# Barrister Bookcase Restoration



## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

First thread!

I bought this five stack of oak barrister bookcases in pretty rough shape for $80.00 or so from a junk shop. 

Glass doors are missing and it is wearing several coats of paint. 

I started stripping the top and one section, it's a pain in the butt getting all the paint out of the grain. 

The plyboard in the top was in pretty bad shape, it's actually an 1/8" board with two pieces of oak laminated on either side. It has some water damage and the oak veneers were damaged. I wanted to re-use the original boards whenever possible so today I stripped the old veneers off, epoxy'ed up the cracks and clamped it straight. Once it dries I am going to re-veneer with white oak. 

I think I am going to make the glass doors out of maple and cherry. It is going to be a coat-of-many colors. 

Do you all have any recommendations for door hardware?
I saw these but the comments sketch me out a bit. 
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18058


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

The link you provided is one of the least expensive 'pocket' type door hardware. It works well. The directions aren't that daunting. It's not bad looking hardware, and a little less 'industrial' looking than the zinc plated 'flipper door' hardware.










 







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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> The link you provided is one of the least expensive 'pocket' type door hardware. It works well. The directions aren't that daunting. It's not bad looking hardware, and a little less 'industrial' looking than the zinc plated 'flipper door' hardware.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks! Would you mind linking me to some others of that style? Those are the only ones I've seen. I've got the traditional style hardware on another set and I like those fine. But I mean, there has to have been some innovations between now and when these were built.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

mavawreck said:


> Thanks! Would you mind linking me to some others of that style? Those are the only ones I've seen. I've got the traditional style hardware on another set and I like those fine. But I mean, there has to have been some innovations between now and when these were built.


These are fairly common for pocket doors. Here's another style.









 







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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Never would have thought to use those but they look much easier and cleaner to install. I appreciate it.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

mavawreck said:


> Never would have thought to use those but they look much easier and cleaner to install. I appreciate it.


Most of the 'pocket door' hardware comes with hinges. Some require a 'follower' which is just a strip of wood connecting the two slides to move in tandem. Whichever one you pick they all will require spacing between the door and the roof of the cabinet to allow for the hinges and slides. The one in your link is priced pretty good compared to other types. Granted, as industrial as some can look, you really don't see much of the hardware when the door is up up and away.










 







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## PaperJam (Jul 31, 2010)

Try these. http://www.kennedyhardware.com/bookcase-hardware/


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Well the top is all re-laminated. Just scrubbed the blush off of the epoxy, hopefully redo the veneer tomorrow once it has dried. First attempt at veneer so I'm a bit nervous.


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Made it further than I thought I would this afternoon but ended up with a few bubbles in the veneer. I'm going to try to redo it tomorrow. I figured the first time trying this on a warped piece of wood wasn't going to be fun.


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

So, its been almost a year. Woohoo. And what a year that has been. Employer going out of business, followed by life-changing back injury with new company, followed by starting graduate school, followed by getting married. Glad for a break (from the drama, not the wife). 

There was a rabbet on the back of one of the sections where the side meets the back which was badly damaged. Interestingly enough, none of the joints thus far have been glued. Seems to be completely held together with small nails. Probably was not the highest quality piece back in the day, but by todays standards, it's pretty dang solid still. 

Used my router to remove the damaged rabbet by cutting a reverse rabbet of sorts. Cut a piece of white oak a hair thicker than the original stock and glued it up with plenty to trim back later. I was concerned with cutting a straight rabbet but not necessarily square to the side since my primary purpose was to cut the bad section out. So once it is dry, I'll use the opposite side as a template to trim everything back. Will plan the new piece back to match the original. Fingers are crossed for a minimal glue line. 





































Making a similar repair on the other side, which is damaged but not as bad (split but less material missing). Basically cut out a bad area using a straight router bit. Glued and clamped the split back together. Due to our chilly weather, the glue is drying extra slow. Once it sets, I'll clear out the rabbet again and patch in another piece of oak. 

This bookcase will be a 'coat of many colors' by the time it is done. But I think it will be a fun and unique piece. Definitely worth saving.


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

other bad section routed out and split glued back together

Few hours later with a chisel and plane





























And finished off my rabbet repair from yesterday



















Routed a profile into the bottom



















Came out ok I think for what it is. Lots of sanding to go.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Looking real good so far. Your repairs are done well. Sorry to hear of your recent life's dilemmas.









 







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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> Looking real good so far. Your repairs are done well. Sorry to hear of your recent life's dilemmas.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks! Life happens, could def be worse. Just glad to be making sawdust.


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Trimmed my repair back



















Bit of a glue line, but given my first try at this sort of repair I am not displeased. Contemplating running the boards through the planer to even out the color a bit. I wonder if it is worth it though, since not everything can go through. 

Started repairing the back of the section. I wanted to reuse this piece since it has the manufactures stamp. Not sure it is worth it. 










Ordered some white oak today from my landlord since he is a sawyer by trade. Going to try to use quarter sawn for the doors and flat sawn for the top. Decided to replace the 1/4" wrecked plywood top with a solid 1/2" board with a 1/4" rabbet.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Looking good Mav!


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Added a piece oak to replace a busted section of the back. I found a white oak cut off that was long enough to fix the break and already planed to the right diameter, however it wasn't wide enough to cut in a rabbet which would have been better. So I clamped and glued it and I will coat the backside with epoxy.


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Going to give it a few days with these colder temps before I start planing and sanding on it, so please excuse the glue blobs for now. Looks ok, pretty visible glue line but it will keep dust out. Was also able to use scrap, rather than running a piece of good stock through the planer.


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## ThomasOSB (May 21, 2009)

I love barrister bookcases! I have 15 stacks of GW in my office and I would have more if there were room. I am looking forward to seeing how your restoration progresses.


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Thank you for taking the time and effort to put together this restoration build. It takes a lot of work and thought to remember to stop and take a few pics at the right time to be able to demonstrate the entire process.

Many times I've found myself putting pics together for the timeline and saying I should have gotten a shot of a particular step that I skipped through because I was in the moment.
Well done
Tom


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Too bad you do not have the glass doors for that bookcase. They are really beautiful when finished.

I know where there is one probably rotting to the ground. The house I grew up in is abandoned and covered in vines and an overgrown yard. Rotting down. Back in the early 1940's my Dad had a barrister bookcase built into a new wall that was used the split the living room into two. It really looked good in those days.

Our house only had one bedroom downstairs. (The upstairs was an apartment that was rented during WWII), I needed a bedroom so he took the living area and split it in two.

George


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Thanks guys for the kind words! Means a lot. 

I will be re-making the glass doors, I wish they were still there as well but it should be a fun project. I wish the door hinges weren't so dang expensive though! Seems like I will be spending close to $40.00 per section on hinges, $200 overall! I'm still weighing my options. 

Beginning to consider finishes as well. My original plan was to coat it with tung oil, no stain. However I'm beginning to wonder with all the new wood I've added if bleaching and staining isn't in order. If so, I should do that before final assembly. What do you guys think?

Finally, another member mentioned using a black fill on pieces with damaged/weathered wood. I hadn't considered that before, but I'm thinking that filling the gaps on some of my less than perfect repairs with a mix of graphite and epoxy might make them look a bit more visually appealing.


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## MissionIsMyMission (Apr 3, 2012)

Maybe I'm gettin old but I always liked the old way of hangin Barrister doors. Worked well and easy to do. The new stuff will work but why go the expense. Sometimes NEW is NOT Improved.


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

MissionIsMyMission said:


> Maybe I'm gettin old but I always liked the old way of hangin Barrister doors. Worked well and easy to do. The new stuff will work but why go the expense. Sometimes NEW is NOT Improved.


What is the old way? I'm up for anything!


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Here is what they originally looked like. Same manufacture and same design on top and base.


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Here is another set which sold on ebay with the first view I've seen of the hinge set up.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Oak...=&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


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## mavawreck (Nov 26, 2011)

Spend most of my time on Saturday in the shop doing a *quick and dirty* tune-up on a No 5 I bought. Wiped it down with grease remover, flattened the sole with the 320, flattened the frog, put a bevel on the chip breaker, then sharpened the blade. Used it to square the back today. Works well! Need to finish polishing the sole and wipe it down with carnuba.


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