three different furniture types carried out in the
Victoria and Albert Museum furniture conservation
studio from the beginning of 1975 to the end of 1985.
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Seat
Carcase
Table
A: Chipped/scratched or dirty/discoloured finish or
decoration including paint, japan, gilding, varnish,
including baize and leather on tables; B: Damaged,
broken or partially broken or loose and weakened
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joints, broken rails and stretchers, arms and legs
(internal breaks) and delaminations (e.g. splats); C:
Chipped or loose/missing decoration including applied
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mouldings and integral and applied carving, fretwork
and turning; D: Woodworm damage (generally
involved with one or other of the preceding
6
categories); E: Damaged upholstery (including
deterioration of leather, cane or rush seating or
degradation of webbing leading to collapse of seat but
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excluding problems of silk damask, needlework, velvet,
horsehair, etc.); F: Loose, lifting, missing and buckled
veneers and inlays; G: Metalwork: loose or missing
fittings and fastenings. Misalignment due to shrinkage.
2
Dirty, loose, or missing decoration (mounts); H:
Missing and loose components, other than decorative
moulding and carving, requiring refitting or
0
A B C D E F G H I J K L
replacement of whole or substantial part, e.g. drawer fronts, legs, arms, rails, knobs; I: Shrinkage splits and warps and repairs to
panelling; J: Assembly and disassembly for exhibition; K: Ensuring object security on display; L: Historical restorations and other
problems. It can be seen that minor damage, such as accretions of dirt and scratches on chairs, chipped and loose decoration on
carcase furniture, or lifting problems with veneer on carcase furniture were the most frequently encountered types of damage. Whilst
all types of wooden furniture are equally susceptible to woodworm infestation, chairs are far more likely to require conservation
treatment as a result of infestation than carcase or table types
Frequency
round the sides and edges of chests of
drawers, bureaux and cabinets. Movement
across drawer fronts will tend to loosen and
detach mouldings applied at right-angles to
the grain and brass inlay running at right
angles to the grain will be forced out of its
groove. It is fortunate that traditional animal
glues tend to break before the wood.
Compression set, which may arise in service,
leaves the drawer fronts slightly smaller than
the moulding, which will then tend to become
dislodged by knocking against the drawer rails
or by overzealous dusting. Loosening of
mouldings is a common defect associated with
this class of furniture and is again
compounded by simple mechanical actions.
Mouldings and carvings project and present
irregular outlines and are therefore likely to be
among the parts first damaged.
Splits are likely to occur in carcase construction
as a consequence of different rates of
response to changes in relative humidity. Splits
are also likely to occur on drying following
compression set in boards which have been
restrained during periods of high relative
humidity. As a result of compression set,
panels, especially those which have been
painted or veneered on one side only, are