Question about reclaiming fumed oak lumber

[Mowgli]

I have a couple of cabinets made from fumed oak. They're beat up as cabinets but the wood's good. They were made by the "Jamestown Lounge Co." in the 60's. I read at the site

that they used a finishing process called fuming. IMHO it's ugly as sin. I'd like to disassemble, strip & sand to bare wood and use the wood for assorted projects.

My questions are how deep does the fuming process penetrate the wood?

How much stock thickness will I lose to totally get past the finish or is this wood a lost cause for reclaiming?

I'd appreciate any advise from anyone with actual experience fuming wood or reclaiming similar stock.

Thanks,

Mowgli

[Andy Dingley]

Depth depends on how it was done. Gas phase is quite shallow (most browns), ebonising it with a liquid (blacks and "jacobean" dark browns) is much deeeper.

You can usually take the fumed surface off by planing, or by a belt sander. It's too deep to hand-sand it off, unless you're really obsessive.

I'm inclined to leave it. Fumed oak isn't unattractive - although I'll make an exception for the badly-detailed ye olde ffakery of Jamestown. I don't think it's the timber's fault !

-- Smert' spamionam

[Mowgli]

On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 13:13:33 +0000, Andy Dingley's fingers viciously stabbed at an innocent keyboard to form the now famous if slightly awkward haiku:

Hi Andy, I think I read somewhere that they used a gassing tent or some such thing. They are very dark hideous brown. Hopefully gas.

obsessive? not me ;) I have a belt sander anyways

Sounds like you have some experience with JLco. It's good lumber but untalented joinery. The glue-ups are starting to show in places. It is a f'ugly shade of dark brown. That poor oak never hurt anyone (well maybe a DWI if it was close to the road) I don't think it deserved such a fate.

Why did some people love this furniture co? Their Feudal Oak collection seems to have a lot of carving, etc... What's been your experience with their products? Is this (looks like) junk worth anything (besides reclaimed lumber)?

Thanks,

Mowgli

[Andy Dingley]

Not really - I just make similar stuff myself. Except that mine _is_ a reproduction, not some bizarre "Hampton Court in a Florida trailer park" hybrid.

-- Smert' spamionam