Victorian Chair Repair

I was asked to repair this beautiful Victorian cushioned chair. Below is a short video showing how the repair was made:

Ornate Leather Highback Chair Restoration

January 2009 - This beautiful chair was in the process of being delivered to it's new owner when it fell off the back of a pick-up truck. It landed directly on the sculptured appointment on the chair back and broke into several pieces, some of which were never found. both arms were also broken off. The chair back sculpture was painstakingly pieced back together and missing parts were recreated. The chair arms and legs were reattached and/or reinforced. This was a challenging and very enjoyable restoration.

My daughter in college found a new apartment but did not have a bedside table to put next to her desk. I agreed to build her one out of shop scraps. This was the result. It is made from 3/4 Luan plywood for the top (edged with 1/8 inch poplar strips), drawer and door fronts; half-inch plywood for the drawer sides and back, a piece of 1/4 oak plywood for the drawer bottom; poplar side and back frames over which was placed 1/4 inch beadboard; 1/4 inch pine plywood for the back; and pine 2x4s for the legs. All joinery was kreg pocket hole screws and glue - sometimes glue only. I used pin nails and glue to attach the side panels and attached the top with metal plate fasteners and screws. I could have simply glued the top on but chose the plates and screws. I stained the cabinet with some oil-based stain I had left over from other projects and covered the cabinet with two coats of minwax wipe-on poly. The top was finished with two coats of Zinsser seal-coat (dewaxed) and three coats of minwax wip-on poly for extra durability and smoothness.

Elizabeth's Display Case Remodel/Restoration

October 10, 2008
Just finished this project. Elizabeth requested a remodel of this display case. Originally, It had a window in the front that did not open. Entry into the case was only from the right side. She purchased this case for $100 because the mirrors, glass shelves and front window had broken and were removed. She requested that I add a door, restore a chipped off place on one of the sculptured appointments and install all missing glass and mirrors. Originally, the front window stretched from the top wavy curve to the bottom of the cabinet. In order to add a door, I needed to lower the top of the case to below the leaf appointments on each side so the door could open properly. I mirrored the wavy design and added that piece of wood to lower the top section. I think it added interest and functionality to the case. It was a challenge and a lot of fun!

Redwood Picnic Table Restoration

This redwood picnic table was in very bad shape. It had significant weather damage including significant wood rot along with a severe ongoing carpenter ant infestation. In the center photo you can see that almost the entire board on the left had been consumed by the carpenter ants. This project required significant use of insect killer, wood filler, epoxy and wood stabilizer followed by resurfacing, staining and varnishing of all boards prior to assembly, to restore this table.

Jamie's Bookcase

Between February 12 and 24th, 2008 I built this bookcase for Jamie. She requested it for her baby's bedroom.

The bookcase is made from tulip poplar wood and a 1/4" plywood back. Joinery included dados for the center shelf, rabbets for the corner joints and pocket screws for the top and bottom support frames. The feet were hand-turned on my lathe.

The finish included bullseye primer and two coats of exterior latex paint. I put a coat of polyurethane over the top and lower shelves for a little extra protection against moisture.

It was a fun little project.

Christmas Projects 2007

This Christmas I gave these projects as Christmas presents. My soon to be 89-year-old mother had mentioned to my brother-in-law that she could use a cane to steady herself at times. He suggested that I make her one. This one was constructed from walnut & quartersawn red oak left from a previous project. The handle is called a Derby style. I learned a lot about canes in the process. Mom was surprised and delighted, which brought me great joy.















I drew my niece for Christmas this year in our family gift exchange and made this step stool for her. We put our names in a hat and got a present for the person we drew. It was a lot of fun! Before, everyone got everyone a present and it was getting out of hand. This works much better for us.

Cherry Occasional Table

This table was commissioned by a friend for her livingroom. I constructed a stick model for the space in her livingroom where she wanted to locate the piece. I wanted to make sure it would fit the space properly. She requested the finials on the tabletop. It was a lot of fun to build.

Cherry Side Table

I built this table as a wedding present for my nephew and his wife. It was made from a single board and was finished with danish oil. The pull is an old original dating back to about 1918.

Joan's Computer Armoire

This project was built in the summer and fall of 2007. It is a computer armoire made of walnut. The construction process was a true joy with a few harrowing close calls thrown in to make life interesting. The project was requested by a very nice lady who appreciates custom made furniture. We worked together over the design, accommodating her existing computer equipment. The goal was to make the cabinet versatile enough to be used for other purposes in the future. The project took just under 4 months to complete, working mostly weekends and a few nights.

Joinery included rabbeted and biscuited corners, dados and Kreg pocket screws. Lumber was walnut plywood and solid walnut for the rails, stiles and plywood edging.

The finish was created using waxed and dewaxed shellac and polyurethane for a total of seven coats on all surfaces.

Prayer Request Stand

I was asked to build this item for our church. It is made of quarter sawn red oak, custom stained to be similar to the color of the oak furnishings in the church sanctuary. All joints on this project are mitered except for the top rim which is butt jointed to the table surface, reinforced with biscuits.



In keeping with the use of this stand, I tried to hold to a design of purity and simplicity - in the same way I think of prayer, and communication with God. The design is also similar to other structures in the sanctuary.

Ash Side Table

I made this table approximately three years ago. The table is made of particularly nice grained ash wood. the legs were made from 6/4 lumber. The table top and apron out of 3/4 lumber. I believe the stain I used was minwax provincial and it was varnished (applied with hands) with a paint thinner, boiled linseed oil and polyurethane blend. It took a long time to dry but the finish was flawless I decided to sell it this year and it sold in one week after putting it on Craigslist this past March. I hated to see it go but I believe it went to a person who appreciates furniture, and that was gratifying.

Four-Section Bonus Room Cabinets

When my wife and I bought our new home in 2003, we had no furniture to put in our bonus room above the garage. I decided to build this combination entertainment center/storage cabinet unit to help utilize the space effectively. It worked out quite well for the room.

Table Appointment Repair

This table was delivered for repair with the corner decorative braces either missing or falling apart. The original appointments were crumbling and flaking apart because they were made from laminated wood using inferior glue that had lost its gripping power. All of the braces had to be replaced. This is a picture of the table after brace replacement.

Spindleback chair repair

This spindleback chair had a complete break on an outside spindle. This is a picture of the chair after restoration.

Bench Repairs

These benches were delivered by the client in dirty and weather beaten condition, partially disassembled. Upon closer inspection, the benches revealed significant wood rot and active insect infestation(carpenter ants). This is a picture of the benches after restoration.

Before and After

This is a before and after picture. When I delivered the chairs (there were three) the client picked the wrong chair as the one with the break. I was gratified.

Upholstered Chair Back Repair

There were two breaks on the top of this upholstered antique chair. The two obvious seams are not the breaks. This chair had to be fully disassembled in order to make the repair.

Broken Leg Repair

This is a picture of the broken leg repair. Which leg was broken? Are you sure?

Corliss Nelson Woodworks

Quite simply, I love working with wood. Over the years I have built many wood projects including book cases, large cabinets occasional tables, picture frames, benches, side tables, etc. I have repaired/restored many items including antique furniture as early as the 1800's including ladder back, spindle back and upholstered chairs, dressers, foot stools and other miscellaneous items. I have done a significant amount of wood turnings of goblets, plates, bowls, spindles, legs and other turned items.

I have a special interest in restoring broken furniture. I love returning old broken items destined for the dumps to their original function and beauty. In order to do effective restoration work I have gathered a full compliment of woodworking tools. As any serious woodworker would tell you, "I don't have them all, but I'm working on it!"

I take special pride in making invisible repairs. This means that when you look at an item I have restored, your eye should not be drawn to the repair. Close inspection could reveal the repair but casual observation should never see it. That is what I strive to accomplish.

I will display items I have repaired on this blog for your perusal. I hope you will trust your future repairs to Corliss Nelson Woodworks in the Nashville, TN area.