Sam Maloof table and chair repair, refinish (11)
Created on: March 19, 2021
In 2020, I got a request to "fix" some of Sam Maloof's furniture.
I am averse to furniture repair, generally, as I find it unrewarding financially and professionally. Once you repair it, it seems that you own it.
I couldn't turn down this chance, however. To have Sam Maloof's work in my shop was a dream come true. What had happened was this (my educated guess):
chairs:
The original upholstered frames had been redone so many times they wouldn't hold a staple. Sam fastened the legs to the frame w/1/4" x 20 bolts. The upholstery shop cut the top bolt inside the frame to fit a piece of 1/2" plywood that was then upholstered. This weakening led to the complete failure of all the joints in the chairs, including the finger joints in the front. I had to take them completely apart and rebuild them.
table:
There is a flaw in the design that is unfixable. He put a solid piece of walnut banding (mitered at the corners) around a solid piece of walnut. It had also been abused w/potted plants.
The chairs went back slightly altered but refinished and ready to be upholstered. I refinished the table and bolstered the legs (invisibly).
