vintage frankenstein (DIY) and art deco(ntemporary)

[chicanoir]

hey there, although i love art deco and am a purist in some things, i am also into reconstituting the dead (ie vintage pieces that would have otherwise been tossed in the garbage bin given new life vis-à-vis contemporary innovation).

so, if you have nifty articles, tips, pictures, etc on how to reanimate dead vintage, PLEASE SHARE! i'll start with this swell piece...

this was designed by an la props master.

WANNA MAKE IT?
1. Draw a line around the face of the trunk 2½ inches from each outside edge with a pencil. Cut this piece out with a jigsaw.

2. Drill holes for casters in the four corners of the trunk to serve as the bottom of your new bookcase. Attach casters.

3. Cut a -inch piece of birch plywood 1 inch wider and 1 inch longer than the opening you’ve cut into the face of the trunk.

4. Cut two pieces of ½-inch birch plywood the depth of the inside of the trunk and the length of your -inch birch panel, and two pieces the depth of the inside of the trunk and 1 inch shorter than the width of the birch panel. Assemble these pieces into a box with the -inch panel as the back, using the 1½-inch brad nails.

5. Drill -inch holes for shelf pins where you’d like shelves.

6. Remove any lining from the trunk. Glue the back of your newly assembled box to the inside back of the trunk so that when you close it, the edge of the box lines up under the opening you’ve cut.

7. Trim the edge of the opening with aluminum corner channel cut at 45-degree angles.

8. Insert the shelf pins.

9. Cut the ½-inch birch plywood into shelves the width and depth of the inside opening of your bookcase. Finish the edges with birch finish strips, cutting with the X-Acto knife.

10. Sand the wood using fine sandpaper, and wipe clean with a piece of cloth.

11. Finish all wood with polyurethane. In between coats, lightly sand the wood again and wipe down with the cloth before applying another coat of polyurethane. Insert the shelves into the trunk.

et voilà!

 

[The Lonely Navigator]

That's a pretty neat idea. I would have never thought to do something like that with an old trunk!

 

[chicanoir]

vintage wine box cabinets

got some old wine boxes that are neat but just sitting around collecting dust??

well, get nifty and make some awesome cabinets!

this here is a kitchen example but you can make cabs for just about anything (or window shutters for that matter!).

1. Take off the backs and sides of the wooden boxes and remove all the nails.

2. Lay out the fronts in your desired design to form the layout of your cabinets as a whole. Overlap and mix different kinds of wood to meet your aesthetic specifications.

3. Once you have your layout, cut the 8mm board to the size of each door. (This adds strength.) Use these pieces to mark where to cut the pieces of the wine crates so they fit exactly.

4. Mount the crate pieces to the 8mm wooden board with nails or screws (a greener option than glue). Nail from behind the wood boards so the front stays free of hardwareŃuse nails that are long enough to hold but not so long that they’ll poke through the front.

5. Add knobs to any drawers. Attach hinges to each door and install, making sure to level.

6. If the wood from the boxes isn’t varnished already, add a layer or two so fingerprints and possible cooking spills can easily be removed.



happy vintage frankensteining!

 

[Son_of_Atropos]

I'm not seeing the Art Deco. Time to see the optometrist.

 

[chicanoir]

that's right, cause it's art deco(ntemporary)/vintage frankenstein...things get a new definition in reinvention...but the foundation remains.