Call it “one man’s trash” if you want to, but some people are crazy for throwing out certain superbly crafted furniture items. The real shame is that they probably replaced it with some fiber board laden nonsense that will last them a year, if they are lucky. Had they kept what they tossed away, it would be serving them well for years to come.
Call me overly thrifty if you will, but in this day and age, one cannot afford to be otherwise. After checking with my neighbors to be sure they were indeed “garbage”, I nabbed the three lovely end tables they were unceremoniously tossing, and ran home with them. Luckily, they were only four houses down from me, because those little gems were real wood, and quite heavy.
Yes, real wood, oak perhaps, something very sturdy regardless. You don’t find real wood furniture cheap these days and these were free, so don’t judge me for marauding the neighbors trash. You should hear me out on just how nice these pieces are too.
These items appeared just in time, as I am redoing my workroom, and they will be excellent items to utilize for this. One table is a bit simpler, though larger. It is perhaps pine. I don’t think I could have carried it to the house had it too been the oak I believe the other two to be, but it is still very well made. It will be an excellent table to set my bass amp and heavy speaker cabinet on.
The beautiful and sturdy curved legs of the other two of these little tables will look excellent with my chaise which also has curved legs, and is going in my totally redone workroom as well. All three will come in handy, as they have drawers which will provide much needed storage space.
Even more amazing is the fact that the drawers are thick and sturdy. Even when you find a relatively well made piece of furniture these days, the drawers are often made of flimsy plywood that is simply stapled or nailed together with tiny brads, and comes apart after a few months of regular use. These drawers are made of thick wood, at least 1/2′ thick, and well dovetailed and glued together.
This is excellent for my current project. I have many weighty tools and craft items to store in them. I need something that can withstand constant use too. I feel very fortunate to have found these little tables, just when I needed them.
The only thing I can find wrong with them, other than a few dings in the finish, which I could repair quite easily, is that one drawer pull is missing a screw. I have screws in all shapes and sizes, so this should not pose a problem. Perhaps this fortunate little find is telling me it is time to get on with my little remodeling project, and that is exactly what I will do.
Source : Over 30 years as an artist, crafts-person, and trainer of others in these fields as well.
