Saving Memories

Another aspect of Bayne Custom Woodworking has been helping people save memories. Maybe an item has been destroyed in a tornado or during a move. Why throw them away when we can help create new items to keep those memories alive.

From Tornado Destruction to New Treasures

This year we worked with a repeat customer to do just this. Her grandmother’s bed was destroyed during a tornado But she was able to save the head board and asked me to create a few items from it.

I cut the posts off, cut them in half and created a table for her sewing room

Let’s talk about the client thinking outside the box on this one. I took the top of the headboard added a new piece of wood to the bottom and created a plate rack that would sit on her mantle.

She decided to paint it white to match her mantle

Then I removed the spindles from the headboard leaving the bottom board attached to them and took another board from the headboard to attach the other side. This made a very nice towel ladder for her house.

Last for this project was a candle holder. I took parts of the original posts and mounted them to a piece of hard maple I had in the shop. They made perfect candle holders and center piece for her table.

Preserving Family Memories

This client’s family owns a tree farm in the upper Midwest of the country and brought 2 pieces of beautiful curly maple with them when they moved to Mt Juliet, TN. Unfortunately they have been sitting for a while and they both had quite the warp to them. Because they were one of a kind pieces that meant a lot to the owner, I was a little hesitant to run them through the jointer, planer and table saw. But no guts no glory so in I went.

I was able to use my jointer to flatten it and them through the planer to coplane the top. Then my orbital sander brought out the marbling pattern of the maple. But, the piece needed a bit of help to become a usable piece so I found a piece of black walnut that was about the same size. Carved out the center of it and laid the piece of curly maple into it to bring it to the right size to be a console table

What Weather Destroys, We Rebuild

Another client had an old table that held memories for her, but it sat in her shed for years and the weather pretty much destroyed it.

It took some sanding and some repairs using epoxy but I was able to save all 4 legs, which was the important part. Added a new ash table top and put a drawer back where the original drawer was.

Coffee Table Makeover

How about this unique item? She called me and told me she had a coffee table that had a storage area and a lift up top. They wanted to use this as a small dining table in the living room but it was too short.

The original top was made of some sort of molded plastic made to look like wood. So, I created 2 new tops out of ash and stained them black walnut. Added extra support inside to handle the new weight and then added a piece of wood to extend the feet and raised the entire unit by 2 inches. Painted them black to match the cabinet.

Recreation for Storage

A recent project helped a lady who was transporting a dresser and one of the drawers flew out and shattered. She brought me one of the good drawers and I was able to replicate for her.

Why I work

Some of these folks saw memories destroyed by tornados, years of neglect and accidents. Others saw memories that just needed to be created. That’s the best part of what I do. I get to help them save these memories and create new ones using parts of the old to make the new.

What do you need built this year?

A special thanks to my clients that have trusted me with their furniture rebuilds. I’m ever grateful for you trusting me with your project.

Are you considering building something for your home this year? I’d love to connect with you on social media. Check out my Instagram, YouTube and Facebook channels to see the latest projects in the shop. If you have a project to discuss, you can contact me directly here and I’ll get back to you in 24-48 hours. If you have photos of your ideas, please add them to the form. It’s always helpful to have visuals!