The HH and I went to the recycle center the other day to drop off cardboard, old oil from the car and our household trash. And like always, I made him drop me off in front of little sheds {our town has one for books and one for household items} while he did the recycling. š
Every other week or so it’s the same routine… Me telling him we need to do the recycling, then helping him load everything up in the car and then ditching him at the last minute so I can have a little look around.
I always tell him he can just wait in the car, that I’ll just be a second or two… but he can’t stand waiting in the car while I hunt for freebies. I think it makes him feel like we’re a bunch of beggars or something.
I don’t think he’ll ever understand the concept of the place.
Yada Yada Yada….
We pull up to the little freebie sheds.
I nearly JUMP out of the car before it has stopped and and shout… THERE’S MY NEW COFFEE TABLE!
I get out of the car.
I inspect the new {to me} pine {just what I was looking for} 6 board chest and deem it is in fact the perfect winter project and just the right size thank you very much to use as a coffee table.
Then as I have my hand on the fine piece of craftsmanship, some yahoo comes along and opens the top of the chest a little to fast and before I can react, the top of the chest slams against the back and now I’m standing in front of a busted not so perfect coffee table and my heart sinks a little.
He apologized.
I was like, oh hey, don’t worry about it. {Because what else was I going to say?}
And my husband ACTUALLY SAID… Hey thanks, you just did me a favor to the guy.
Can you believe that? YOU JUST DID ME A FAVOR. As in, now I don’t have to take this piece of junk home.
I made him take it home anyway. š Maybe I can fix it. I think all I need is a small strip of wood to replace the broken bit. I was planning on painting it anyway, and even if I can’t, I can still use the chest portion to store my craft supplies in.
So there! Take that Mr. Cranky Pants!
Mr. We Don’t Need Other Peoples Used Furniture. Because somebody probably DIED on it.
While the guy who ripped off the top of the chest and I were standing there in awkward silence after he had just ruined my coffee table, we noticed the old sheets of newspaper inside the chest.
July 21st, 1963.
The Guy Who Ruins Other People’s Coffee Tables got a big smile on his face and told me how he was 8 years old during the eclipse in 1963 and how his family had just bought a new refrigerator and he had saved the box to make an eclipse viewing thingamabob blah blah blah… and all I could think about was the broken lid.
And then I started looking at the other pieces of newspaper and found out that in 1963, you could buy a new couch and matching chair for $199. What a deal!
And a new Hoover vacuum for only $63.88. {Which is pretty much what you can get an el cheapo version of a new one today for.}
Why don’t we call jeans “dungarees” anymore? Dungarees sound so much better, don’t they?
Also found at the recycle center the other day… A new {to me} cheese grater.
And another terracotta pot for the back patio.
At this rate, I should be able to fill up the entire back patio with freebie terracotta pots by the end of the summer.
Freebies. You just never know. Sometimes you hit the jackpot, and sometimes you don’t. And sometimes, someone comes along and reminds you that stuff is just stuff and people come first. Attitude is everything. š
Have an AWESOME 4th of July everyone, stay safe.
~Mavis
Jamie says
Wood glue and maybe your hubby could put some kind of metal bracket on the inside of the lid to help hold the broken pieces together? Good luck, can’t wait to see the finished product
Toni says
A glue joint is stronger them the actual wood.. add some wood glue and a couple of clamps…
Claudia says
Wood glue and then some wood filler. It wonāt be noticeable when you paint it…..easy fix.
Julia says
My hubby can be the same way with freebies. We live in the city so I ācurb surfā for freebies. This week my freebies were able to help a family out with a much needed fan and cute purple suitcase for the daughter for camp.
Terri Lindeke says
I had just turned 10. Was out in the front yard with the box and a hole punched in it… frustrated me so much… I wanted to see the real thing… so threw caution to the wind (what does that mean?) and looked at it with my unprotected eyes.. Later that year Kennedy was assassinated. I have vivid memories of my teacher being called into the hallway… she came back in and her face turned white, then bright red when she told us the President had been shot. We were to put away our things and go line up for our buses to take us home. History is painful when you have to live through it.
Tina says
Nice finds! The date of the newspaper struck me funny. My mother was celebrating her 16th birthday on July 21, 1963… Although she has never mentioned the eclipse. Hmmm. I will have to ask her about that!
Jennifer says
Good for you, Mavis, for putting a positive spin on the episodeāthat stuff is just stuff. Still, I imagine it was frustrating what with how patiently you wait for these items to come along. Crossing my fingers itās easily repaired.
Mel says
I think you can definitely fix it. I’d use those hinges that have “lid support” as well in case the top was always a little heavy for it. Our coffee tables have those so that the top can pop up to the height of a real table so you can eat off of it more easily and so they close very gently. I wonder if metal flashing of some sort could be attached to the edge to make up any gap instead of messing with wood glue and all that, but I’m not very handy.
If it needs cleaning, baking soda, water, and a soft rag can do wonders (test a small area first). We inherited lots of cigarette-smoke-laden antique wooden furniture, and baking soda was the only thing that took the smoke off and the smell out.
Joyce says
Mavis, That chest can definitely nicely repaired with wood glue and clamps. I refinish, repair and redistribute found things all the time. A 6 board chest would be hard for me give away….so cool.
I would suggest using a small craft type paint brush to apply the glue, apply lightly to both pieces of wood.
After clamping, wipe any wood glue that may ooze out with a damp rag.
You got this girl! With everything else you are capable of this should be a “cake walk”.
I curb shop, dumpster dive and alley shop…hate to see things discarded when someone could use them. I wish our recycle depot had give away sheds. I am jealous LOL
Joyce in Indiana
Rosaleen says
Yup! Saw that broken top and immediately figured glue and clamp fix!
Also had to read the bit about your hubby and the used stuff aloud to mine. He TOTALLY understands where your hubby is on the swap shed. Men just don’t “get it.”
Gardenpat says
I guess Iām married to the exception that makes the rule then! After working outside most of the day, we sat down to eat dinner. I looked on the Craigslist Free listings and saw that someone had curbside pick up that day only because trash pick up was the next morning. It had been posted 4 hours before I saw it. The photo that was there showed a stack of plastic deck chairs (I enlarged the photo and counted 10) and 3 metal ones with tubular strapping. I showed the ad to hubby who had just completed his second bite of dinner(knowing that it was 25 minutes from our house and we had no way of knowing if any of it was still there! ) . He immediately responded, āIāll get my shoes!ā We left our partially eaten dinner behind and set off!
Not only were they still there- covered in grime and stained, but not broken, but there were also 3 camp chairs in carrying bags and a 5 foot tall metal shelving unit with 4 adjustable shelve.
We loaded our old van we use for such occasions (cost us $500 3 years ago but has no AC) and stopped for slushees at McD on the way home, Spent the hour before dusk sweeping them off and washing and scrubbing with sponges and DW liquid and a bucket of water! The first 10 were finished and sparkling white! Hereās a photo of everything but the metal shelving unit that hubby already put in our tool shed!
https://pin.it/4mll2eopgjenwq
We are thrilled since we have a big family (50 of us counting our kids and GKs) and seating is always at a premium !
Linda Practical Parsimony says
Glue and a clamp will definitely fix that. Nice find.
Lynda McCrimmon says
I leave my husband at home. Do that. It works.
Cindy Brick says
I’ve been wondering when you would find your coffee table! Too bad you don’t live in Colorado — our local thrift shop (which is wonderful, anyway) is closing soon for remodeling. To get ready, they’ve been hosting 50% off, then 75% off days. Now they just advertised that the day after the Fourth will be NINETY PERCENT OFF EVERYTHING. Guess who’s going to be first in line…
I am far less impressed with 1963 prices when I remember that my dad worked full-time at a tractor repair place…for $200/month. And $100 of that went for the mortgage payment. No wonder Mom sewed all our clothes, or we got hand-me-downs from cousins. That $2-plus for dresses would have been tough for the folks to cover, other than one for the first day of school
P.S. Husband laughed and laughed that he heard the “someone died on it” response to your thrift shop buys! So your DH has a kindred spirit…
Marie says
I can hear your voice again! Excellent post today. How would it be in ur fam if he was the one who āsaved the pastā for renewal & u were the nay sayer?
KCB says
Years ago I bought an old iron bed at an antique/junk store. To this day, Mr. HB refers to it as āthe dead bed.ā
Kippy says
My fella didnāt understand my urge for curbside finds until we were on a walk and there was a curbside pyramid of stuff. I grabbed the wire vintage basket for milk bottles without breaking stride. The basket is used all of the time. This weekās finds were a hula hoop to teach the dog some tricks and a folding little wood table that replaced a cast iron base outdoor table, The latter was put out at the curb and gone in half an hour. Sort of a progressive curbside find thing! The chest hinge repair will be easy for you!
Julia Park Tracey says
Ditto on the ADORABLE six-board-chest. I wold never have passed that by. At flea markets and yard sales, if you put your hand on it, it’s presumed yours (first) until you take your hand off and give someone else a chance. Next time grab a hold of it and the next yahoo won’t be able to break it while you watch.
You will renew this chest and enjoy it for years. I can’t wait to see it. I’m a big fan of sanding old furniture, and then rubbing with linseed oil, or painting it. You can get cedar blocks to put inside to keep moths away from your woolens. Congratulations for ticking something off your list!
PS: I’m reading a wonderful book I got from the library; see if you can find it in audio? The Mistress of Nothing, by Kate Pullinger. And English maid accompanies her consumptive mistress to Egypt (circa 1860) in search of drier climate, and they both shed their Victorian clothes and corsets in favor of local attire, learn Arabic, explore pyramids and the Nile, and break all sorts of rules. I won’t give away the ending but it’s so good. Based on a true story.
Heather says
Like others have said…no need to add a strip of wood. Just glue and clamp the pieces. If you add a tiny bit of sawdust that sometimes helps. A glued joint is really strong….pretty cool find!
Kirsty says
Yes it can be repaired, my Husband thoroughly enjoyed repairing the one I bought an the opportunity shop ( Aus and NZ for thrift shop ) and turning it into a dower chest for our daughter.
Nancy D says
Oh! “Opportunity Shop”….what a wonderful name for a thrift shop!!!
Nancy D says
(Oops! Also, we sometimes called “dower chests” “hope chests” in the US.)
Helen in Meridian says
Here they are called Hope Chest versus your dower chest.
Linda says
My dad was a furniture maker in 1963, making $63/wk to support a family of 6. They found a house for $10,000 and applied to the bank for a loan. They were turned down. My mom went to the bank and asked why. The loan officer said they didn’t think dad’s income would cover the payments of $72/mo. My mom, got upset and told him “We’re paying $84/mo to rent!” They got the loan. Those were the days when you could actually talk to a person! They never missed a rent payment. My mom, scrimped and saved, sewed our clothes, gardened for our food, and sometimes went without in order to pay on time. I grew up with the firm belief that when you borrow, you pay it back. Period.
Candice says
Wood glue is a lifesaver! You will never see it. Putty and paint fixes what ain’t!
Candice says
One other thing, Mavis! You can’t beat getting a free pc of furniture that is all wood these days. Furniture is just not made the way it used to be so I will bring it home any time I come across a pc that is free and all wood. Will your finished pc be stained or painted?