MTS Creative Services

01/15/2019

Well, FB keeps telling me that y’all haven’t heard from me in a while. They’re right. Here is 2018 in review. Lots of projects. Lots of memories.

01/06/2018

Completed the Charles Limbert dining table.

Here’s the story.....

I had the chance and the honor to work on an authentic Charles Limbert dining table over the past few weeks. The table was 48 inches in diameter and had only one of its leaves remaining. At first, I was asked just to refinish the top and caulk pai...

10/27/2017

Restoration work!! (FIRST PHOTO IS WHAT THE TABLE MUST HAVE LOOLED LIKE ORIGINALLY)

This is a table from Limbert Furniture in Grand Rapids and Holland, Michigan made between 1902 - 1905. (from what I found online about the trademark)

It’s 48” round and has one leaf left. The trapezoidal pedestal base is made to separate but sometimes in its life there was a steel band put around the base.

I have several places on the skirt that will need to be reconstructed. I took off the skirts and the boards of the top just fell apart but they are tongue and grooved so repair will be easy.

There is a coat of thick black paint plus a coat of brick red paint that will need to be removed.

OK. Let’s get started.

09/28/2017

More adventures in furniture restoration. This is an original 'farmtable'. When it was brought to me, it was a rickety as it comes. An old salty sailor would be a little seasick eating a meal off of this table.

The original construction was fairly straight forward with two wide boards for the top, mortise and tenon joinery for the skirts, and graceful tapered-legs. The top appears to be made from pine and the legs and skirt are black walnut.

I started this restoration by completely disassembling the table and removing a host of square nails. After cleaning the plethora of dirtdobber nests and spider encampments from the underside, I glued the split top boards back together, built a couple of strong-back supports for the underside, made new corner braces, screwed the top boards to the strong-backs and glued the skirts to the legs.

The client wanted to preserve the patina as he found it so I sprayed on 4 coats of satin water-based polycrylic finish.

09/26/2017

I have potential client asking to see some tables that I have created so I'm putting a plethora of tables in this one post. Vote for your favorite in the comments.

09/21/2017

Made a pen for a 50th wedding anniversary. The wood came from one of the grandparent's place.

Love to provide a pleasant memory for a couple.

Red Oak in a Platinum European Pen Body. Cross Pen ballpoint refill.

09/16/2017

Starting on a set of lower cabinets for a home in New Albany. I'm making the carcass and drawer boxes. My client is making the doors, drawer fronts and finishing.

This style of cabinets will be constructed using traditional face-frames. It will feature soft-close, under mount drawer slides and European hidden hinges. A great old look with throughly modern hardwares.

More photos to come.

08/20/2017

Anybody need a wooden ink pen for that special person?

08/20/2017

This cabinet was made for my house. It's an appliance garage. It is made with cherry veneer plywood and solid cherry. The tabour door was fun to make!!

08/20/2017

Here are some the latest cabinet work that I have been working on. Let me know if you need any cabinets.

07/15/2017

Is furniture repair on your radar screen? Thinking of using a polyurethane glue like Gorilla Glue? Well, it might not be your best choice.

I'm working on a table for a client that tried to repair the table legs with polyurethane glue but without a real good way of clamping the joint, the results were less than desirable. The polyurethane glue turned into a foam and had no holding power whatsoever.

I was able to disassemble and clean the joint. One joint requires drilling out two 5/8" oak dowels that were broken. Now with the correct glue and pressure, the legs are back on the table and stronger than ever.

Contact me for any of your furniture repairs.