I have a couple of cabinets made from fumed oak.
They're beat up as cabinets but the wood's good.
They were made by the "Jamestown Lounge Co." in the 60's.
I read at the site http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/Mall/2117/ that they
used a finishing process called fuming. IMHO it's ugly as sin.
I'd like to disassemble, strip & sand to bare wood and use the wood for
assorted projects.
My questions are how deep does the fuming process penetrate the wood?
How much stock thickness will I lose to totally get past the finish or is
this wood a lost cause for reclaiming?
I'd appreciate any advise from anyone with actual experience fuming wood or
reclaiming similar stock.
Thanks,
Mowgli
On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 23:14:00 -0500, Mowgli
<Mowgli@swinginthrudajunglew/outa.gov> wrote:
>I'd appreciate any advise from anyone with actual experience fuming wood or
>reclaiming similar stock.
Depth depends on how it was done. Gas phase is quite shallow (most
browns), ebonising it with a liquid (blacks and "jacobean" dark
browns) is much deeeper.
You can usually take the fumed surface off by planing, or by a belt
sander. It's too deep to hand-sand it off, unless you're really
obsessive.
I'm inclined to leave it. Fumed oak isn't unattractive - although I'll
make an exception for the badly-detailed ye olde ffakery of Jamestown.
I don't think it's the timber's fault !
--
Smert' spamionam
On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 15:35:38 -0500, Mowgli
<Mowgli@swinginthrudajunglew/outa.gov> wrote:
>Sounds like you have some experience with JLco.
Not really - I just make similar stuff myself. Except that mine _is_ a
reproduction, not some bizarre "Hampton Court in a Florida trailer
park" hybrid.
--
Smert' spamionam
On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 13:13:33 +0000, Andy Dingley's fingers viciously stabbed
at an innocent keyboard to form the now famous if slightly awkward haiku:
>Depth depends on how it was done. Gas phase is quite shallow (most
>browns), ebonising it with a liquid (blacks and "jacobean" dark
>browns) is much deeeper.
>
Hi Andy,
I think I read somewhere that they used a gassing tent or some such thing.
They are very dark hideous brown. Hopefully gas.
>You can usually take the fumed surface off by planing, or by a belt
>sander. It's too deep to hand-sand it off, unless you're really
>obsessive.
obsessive? not me ;) I have a belt sander anyways
>
>I'm inclined to leave it. Fumed oak isn't unattractive - although I'll
>make an exception for the badly-detailed ye olde ffakery of Jamestown.
>I don't think it's the timber's fault !
Sounds like you have some experience with JLco. It's good lumber but
untalented joinery. The glue-ups are starting to show in places. It is a
f'ugly shade of dark brown. That poor oak never hurt anyone (well maybe a
DWI if it was close to the road) I don't think it deserved such a fate.
Why did some people love this furniture co?
Their Feudal Oak collection seems to have a lot of carving, etc...
What's been your experience with their products?
Is this (looks like) junk worth anything (besides reclaimed lumber)?
Thanks,
Mowgli