Repairing and Restoring Antique Furniture

John Rodd

Reviewed by:

Charles L. Driggs

This is a classic book on furniture repair and restoration, with particular emphasis on the more difficult repairs. It would be a better book with better illustrations and more in-depth discussion, but (for example) its sections on antique lock repair and key-making without knowing the needed pattern to start are topics that are hard to find covered anywhere else. Other sections are like this too, showing technique at reproducing antique parts in ways that preserve the value of the piece. This is a complex book, but presents a huge amount of information on technique. This is another go-to book in my limited library, and I keep hoping I’ll be able to use a growing amount of the information it contains.