Transforming A Retro Heywood Wakefield Desk With A Stunning New Look!

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****Thank you Aura Frames for sponsoring this video! You can get $35-off the full price plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with code WHISPERER at on.auraframes.com/3Qw5hib (expires 5/12; terms & conditions apply)****
Refinishing furniture is definitely NOT my favorite task. But it's hard to deny that the process often provides a lot of insights into how furniture is made as well as what materials, joinery, and finishes stand the test of time. Come with me on this crazy journey as we tear apart a 1949 Heywood Wakefield desk and transform it into a functional beauty!
#refinishing #heywoodwakefield
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If you like Oreo and want to follow some of his adventures, check out his Instagram account here / twworeo
00:00:00 Who likes Refinishing!?
00:01:05 Assessing the Damage
00:04:25 Thank you Aura!
00:06:26 Past Repairs
00:07:53 Oreo
00:09:52 Will the top move?
00:13:40 Taking the desk apart
00:17:57 How to Kerf a Panel
00:21:03 Hairline Crack Repair
00:21:41 Delamination Repair
00:22:43 Replacing a Runner
00:27:42 My Sanding Process
00:29:53 Adding Glue to the Cleats
00:33:31 Reassembly
00:35:34 Drawer Deconstruction
00:42:38 Will it go back together?
00:44:57 Replace or Repair?
00:48:19 Using Cauls
00:51:12 More Sanding
00:52:50 Making & Using my Blotch Control
00:55:58 Desk Reassembly
01:00:59 Applying the Finish
01:04:05 Applying the Top Coat
01:07:17 The Reveal!
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[@woodwhisperer]

*****$35-off the full price plus free shipping on the Carver Mat frame with code WHISPERER at on.auraframes.com/3Qw5hib (expires 5/12; terms & conditions apply)*****

[@bloho_design]

You might think this is a woodworking video about restoring a desk, but it is really a documentary about one man’s slow descent into madness from spending too much time alone in a shop. A+ would watch again.

[@EricHonaker]

The cat's in heaven. A bunch of new boxes, AND a spider smorgasbord?

[@MyDenaliAintTheSame]

Marc, thank you for getting a cat. My kids no longer torture me while watching your videos because they love to spot Oreo! Great job as always.

[@AnimatorsatWork]

Definitely the best part was when you were trying to talk about the underside of the top and Oreo just kept getting in the way 😂

[@thomasweller1321]

Marc. I watched the entire video because I restored my wife's grandfather's build of a hutch and kitchen table and 4 chairs. They were built in the late 1920's (!927 to 1928) in Cadillac, Michigan . He worked at St. John's Table Company. He built it as a wedding gift for my wife's mother and father. They all were in bad repair, and the drawers never closed and the doors on the hutch never stayed closed during her entire life growing up. I spent an entire summer taking it apart and "fixing" problems to the structure. When I completed the project, the drawers slide smoothly, the doors stayed latched to their original placement, and the surface was like brand new. When I finished, it was with all original screws, hinges, and latches. Your project reminds me of this, and it made me smile knowing that somebody wanted a real wood desk and not some particle board thing held together with plastic parts. Thanks for the format of this video. I loved the depth and helpful hints. It would make Gus , my wife's grandfather, smile!

[@TheStabbedGaiusJuliusCaesar]

We need more Oreo content in your videos. That slight interference was amazing.

[@aaroncashion7570]

A real departure from your typical videos and I loved every minute of it. It was relatable and practical. So many gems in this video. The water trick to flatten the panel was genius. Thanks for all the great content Marc!

[@woodwhisperer]

Glad you enjoyed it man. Thank you!

[@landrypm]

Great video. Now go empty your dust collector barrel. 😅

[@glencrandall7051]

You said this was not an antique due to it's age. But if you left it alone for another 20 years of so it would have become an antique so all your work destroyed it's potential value. LOL. Seriously Marc, it really looks good now and it has another 50 years of service left. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@barry7391]

When did Mark turn into Granpa? He's so gentle, gentle, gentle. tap, tap, tap. Just watching this project you can tell he's no longer a Jersey boy! The transformation is complete!

[@HonoredMule]

If you're going to consider longevity and delamination concerns when choosing where to use plywood, then its important to also note that modern plywood has improved its overall quality and resilience substantially over the last 50-75 years. Delamination in particular may just not be a realistic concern unless using the cheapest material you can source.

[@woodwhisperer]

Good point!

[@kplee89]

That cat is amazing

[@-11BRAVO-]

I love an upload from TWW. This man has taught me how to woodwork for years.

[@lenonkitchens7727]

Hey Mark! Your dust collector is full! :D

[@gregzenoble5670]

I just finished watching and was going to make the same comment.

[@larrynelson3329]

Great job. Turned out beautiful too. I love Heywood Wakefield

[@curtisheller7242]

Thumbs up for the project, but extra thumbs up for Oreo… pretty awesome Shop Cat.

[@tommiestrydom973]

Thanks mate. I learnt plenty watching this video. That cat is super cute

[@StumpyNubs]

I enjoyed this quite a bit.

[@woodwhisperer]

Thanks man!

[@DingusSquatfordJr.]

Ever since my sister got this digital photo frame, every time she shares photos of her newborn baby, my mom, Xi Jinping, and I are convinced the little one is just too cute for words.

[@locopixel463]

I love your cat! The woodworking is nice too....

[@woodwhisperer]

He's a funny cat instagram.com/twworeo

[@vubdub1967]

Oreo cracks me up! Did anybody see him eat the spider? 😂9:42

[@lukada83]

Love the long Format.

[@kenmilligan5394]

Worked for Heywood-Wakefield for a year in 1984-1985. Nice to see their pieces still holding up.

[@davidsavage692]

Restored/refinished my Mom & Dad’s bedroom suite that they had purchased around 1954. It was a challenge with broken leg on the dresser that had been supported for who knows how long with a brick. Several other opportunities, but enjoyed the process and the look on my Mom’s face when I presented her bedroom suite back to her, priceless!

[@johnnyb95678]

Great way to breath new life into a vintage piece and not have end up in a landfill. Thank you for sharing!

[@lorriedmussett4692]

Marc this was so amazing to have you knee deep in a wood project again. You have taught me so much over the many yrs I've watched you and I'm just a 50 yr old lady down here in South Texas...Houston who just loves watching creative people sharing their passion with us all. I ❤the length and of course I ❤ the whole project from you ! Thx

[@keith4788]

This is the first time i have seen an ad for aura. Both grandmothers and my mother have them and love them.

[@MarshallLoveday]

This desk reminds me of the bedroom furniture that was in my aunt's house. We lived with my aunt from the time I was born in late 1951 until my parents bought our own house in 1956.

[@FormulaXFD]

Caul of Duty Amazing XD

[@Moffit366]

Refinishing is where you started on KZbin!

[@andresilva8444]

Is there an Oreo compilation? Great job. Love it how in the forties someone came up with that intricate design and someone else said let’s build it.

[@Thesaltymaker]

What a treat. Thanks for the long form. I find refinishing old pieces and giving them a second life is so satisfying. Thanks for bringing us along.

[@christopherflannery5788]

My grandmother had a house full of that style of Heywood Wakefield, thanks for the memories! I really enjoy watching refinishing videos - I wouldn't mind seeing more! Great job.

[@wcmeyer6846]

Great job. The quality of the 1940 item is worth restoring.

[@realpdm]

omg at 49:00 that clamp is epic!

[@ac311205]

Wow nice work Marc. These pieces are always so close to ending up in landfills, wonderful to give them a new life. I think of little patches to fix defects as Easter eggs, and when done right, always bring me some joy to look at. Great job.

[@travisdemonbreum8505]

Love it!

[@mickeybailey5147]

One of my new favorites on your channel! I’ve got too much maple/birch needing attention.

[@gregmize01]

Wowza!!!!

[@WillyBemis]

What a fun and informative video! Thanks!!

[@bickybickford]

Absolutely beautiful resto!

[@realpdm]

What a crazy amount of work but it turned out beautiful. What a great brother you are!

[@jameshodgins1937]

Wow! The deak turned out fantastic!

[@danlynch1154]

Nice job Mark!

[@tatehogan5685]

Very nice, much enjoyed.

[@dcpugh]

She's a beauty! Amazing work as always. And Oreo's tempory playhouse, FTW!

[@zekezeke3484]

Just a suggestion. Rub wax from an old candle on the bottom of the drawer sides. You will be amazed how much that improves moving the drawers. Also paste wax on the wide sides of the outside of the drawers, if they contact the edge of the face frame.

[@tomim7187]

Marc, what a great resto!. It looks super, especially for a 75 year old desk.

[@paulkelly1702]

That turned out really nice.

[@claudestewart5465]

It's beautiful.

[@keith4788]

When my wife asks if a piece of old used furniture that could "be refinished" is worth anything, I tell her I can get firewood at the gas station for $6

[@RobertSababady]

Niiiiice!! A very majestic finish that looks clean, but maintains the all of its history - from style, to imperfections!

[@poppagswoodshop3847]

Well done good Sir, Great video! kept my attention all the way through and I enjoyed watching it.

[@jimcooney9019]

nice work Marc

[@markduggan3451]

Very impressive.

[@schoolhousemodern]

Happiness 🥰 I was really looking forward to this episode. Finally.

[@mtnjak]

Nice save, Marc!

[@mek90703]

Straightening the large drawer panel was genius! I've thought about doing that in other projects but I didn't think it would work as well as yu demonstrated. That was a massive job! I HATE refinishing! The only person I do it for is my mom. I really enjoyed the long form video.

[@brianbarney1885]

Excellent job, that desk is beautiful especially if you like Mid Century furniture. The teaching was great also, you gave good reasons for what you did and why. Thank you!

[@russpawis4055]

Such a great video!

[@philipguy6646]

Great video, learned a lot and really enjoyed Oreo constantly badgering you 😂

[@paulcooper9187]

Superb, love the design and fascinated by the care taken to refurbish the unit. I guess the chances of seeing something like that in the UK is minimal, but it would be great desk for the office at home. Thank you.

[@nickhenscheid369]

I appreciate you taking the time to do (and discuss) the sanding sealer for blotch control...way too many people ignore this step and the results look horrid.

[@dmgaul1966]

Nice video, Mark. Different for you and really well done. Makes me more willing to take on a refinish one day.

[@terry4384]

Very nice

[@DavidSwanson]

You are a great teacher!

[@ozlinx]

Couldn't agree more!

[@Wordsnwood]

Oreo!😆

[@TaylerMade]

silly side question marc. does oreo just live at the workshop? stray that walked in? and do you take him home weekends? before i retired i worked from home as a one man commission furniture maker. i lost my shop cat last year, i still miss her riding on my shoulders as i was cutting dovetails etc.

[@woodwhisperer]

He lives around the shop and occasionally graces us with his presence. We let him sleep there when he wants to. In the Winter we politely insist that he stay inside. We found him on a gravel road as a kitten in a hollowed out tree. I'm guessing he was just dumped there. He was so friendly from day 1 my kids fell in love and it was all over. We have two dogs at home and they would raise hell with a cat around so the only time he's been to my house was when he was recovering from being neutered. And sorry your loss man.

[@ozlinx]

Just what the doctor ordered Marc, got a very old hat & coat stand my wife's been nagging me to restore, this has given me some confidence to tackle it finally, thank you great Vid.

[@chrisnash2154]

LOVED this episode! Really informative to see you rework this desk.

[@woodwhisperer]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@user-ze2cz2ut2h]

Fantastic, educational yet entertaining video. Thank you Marc. Things I appreciated are.......... I won't chuckle when my wife gets her fingers smashed when she is helping me. That C-clamp is awesome. When I try out the juice you mixed, I guarantee I will not refer to it as "Marc juice". Nicole did a great job laser etching the date on the piece. 😬 Phrases I intend on teaching my grandchildren are.... "Oh mama, look at that thing". "Come on, turd burger", "Lets make some epoxy 🎵" "How you like my booty?", "campground rules apply", and finally, .... " Go home, Go home, good good good." I loved the content and the longer format. I would suggest that from now on, you wear a body-cam 24/7. I would watch! You are an awesome educator and communicator. You pointed out many things to ponder and to be aware of, and I thank you for that!

[@justplanebob105]

I really liked this video, Marc. Since I started wood dabbling, I've been following your channel, read your books and tried many things. But I haven't really landed on anything to focus on. But this type of work might just become my "thing". I've done some restoration work including weaving a cane seat chair and I quite enjoy it. I don't know if there is anyplace near me that I could apprentice. Have you ever watched Thomas Johnson Antique Restoration? I learn a lot from him.

[@jeffkowalski4936]

The reason we always come back to your channel. Diverse content.

[@woodwhisperer]

I appreciate that

[@riba2233]

love these restoration videos, great skills and nice presentation :) btw I see you like filling up some cracks, ups :D

[@TheLindsay720]

I watch all your videos (and listen to the podcast) and this was really good.

[@woodwhisperer]

Awesome, thank you!

[@anthonydtobias]

Borat would say "very nice, even for a Gypsy"

[@mattelias721]

I make it a policy to say no to crack, therefore I also say no to restoration projects like this... but I do appreciate the wealth of tips and tricks presented, which can also apply to new work. For what it's worth, I've used that water trick to de-potato-chip a 4'x3'x3/4" entire desktop, no kerfs. Worked like a charm. I'd like to submit Oreo for your employee of the month.

[@brianhall9019]

I saw you vacuuming those spiders out…😂

[@SlabGuy]

Did you ever say to yourself-I could just make this thing out of new material, probably quicker? Appreciate the work and effort either way.

[@woodwhisperer]

haha nope, because I couldn't. I could make A desk quicker, but probably not THAT desk. :)

[@jimwiskus8862]

What an amazing transformation Marc! I would think your brother would be over the moon. I would have regrets I’m sure once it’s out of the shop. That said, you probably do have visiting rights. 😊

[@mskulls83]

When the first router dovetail jig was invented in the year of our lord 1945, craftsmen was like: We are furniture builders of course we put half blinds on the back of every drawer!

[@vernsteinbrecker3759]

That looks really nice, great job. How many hours did it take from start to finish

[@vonwelch]

Thank you Marc, as always I appreciate your educational approach and like this bit of variety. The kerfing technique is new to me - curious as to your thoughts about using a track saw instead of a table saw given the warpiness of the panel?

[@woodwhisperer]

That actually seems like a much safer and smarter way to do it. I probably should have thought of that. :)

[@tonxmodern4436]

Some lovely cat content

[@LISA75_]

I am here for the cat , he needs to have a channel with the other KZbin cat of distraction , white-shoes.

[@woodwhisperer]

Oreo doesn't have a KZbin channel but we have an Instagram account and strap a camera to his collar instagram.com/twworeo

[@skeery2605]

Hey Marc.. I think your dust collector is full.. lol 😅😅

[@woodwhisperer]

Yeah....mind coming over and emptying it for me?

[@skeery2605]

@@woodwhisperer gotcha Marc..

[@carrotsix]

Would you recomend using a cat to apply finish ? and would that be a pre-cat finish

[@fleurdelune5240]

❤

[@travisg1759]

Does the Sherwin lacquer have issues with blushing if it gets wet?

[@garryr]

9:50 1 less spider.

[@j10001]

40:29 I’ve seen this on many old pieces. I believe the front is supposed to be added last, and it would slide on straight.

[@woodwhisperer]

Even if you put the front on last, you still have a conflict with the bottom panel.

[@j10001]

@@woodwhisperer OK thanks. I thought it just slid in, but maybe it’s dovetails also. 🙂

[@jt8172]

Mark, was the plywood not manufactured very well in the post war boom? I'm a bit concerned on some furniture I've made. I used plywood since it was painted white.

[@coloradoklutch8005]

Anyone else would have simply sanded it down, globbed on a heavy coat of the cheapest varnish at Walmart and listed it on Facebook Marketplace. Marc blows it completely apart, meticulously prefects each and every piece then painstaikingly reassembles it and lovingly refinishes it. Nice. 🙂

[@averagejoesworkshop]

Your dust collector was full 3 months ago. :)

[@Greg8872]

Great job! I'm just curious, how many hours would you say you had in this?

[@woodwhisperer]

ooof....no idea. I stopped tracking my time in any meaningful way years ago.

[@AxGryndr]

If you didn't have those giant, awesome, C clamps, could you have used two additional culls perpendicular to the first ones, positioned where you did use the clamps?

[@woodwhisperer]

yeah i think so

[@DrJWR1]

Say, brother, it’s a little narrow. Do you suppose if I shipped it back to you you could cut it in two and add another 16 inches in the middle, and, make that center drawer wider at the same time?

[@vallejokid1968]

I was an hour into the video before I realized you shaved 😄

[@inmyimage1081]

Syringe tip (pun coming) to make it easier to work with more viscous fluids, cut a little of the tip off. Question, with the apparent benefits of epoxy adhesive why don’t you use it more than other standard wood glues?

[@woodwhisperer]

Mostly because it's largely unnecessary. It's messier, harder to clean up, poses potential health hazards, and is more expensive.

[@inmyimage1081]

@@woodwhisperer thanks all good things to be aware of