Bedroom set repair

[Thorn]

Hi all, total (new member) amateur here. Admins please feel free to delete this topic if this isn't the place for it.

Just picked up my first repair project on the cheap and I'm interested to see if you all think it's salvageable. 

It's a bedroom set from the 1920s or so. Veneer is in pretty bad shape but the main issues are a bowed drawer and the general disrepair of the sides of the dressers. 

Pretty sure I can fix the drawer with some clamps and humidity but I'm more worried about the structural integrity of the pieces as a whole. 

(Note: picture of bed frame not included here as it has no structural damage other than some gouges.) 

 

[Coop]

Hey Thorn, welcome to the forum. I’d send it back to the owner and tell them to seek the help of a professional or a magician. That’s some serious damage. 

[Thorn]

8 minutes ago, Coop said:

Hey Thorn, welcome to the forum. I’d send it back to the owner and tell them to seek the help of a professional or a magician. That’s some serious damage. 

Thanks man, happy to be here! Yeah I kinda had the feeling that it might be a little much for me (still learning) but I couldn't let it go to waste. Thanks so much for the insight, I really appreciate it

[pkinneb]

Welcome! I'm with Coop on this one it would almost be easier to recreate it then save that one.

[wtnhighlander]

I'll third the motion. That's a lot of damaged veneer. Not positive, but it looks like much of the underlying substrate is ply, also damaged. I think that if these pieces have no sentimental value to you, I'd suggest disecting them to study the construction technique, maybe measure and draw them for practice doing design. Without some specialized veneering equipment, some of those repairs will be very difficult. ALL of them will be quite tedious, and probably cost more than it is worth. If the bed is good, maybe take a stab at re-creating the damaged pieces from solid wood to match.

[drzaius]

I agree with all the above opinions, but if you're interested in furniture restoration & repair, check out Thomas Johnson's YouTube channel . You can easily spend hours watching the man at work. He's got some great tips & methods for making some pretty ratty furniture look good again.

I think the stuff you've got is beyond help though.

[Coop]

1 hour ago, Thorn said:

Thanks man, happy to be here! Yeah I kinda had the feeling that it might be a little much for me (still learning) but I couldn't let it go to waste. Thanks so much for the insight, I really appreciate it

Thanks, glad you didn’t take offense. With these darn masks on, it’s hard to express the right meaning! 

[Thorn]

Wow, thanks so much for all the responses here! I really appreciate it, this is good stuff and great tips. 

I only paid $25 for all the pieces (2 dressers and bed) - the guy just really wanted them out of his shed, which probably explains the condition. 

Definitely ply as a substrate, which surprised me when I saw it. I like the idea of recreating the pieces, though, or studying them for design - those curved tops aren't something I've ever seen before. I'll be sure to post project pics if it gets that far. 
 

25 minutes ago, drzaius said:

I agree with all the above opinions, but if you're interested in furniture restoration & repair, check out Thomas Johnson's YouTube channel . You can easily spend hours watching the man at work. He's got some great tips & methods for making some pretty ratty furniture look good again.

I think the stuff you've got is beyond help though.

Thanks for the channel recommendation! i think I came across one or two of those videos a while back but never dug into them. I'll take a look for sure. 

[Coop]

As a newbie, we hope you continue to hang around and show us what you’ve learned.