I am in the process of restoring an oak china cabinet which is missing the 2 top corner ornaments. I would like to purchase or have these ornmanents reproduced. I do not have the measurements of the ornament, but I have an ornament picture which is attached.
Any suggestions in locating the ornament(s) or reproducing them would be appreciated.
Oak China Cabinet Ornament
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Victorian Furniture thread on victorianforum.com · started December 1, 2009 by antiquarian · 3 posts, 1 image attachment · discussion in 2009.
I am in the process of restoring an oak china cabinet which is missing the 2 top corner ornaments. I would like to purchase or have these ornmanents reproduced. I do not have the measurements of the ornament, but I have an ornament picture which is attached. Any suggestions…
If you want to replace the finials with exactly like what was there originally / like those pictured you'll have to have them custom made. Trying to find a pair like them would be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack - very close to impossible, unless you get extremely lucky - but highly unlikely.
You have a very good clear picture of one, and you have the cabinet so you should be able to measure the dimensions of the top corners that they sit on (both the thickness and width) then measure the same place in the picture and you can determine the scale of the picture. (i.e.: If the actual top measures 6" wide, and in the picture it measures 3" wide - the picture would be 1/2 scale. Measure the finial in several places and double the dimension to give you the actual size it should be or enlarge the picture by 200% with a copier to get a full scale picture - if it is indeed 1/2 scale. Just apply the appropriate factor. Or use an architects or engineers scale to do the dimension conversions.)
The base and the basic shape would be turned on a lathe, then the fruit & acanthus leaves would be carved into the turning. Once you know the actual size - you'll need to find a carver to make them. You could do an online search for "Custom wood carver" or check your local yellow pages for "cabinetmakers or furniture repair or restoration" etc. - carving is a specialty skill and many cabinetmakers and restorers do not carve (I do virtually everything else with woodworking professionally, but I don't carve). You'll also want to see examples or at least pictures of some of their work - carvers all have their own style - find one you think would be a good fit for your project. There may be a woodworking club, or carvers guild near you that you might be able to approach to find someone to do the job - check the yellow pages or ask around. They may be an excellent source to find a good carver. If you can find a capable hobbyist/ amateur (someone that doesn't derive their livelihood from woodworking/ carving) they may very well be do it for significantly less than a professional who has overhead and business expenses to cover. If these are professionally made - they will surely cost multiple hundreds of dollars to make. Because of the work and time that will go into it x whatever the going hourly rate is for your area (probably from $25 - $100/ hr depending on where you live). A hobbyist may be more like $10 or $15/ hr. probably much less than a professional. Some hobbyists are very talented and accomplished, others much less so - you have to do your home work and check their prior work to help insure a successful outcome.
Lastly if you are on a tighter budget or get sticker shock at the cost of having them custom made - you might be able to find something close in size and details that is mass produced (and probably much less money). You might do a search for "finial" maybe "carved finials" or fruit finial , etc. You may even find a large curtain finial that will work, or maybe decorative carvings, etc.
I did a quick search and found this: http://www.vandykes.com/product/gd120009/pineapple-finial-oak-6- (this is available in unfinished oak in several sizes which you could finish to match your cabinet - scroll down to see the choices) Here is a couple cast resin 3" drapery finials http://www.continentalwindowfashions.com/category_FC01_Finial-Company-3-Inch-Finials_4.html , http://www.interiormall.com/cat/nsample.asp?ID=123637&t=1806 . The resin finials could be stained with a gel stain (a thick jelly like stain - used on fiberglass doors and even dificult to stain wood) to match your cabinet - regular woodstains (oil or water base) would have no affect on them at all. Good luck with them. woodwright
You have a very good clear picture of one, and you have the cabinet so you should be able to measure the dimensions of the top corners that they sit on (both the thickness and width) then measure the same place in the picture and you can determine the scale of the picture. (i.e.: If the actual top measures 6" wide, and in the picture it measures 3" wide - the picture would be 1/2 scale. Measure the finial in several places and double the dimension to give you the actual size it should be or enlarge the picture by 200% with a copier to get a full scale picture - if it is indeed 1/2 scale. Just apply the appropriate factor. Or use an architects or engineers scale to do the dimension conversions.)
The base and the basic shape would be turned on a lathe, then the fruit & acanthus leaves would be carved into the turning. Once you know the actual size - you'll need to find a carver to make them. You could do an online search for "Custom wood carver" or check your local yellow pages for "cabinetmakers or furniture repair or restoration" etc. - carving is a specialty skill and many cabinetmakers and restorers do not carve (I do virtually everything else with woodworking professionally, but I don't carve). You'll also want to see examples or at least pictures of some of their work - carvers all have their own style - find one you think would be a good fit for your project. There may be a woodworking club, or carvers guild near you that you might be able to approach to find someone to do the job - check the yellow pages or ask around. They may be an excellent source to find a good carver. If you can find a capable hobbyist/ amateur (someone that doesn't derive their livelihood from woodworking/ carving) they may very well be do it for significantly less than a professional who has overhead and business expenses to cover. If these are professionally made - they will surely cost multiple hundreds of dollars to make. Because of the work and time that will go into it x whatever the going hourly rate is for your area (probably from $25 - $100/ hr depending on where you live). A hobbyist may be more like $10 or $15/ hr. probably much less than a professional. Some hobbyists are very talented and accomplished, others much less so - you have to do your home work and check their prior work to help insure a successful outcome.
Lastly if you are on a tighter budget or get sticker shock at the cost of having them custom made - you might be able to find something close in size and details that is mass produced (and probably much less money). You might do a search for "finial" maybe "carved finials" or fruit finial , etc. You may even find a large curtain finial that will work, or maybe decorative carvings, etc.
I did a quick search and found this: http://www.vandykes.com/product/gd120009/pineapple-finial-oak-6- (this is available in unfinished oak in several sizes which you could finish to match your cabinet - scroll down to see the choices) Here is a couple cast resin 3" drapery finials http://www.continentalwindowfashions.com/category_FC01_Finial-Company-3-Inch-Finials_4.html , http://www.interiormall.com/cat/nsample.asp?ID=123637&t=1806 . The resin finials could be stained with a gel stain (a thick jelly like stain - used on fiberglass doors and even dificult to stain wood) to match your cabinet - regular woodstains (oil or water base) would have no affect on them at all. Good luck with them. woodwright
Woodwright,
Thank you for your detailed reply which is very helpful.
Thank you for your detailed reply which is very helpful.