3/31/2023 0 Comments Roll top desk![]() Beneath the desk, right behind the dog bed, is a cupboard where I keep old manuscripts. There are all sorts of drawers and hidden compartments. The lower drawers have big filing cabinets. The twelve little drawers have labels (I see I’ve lost a few) for each month, so I can keep receipts in them. They said “Would this afternoon work?” So within a few hours, I had this magnificent and incredibly useful desk in my house, worth every penny I paid for it. I called the store and asked how long it would take to get it. But the house had this alcove in the family room and when I measured it, it exactly fit the dimensions of the desk. It was on the pricey for me, so I passed it by. I saw this Winners Only desk about ten years ago, when I moved into my own house after a really difficult divorce. But I thought I’d take a minute to show you my wonderful roll top desk during the throw-everything-anywhere phase of the revision process. You may not want to take on the task yourself, and unless you are content to leave the top open, you should call in professional help.I’m revising for a Monday deadline, so I’ve been a little neglectful of my blog this week. You may own one that is custom built and that calls for partial dismantling of the framework to free the tambour. Of course, not all desks are constructed in the same manner. But don't glue the canvas right up to the edges of the slats that run through the guiding grooves. Glue the patches in place with white or yellow woodworkers' glue. Where necessary, the backing should be reinforced with patches of lightweight canvas. See if the fabric is threadbare, especially along the lines where it flexes between the slats. While the tambour is out, inspect its backing. Try another fitting, and if the tambour now moves more comfortably, rub paraffin along the edges to make for a smoother run. Try reducing any high spots, using a chisel for the grooves, a wood rasp for the slats and a low-angled block plane for trimming end grain. Once detached, the tambour can be fed through and out of the back of the desk.īy looking along the edges of the slats and inside the grooves, it should not be difficult to spot the areas of excess friction and wear. You can then unscrew (from the inside) the leader or bar that houses the lock, to which the handle and pull are attached. To tackle a stubborn roll-top, first make sure the desk stands firm and all joints are tight. It often only needs the slightest shift in position to hinder the smooth passage of the tambour. What usually has happened is that the framework in which the track or groove is cut has moved out of alignment. But tambours that are capable of moving in their tracks but do not respond to fingertip pressure can usually be fixed without too much difficulty. ![]() If you own such a desk and the top is stuck, and if you are not particularly concerned about having the contents (tidy or otherwise) exposed for all to see, you probably should not disturb this arrangement. This may be due in some measure to the fact that this kind of desk is often a contradiction in terms: those in constant use may never have the roll-top down, either through habit, or simply because the tambour is clenched in its tracks in the open position. But those old oak monuments, which were also made in walnut and cherry, seem conspicuous by their absence in the professional workshop. ![]() ![]() Parts are available for a desk that is in need of a replacement here and there. They are glued to a backing of strong cloth, and move in guiding grooves. It is made of a series of closely set wooden ribs. The tambour, French for "drum," was favored by the Sheraton and Hepplewhite schools of the late 1700's. ![]() The rolling part of a roll-top desk is actually a tambour: a flexible sliding shutter. Not too long ago, these desks went begging, but with the revived popularity of oak, those in good condition have become collectors' pieces - and expensive ones at that. In America, roll-top desks were turned out by the vanload from the last quarter of the 19th century to the Depression. ![]()
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