I am helping a friend clear out an old house he has bought so that he can modernize and sell for profit. It was packed to the ceiling with junk and he has let me go thru and grab pretty much anything I want for my help. I came across this Barrister Bookcase and was hoping I could salvage it for someone. When I finally got around to dragging it out of the darkness of the house it nearly fell apart in my hands. The original owner had also replaced one of the glass panels and done some damage which he had covered up with globs of putty. I started to disassemble it for the burn pile when the top came off and engraved on a board was: MACY SECTIONAL BOOKCASE - ALL MAHOGANY. Disappointment turned to delight and I salvaged the Mahogany wood from it approx. 8bft. The unit looked like it was mass manufactured so I was caught completely off guard by the Mahogany. I guess Mahogany must have been common at one time, even in cheaply built, stuff because I also ran across a lamp table that had fallen apart and BAM! More Mahogany. Approx 6 bft. Through the day from cheap furniture I salvaged 8 Mahogany legs, three Mahogany support braces (from the bottom of some old LAZ-E-BOY style rockers), and several long pieces of Mahogany Veneer plywood. Now I got to remove about a hundred finish nails and sand off the finish coats and I'll be in business.
- posted
19 years ago