Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

408 Conservation of Furniture
sources of information on setting up a business
include: the conservation professional bodies
(see above); local contacts such as banks,
accountants, insurance brokers and solicitors;
local and national government organizations
connected with trade, industry, employment,
welfare, taxation and so forth. Help with the
planning process can be obtained from architects,
structural engineers, quantity surveyors
and specialist consultants. There are many
other organizations concerned with specific
aspects of setting up and running a business,
such as fire, safety and security, that can be
identified through directories of organizations
held by the reference libraries of larger towns
and cities. Comprehensive works by Kingshott
(1993) and by Landis (1999) are devoted to
designing, planning and equipping the workshop
and useful ideas are provided by Peters
(1984) and by Deasy (1985) among others.
However, final decisions should only be taken
once you are satisfied that the design will
work. It is unwise to place undue reliance on
people who ultimately are much less affected
by the outcome than you are. To this end,
rehearse the work using drawings, models,
full-size floor layouts (in the garden) and even
mock-ups of bits of studio to ‘walk through’
the processes that need to be carried out from
arrival of objects to their despatch and think
through the best overall arrangement that will
work for you and that you can afford. Fire
safety is an essential component that must be
built in at the design stage.
9.5.1 Workshop processes and
procedures
Furniture conservation cannot be reduced to a
formula but it is possible to trace certain patterns
in the work that provide a useful framework for
thinking about the studio and flow of work.
Examination and recording of condition
In every case it is necessary to examine the
object to determine its condition, to be able to
propose possible treatments and to estimate
the time and cost of carrying them out. This
process requires a well-lit uncluttered space
with the necessary equipment close to hand to
complete the examination and record the
result.
Dismantling the object
It is by no means always necessary to dismantle
the object and this should certainly not be
done unnecessarily. However, when required it
is usually the next step after examination. This
requires a clear space with good access to the
appropriate equipment and plenty of clear softened
surface area to lay out parts in safety after
they have been dismantled. This process often
uses a lot of equipment, which should be kept
separate from parts of objects. After parts have
been dismantled, examined, recorded and
labelled they will need to be put somewhere
conveniently close to hand but out of harm’s
way.
Repair of existing components and
making of new ones
This covers a whole range of processes and
procedures discussed in the following chapters.
Once suitable materials and methods of
fabrication have been decided, the materials
must be retrieved from storage and selected for
quality and quantity then converted to the size
and shape required. This includes all the basic
woodworking techniques and may also include
consolidation of existing material or moulding
and casting of new parts. Once prepared, new
parts need to be fitted, adhered to existing
parts and then set aside undisturbed for the
adhesive to solidify. Once set, further shaping
may be required. The way that the workshop
is laid out, the organization of work surfaces
and the storage of tools, materials, equipment
and object parts can have a profound influence
on the ease with which these processes can be
carried out.
Re-assembly
All parts of the object are brought back
together at this stage, trial fitted and prepared
for assembly. Large surface areas are often
needed to have everything to hand, systematically
organized and uncluttered with easy
access to cramps once the final process of
assembly starts.
Finishing and colouring
In many workshops this is considered as two
distinct processes. First the rather dusty
operation of finishing the wood itself and second
the colouring, polishing and related operations.