Old Things Anew

06/12/2026

I recently repurposed an old antique non-working solid walnut wood pump organ into a beautiful fully functioning 1500 watt remote controlled fireplace furniture piece. I was able to incorporate the original ivory keys, pull stops, and metal foot pedals back into the piece with added remote control LED strip lighting and a walnut table top for displaying personal items of interest. Completely refinished with Rubio Monocoat Oil 2-part satin hard wax coat finish. A fun project that I hope will save this treasured piece for another century of use.

10/30/2024

Finally getting around to posting some pics/video clip of a recent project I completed by repurposing/restoring an inoperative 1880 Kranich & Bach rosewood grand square piano into a gorgeous functional kitchen island with six drawers. I built the internal structure so that it could be fitted with a granite or marble top. It took months to complete, but it was worth it to keep this amazing piece for another 100+ years. Enjoy,...short 50 second 'before & after' video clip.

05/17/2024

Some additional pics for folks who don't do FB Reels (see below reel posting), I recently repurposed an old (~late 1800s) inoperative upright piano into a beautiful fully functioning desk with its original gorgeous wall-mounted intricate wooden inlay with the original brass candle holders fitted with remote-controlled LED flame-lit candles. The desk unit is also fitted with remote-controlled LED lighting and hidden storage compartments. Fully restored the beautiful burl wood finish to museum-quality finish....OldThingsAnew

03/22/2024

I recently completed a commissioned customer piece who wanted to repurpose/restore their inoperative family Everett baby grand piano into a beautiful furniture shelving display unit. The piano has been in their family for decades and they hated to see it destroyed, as many fond memories were associated with it. I was able to completely disassemble the piano and restore the original mahogany piano casing and then built new hardwood maple shelves that were stained and finished in a lighter contrasting color from the original dark brown mahogany casing. The original ivory keys were refitted and the original piano legs were modified to allow the shelving unit to stand in a vertical position against a wall. Remote-controlled LED lighting was installed on the unit that gave the shelving unit a beautiful warm glow against a blue/gray wall with dark-colored wooden flooring. The family was very pleased with the results of this project and I predict it will be around for many generations to come.

02/05/2022

Something new for me. A very special friend and neighbor asked me a few months ago if I would restore an old 1964 Harvest International metal toy truck back to its original state. They had bought this toy for their son, Wesley, who was 2 years old at the time and the toy truck was a replica of the truck his Dad, Clinton Ray, drove for the Arkansas Highway Department at that time. Wesley's Mom, Mary Kay, had kept this well used metal truck for over 50+ years before asking me to restore it for her. I've never taken on a project like this one, but as the attached slideshow depicts I think it turned out pretty good. The last pic shows the truck back in the hands of the original owner after 50+ years.

10/20/2021

A short video compilation (78 seconds) of pics depicting the repurposing of a non-functioning 1844 John Broadwood Chopin Grand Piano into an awesome one-of-a-kind antique display cabinet. Two months of work shown in 78 seconds to get it at the 95% completion status....but a fun & challenging project!

10/15/2021

Recently completed repurposing/restoring a beautiful ornate solid walnut family heirloom piece, circa ~1893 Needham pump organ for a customer in Covington, Louisiana. The first 2 pics are taking from in my shop and the last pic was taken after it was set up in his home.

08/28/2021

It's been a while since I last posted. Recently, I acquired these two amazing non-working antique piano pieces that I hope to repurpose into amazing furniture pieces in the near future. The large concert piano piece was made in 1844 in London which I hope to repurpose as a verticle display cabinet and the other upright piano I plan to make into a desk. Lot's of work to do, but I'm confident these two pieces will become awesome one-of-a-kind special pieces.

04/10/2021

04/10/2021

Recently, I was asked by a new friend if I could save a beautiful antique (circa ~1900) maple highboy chest of drawers & hat storage that was unknowingly severely damaged by termites. It wasn't until I was able to disassemble the piece that a determination could be made on whether it could be restored. Fortunately, most of the termite damage was contained in the internal hidden frame structure which I was able to replace/repair. Happy to report the piece was saved and looks fabulous again. Lesson learned... buy/acquire well-built quality furniture and many times it can be restored back to its original beauty and function.