1940's Typewriter Table Restoration

This project was a one of a kind build using reclaimed and upcycled materials in their 3rd or 4th phase of life. Giving new life to someone's throw away trash was an honor and a pure joy!

Step 1: Commit to the Process

This project took me many months to finally commit to. I was very nervous to begin this project due to the age of the piece and my fears of making a grave error in the process. I made a video documenting the restoration of this piece on my YouTube channel.

I found this literally in the trash on the side of the road. It looked like someone had cleared out their back shed and threw this, along with many other old pieces of furniture, into the mud. Their trash, my treasure!

Step 2: Peeling Back the Layers

I was amazed to find such beauty hidden under the many layers of mud and grime. The beautiful dark red is the original paint. All it needed was some steel wool and a few coats of shellac to bring back it’s shine and grace. It was hard work to remove all the old grime, but well worth the effort once you see the beautiful age and history of the metal.

Step 3: Giving It the Shine It Needed

Once the shellac was dry, I went onto the next step of cutting the wood for the top and leaf.

Step 4: Reclaiming the Wood Top

What makes this project so unique is that every piece of it was reclaimed and upcycled. The wood was either found or bought second hand from a friend that traded services for wood to a local sawmill. So in all honesty, all the pieces for this are in their 3rd or 4th stages of life. That is such a beautiful thing to be a part of. The history of the table and the wood make this project stand out in my mind as my most fun build. It was an honor to work with these materials.

Step 5: Keeping the Character of the Wood

Once the wood was milled down, glued up, and sanded, I applied a few coats of boiled linseed oil to protect the wood and accent it’s unique character. The table top and leaf are made from red oak, maple, and walnut. All locally grown hardwoods from the Virginia area. The wood is full of worm holes and beautiful features that give it a very unique and rustic look.

Step 6: Final Assembly

Once everything was dried, I assembled the table back together, giving special care to not scratch the top or base. In the end, this is a one of a kind side table that will brighten up any room and will evoke great comments and discussions. I love turning old throw away trash into beautiful centerpieces. It was an honor and a pleasure to be able to work on something with such age and grace and I hope to do the same on another project in the future.

I hope you enjoyed the read through and learned a little bit about the process. As always, don’t forget to head over to my Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Patreon page to show your support so that I can continue to make awesome content like this. Thanks for reading!