BBC “Regina”
--before and after

A common problem with flair or elephant-leg tables of this era is that the corners of the legs become damaged and eroded.
Common solutions are either to round-over by sanding and disguise by
staining (which loses the original crisp silhouette of the design) -or-
to rebuild the edge with bondo or shellac stick and faux paint (which
leaves a repair that is very vulnerable to re-damage).
Our solution is to rebuild the wood substrate and re-veneer the affected
area leaving a near-invisible repair that is as structurally sound as new.

Our guiding principle in solid repair is to replace everything that
needs replacing and nothing that doesn’t thereby addressing every
structural issue while maintaining originality.

The rail at right is shown with the top veneer removed and repair to the
area around the mortise for the pocket iron and along the front edge
of the rail-top next to where the cloth will be. New veneer will now
be put over the top of these repairs and new ivory diamonds inlaid
into the veneer.
Repair has also been done to the vertical part of the T-rail where
pocket leathers will be tacked. All repairs are solid, not filler,
especially important in these areas that will be asked to hold tacks.

These are examples of marquetry, (often referred to as “inlay”),
done by us in our shop.

The top image shows an inlaid skirt. Tables are often missing
some or all of their decorative skirts. These add so much to the
total impact and overall shape of the cabinet that it is a shame to
“restore” a table without it’s skirts or with blank versions. We
research to find the correct design and make a faithful copy.

The bottom image is a rosewood and mahogany in bird’s-eye
maple panel which we made to replace a damaged original.

We go to great trouble and expense to provide each table with its correct nameplate. People forget that there were many makers besides Brunswick, and many with wonderful nameplates.
Here are two examples of originals and our remakes which help preserve the authenticity as well as the charm and uniqueness of the tables they belong on.