Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

10
Principles of conserving and repairing
wooden furniture
This chapter examines the principles and techniques
that relate to the repair of wooden
furniture. Although the emphasis is on wood,
many of these principles and techniques may
be applied to other materials found in furniture,
such as ivory and turtleshell. The first part
of this chapter is divided into three sections:
general principles, general techniques and
consideration of specific types of damage and
their possible remedies. The second part
considers the conservation of surfaces embellished
with veneer, marquetry or boulle. Finally
casting and moulding techniques for non-structural
repairs are considered with particular
emphasis on the conservation aspects of these
processes.
The conservation techniques discussed
below rely on familiarity with techniques for
working wood, including the use and maintenance
of tools, preparation of timber, jointing of
wood, carving and turning. It is beyond the
scope of this chapter to discuss basic woodworking
techniques in detail. Excellent texts
that elucidate the techniques involved in cabinetmaking
and fine joinery include Hayward
(1974), Joyce (1987) and Walton (1979). Texts
written about furniture restoration that incorporate
useful information on repairs to
wooden furniture include Alcouffe (1977),
Bennett (1990), Buchanan (1985), Hayward
(1967) and Rodd (1976). Learoyd (1981),
Rogers (1959) and others discuss and illustrate
historical methods of jointing furniture. Related
disciplines such as structural repair of panel
paintings (Dardes and Roth, 1998) may offer
additional insights.
There may be an overlap between the techniques
used in the original manufacture of an
object and those used for its repair. If it is
436
necessary to replace an entire component it
should be clearly labelled or marked as such –
some conservators have signed and dated the
reverse side of new panelling or chair rails, or
dated a new component in an inconspicuous
place. The replacement of entire components
should be approached as a last resort, since an
important part of the role of the conservator is
to preserve as much original material as possible.
This not only contributes to an understanding
of the history and development of
furniture but, as fewer objects survive in an
unmolested state, may actually result in
enhanced monetary value, particularly for
those objects treated in the commercial environment.
The ethical principles that may guide a
conservator undertaking structural repairs are
discussed in Chapter 9. These principles have
been accepted by the conservation profession
and include minimum intervention, retention
of as much original material as possible,
adding as little new material as possible, avoiding
irreversible alterations to the original, the
use of materials of known properties and the
use of materials and techniques that allow
future reversibility/retreatability.
For any problem there are a range of solutions,
some of which may be undesirable, but
being aware of the possibilities may help in the
analysis of a problem. It is essential to avoid a
dogmatic approach. The treatment option that
is chosen may be influenced by issues of stability,
aesthetics, historical and physical integrity
and evidence, or the time, skill and resources
available for the treatment. Each of these issues
carries with it inherent costs and benefits for
the object, the implications of which will affect
the conservation treatment. In museums, for