my favorite part about your videos is when you come back in to the shop, coffee in hand, and unpack your glue ups. I get interested to see the reveal every time.
The joy of finding Thomas has posted over an hour of relaxing restoration video. Helping maintain my sanity as I rise too early in the wee hours during the cold of late February when I can’t get out to my unheated shop.
Hi Tom having just come out of hospital after 10 stay , I can not think of a better thing to do than watch you resurrect this old peace of furniture and give it a new lease of . Your gentle approach has of it self a restorative affect , not only on the work it self but in my case on me as well . Thank you so much for all do to make these videos , and the way you make people feel part of the journey . Bless you Best wishes and kind regards as always 😀👍👍👍
Well, I had to wait a bit to enjoy this but boy was it worth it! You know it never ceases to amaze me how calm you remain (an over abundance of repair nails notwithstanding 😒), no matter the problem before you. I think I've cracked it though... Where others would see only an unsalvageable breakage that's impossible to make strong enough to function, you see that if it once was, so it shall be again, under your skilled hand. I love that over the years you and your family have collected (or invented?) a tool for every possible eventuality.... eighth of an inch groove, got a plain for that; old glue needs removing from an odd shaped hole, got a tiny scraper for that. Once again your colour matching is like magic, such a skill and so satisfying to watch. I'm glad that you showed us your mistake although I don't know if I'm the only one who feels partially responsible for it given that your attention was divided because of filming for us. Really appreciate those close-ups, I can't imagine how hard it must have been working inside the case let alone getting some shots of how you were making room for the drawers. As always, many thanks for another outstanding video, the perfect antidote to these unsettling times, over an hour of pure joy. 🙏 Edit: forgot to say how lovely it was to see Ella being so helpful. Such a sweetie.
thank goodness! was losing my mind. it seemed familiar but wasn’t sure. thought i was getting old and brain wasn’t working right. yes this is a “watch it twice” one.
Thanks Andrew! Often I need a break too! I'm glad if I'm able to help. I've always had a circle of friends in the business and it would often do so much good to be able to talk to someone about a problem
Absolutely love how Tom preserves every scrap of original wood possible. It shows he cares about not only the original craftsman but each choice of lumber they used to create the piece.
@@johnsonrestoration I am amazed too! I have two dressers here that are in such bad shape! The drawer bottoms either have holes in the, warped or missing wood. They have been sitting here for a year. I look at them and think I'm up to a challenge but not yet. You give me hope!
Tom, I watch a bunch of wood workers work on you tube, but none I enjoy watching as much as you. Your skill and expertise is great to watch and enjoy. Thank you for bringing us along! This is a great piece to watch.
I kept thinking of the Disney song “this is love, yes this is love! “ Most people who found that much damage to the first drawer and the frustration of getting it apart would have pitched the whole thing in the trash! You can tell that you love what you do! I’m working on a beautiful set of antique dressers right now that need a lot of love inside with cracked bottoms and stubborn nails just like this one has. Thank you for proving that all my work is not in vain!
Beautiful work. What a lovely elegant piece . Great to watch all your meticulous handiwork. Thanks for posting even if it is past my bedtime. Worth every minute. My Jack Russell asleep by my side sat bolt upright when she heard Ella. 😂
I really enjoy watching your videos. Always try to learn even though I'm just an old lady who doesn't restore furniture. Can still apply what I learn here for the little projects I do in my garage. Thanks for your videos.
It's an easy assumption to believe that you have a constant flow of work!! Great attention to detail. I'm using lots of what I see when I do my wood work . Thanks again Tom.🇺🇸🎩🇺🇸🎩🇺🇸
It's always a wonder to see you restore furniture. The way you explain each flaw or damage, the way you explain the restoration process, the materials to use, the care in the work and the finishes are worthy of a great restoration master. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me/us.
What great work you do Tom. It gives me joy to watch you work and transform damaged pieces to beautiful objects. You are going to laugh but I have started watching reruns and enjoy every minute. Also another of my enjoyments is reading comments from people all over the world who love you and your work.
One of the biggest unexpected things that have happened with my videos are all the great friends I've made all over the world. It is truly amazing! On the other hand, if you look at the comments on my latest video, you will see that there are 2000 comments. Realize that 1000 of those comments are my answers to the comments. I've answered over 1000 comments since last Friday
Hi Tom, getting to know you through your videos and I have thought to myself that you would reply to so many many of your viewers comments and I am not surprised to hear that you spend many hours to write back. I love your integrity in what you do with your heart, mind and hands, all that shines through. Keep up your wonderful work.@@johnsonrestoration
My friend who repaired my dresser drawers, waxed the drawer runners with a vanilla scented candle, and when you open a drawer it smells great. Love your dog's appearance in this post.
Another masterclass by Tom. Apprentice Ella studied hard although her desire to taste glue and her inability to stay awake through the whole class were noted 💛 😁
Hi Ella! The whole time I was watching this I got a real deja vu feeling, especially with the dovetail rails. Just me? Have I overloaded on TJ videos? Is that even possible?🤯
It seems to me that he has a new editor who is fiddling with the titles and doing re-edits of older work into longer episodes. I enjoy them longer, as they are in chronological sequence, compared to in a playlist, but I would rather the titles be descriptive of the item
I look forward to all of your new videos, I look for them as they come out. I just love the way that you care about these antiques and you save every little piece of old wood that you can. Your quality shows in the way you work. I love to work on wood myself but I just don’t have the space to do it. You have the workshop of my dreams.
there are few things rarer or more admirable than a man who is willing to admit he made a mistake! this video has answered a number of tricky questions that i had about drawers as i attempt to learn how to repair old furniture, so many thanks.
Another wonderful restoration! I loved your narrative at the end of the video where you said that this is a family piece and will be used to store family memorabilia and history. Handing down a beautiful piece of furniture with family history intact in one piece is a fabulous idea! Loved seeing Ella Bean several times. As always, give her some kisses for me!!
It is nice to know that even a pro like yourself makes a mistake every now and then. Thank you for keeping them in. It helps someone like me who is a complete amateur that lift to try and prevent mistakes, but if a mistake is made, fix it. Thanks.
My wife and I love your videos and I’ve learned so many techniques to add to my bag of tricks. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us and taking the time to explain the processes and even the mistakes and how you recover from them. While I don’t see myself doing any high end commission repairs I think I can now tackle a few repairs of pieces we already own.
As per usual, a lovely job. I restored my grandmothers desk that looks the same as that one but smaller and the bottom half is a cupboard with 2 shelves. Use it to this day. They definitely knew how to make quality furniture in the early 1800’s. 😁👍🏻🇦🇺
I really appreciate that Mr. Johnson makes an effort to retain as much of the original as he can when he does a restoration. I learn something from every video I watch.
Awesome! It took me three tries to watch this video due to interruptions during my day, but this was a treat to get back to each time, and I really enjoyed it, Thomas! Thank you for sharing!
Funny thing about stains and colour and how they react to their surroundings. I worked most of my life in Haute Couture in Paris and we had a colour of thread that seemed to blend with many different colours. It was a sort of muddy kaky greyish colour that you could sew browns, greys, greens and blues with, it seemed to forget itself and go with the flow! To see the bobbin of thread next to the fabric you would think no way then when stitched it was good.
Thanks! That's interesting, because it's the same for me. I have a Raw Umber stain, no red in it at all. Small repairs just disappear. The eye must be drawn to red, and ignores that khaki grey
@@johnsonrestoration Well I'm going to have to get my head around that one ! Too tired now spent the day restoring all the bronze fittings on three doors that hadn't been cleaned in 50 years, finding news tiny screws and pins. Tonight up a ladder painting fourth coat of a 'two coat max' paint that cost a bomb ! Expensive paint is not always worth it. Thanks for your kind replies each time, always a joy ,xo
wonderful transformation and cool to hear about the genealogy! - I also loved seeing your dog and the turkey in the tree - just made me smile - thanks (from a NH neighbor)
Better than any forensic show on TV. Discovering the history and the structure of the piece is always a major part of enjoyment with your work. Thank you for letting us see in minute detail what would otherwise be a very rare opportunity. And it does look pretty good.
Look forward to watching this. Will save to watch while I sip my afternoon Manhattan later today!...Having watched this project I've concluded that the skill needed to repair and refurbish furniture is greater than the skill which built it!
These videos are a great part of my weekend. I love having my Saturday morning coffee on the couch and watching this man’s craftsmanship and fantastic ability to bring antiques back to life. Thank You.
So enjoyable to see this piece of furniture quietly getting back to what it originally was but keeping some traces of its rich past. How humble you are, Tom, simply admitting it when there is a little hiccup. How enriching that is for us. You teach us so much! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Well that was worth the wait. been waiting past week or more for another Tom Johnson video. and today it came. and once again I went into the listen and learn mode. no matter how many times I watch the same process over and over again. I always manage to come away with a tidbit I didn not see before. in short! I learned something. and that's what I enjoy the most. and once again I love the camera angles and close ups they enhance the old proverb. One picture is worth a thousand words and its true thank you for doing this Tom and for sharing. ECF.
I have said it before, and I will no doubt say it again, it is such a pleasure to watch you work. I follow a couple of other furniture channels, like John's Furniture Repair, but yours is still clearly my favourite. Thanks for posting all these great videos.
I really like the back story on this piece. As always you did a fantastic job! Oh, and am I the only one that finds myself holding my breath when you're shaping around a dovetail or that intacate beading work? ☺
Thomas: what a wonderful restoration. The drop lid desk turned out gorgeous. And the idea of the owners storing the family’s history in it just makes my heart sing. Loved this video. Carol from California
Another beautiful job, all those nails though, just killed me, especially the long ones. Ella, now you know I heard her bark in the house “I wanna go out there too!” Awe, that funny old bear lady!
It is an replay, isn't it ? I am not sure, but it was enjoyable during this horrible time here in Europe. It did take my mind of gruesome things. Thank for that Mr. Johnson.
That is a beautiful piece of furniture Tom but even more so now that you have finished your work on it. I always look forward to your videos they are great to watch and so informative.
Wow with the family history in that desk it's understandable why they would want it repaired by someone that has the knowledge to do it right. Beautiful! Great shot of the turkey in the tree too!
Holy frijoles, the drawer bottoms gave you a run for your money! Nice job with it all. Perfect video for yet another snow storm here in southern New England. Thanks!
Thank you for showing us that you do mistakes. We all do but so many RU-vidrs hide that. It is important to know how to back up and fix those mistakes. I love how you try to stay with the era when repairing. And I have learned so much on dye and stain matching. Again thank you and I can’t wait till the next video.
I’m sure I’ve seen this before but loved watching again. You handle the wood so lovingly. You respect the original maker. You help a piece live on Thank you
I’m so glad you said that, I thought I’d gone crazy. The dovetails, the gap in the side, him saying he thought it was mahogany but it turned out to be birch, etc. But I didn’t remember the extra pieces on the drawer bottoms and a couple of other things. Maybe it’s the same piece edited differently? Anyway, I watched it all with the same delight that I always do. 😃
@@groreistad5234 Ditto. I was hesitant to say it but I soak in all his methods and love antiques especially wood. I know I could never do the woodwork. But I love watching it. I wondered if he just wanted to repost things going wrong but could be fixed or maybe taking a break for President’s Day week? I don’t know but I don’t care. I routinely rewatch episodes anyway 😃
amazing resto of all the Drawers Master Thomas , we have a memory piece similar to that one that my late Brother Collected . it is a great desk . thank You again for your guidance and filming keep well , cheers from Australia : )
What a job Thomas you made a superb job of that and what a lot of work ! Not for the wood crafting faint hearted that’s for sure . Really enjoyed the video thanks .
wow, that's a lot of work for a drawer bottom! I appreciate your RESTORATION integrity - repairs that will last another 100 years ... now I have some understanding of a 'natural break' and 'expansion / contraction point' , just leave it be ... cool ... you have so much patience & so many skills. I think it looks pretty good. 😉 💝💙💛💚💜
You are a 100%+ Master furniture restorationist+ which puts me at a 2% level at best. The only other Master carpenter/furniture maker that I am familiar with is Norm Abrams (but I don't even watch his videos). It is also nice to see even the best make a mistake every once in a millennia which gives the rest of us some hope and confidence. One of your videos was of great help to me to repair a large dining room table with a center pedestal where the legs would crack and split. I followed your method and they are 100% strong (even with Grandkids leaning all over it.) I anxiously await your every video to learn how to repair furniture. Norm makes copies of furniture...you perfectly repair antiques that will last a 100 years.