Featured Questions on Circa 1915 Horrocks Roll Top Desk

Hello Everyone,

I just bought a massive, antique roll top desk that I plan to completely rebuild and refinish this next year.

The desk is labeled Horrocks in several places, but no other markings indicate where or when it was made. I suspect it was made in Herkimer, NY by the Standard Desk Company, which was perhaps the largest manufacturer of desks during that era. Judging by the austere, slab-style, I suspect it was made during the 1910's. I bought the desk in Western Minnesota and the seller thought it may have come from an old railway station.

The desk is in rather rough shape and will need to be refinished. The left side is missing an entire sheet of oak veneer and large patches of veneer are missing elsewhere. I think even the purists would have to concede on this one.

What is the best way to refinish this desk? How do I most accurately replicate the original finish and methods? I assume this desk was finished just like most of the QSWO furniture and woodwork of that era. Should the grain be filled first? Should it be waxed? Is there any way to really bring out the tiger stripes and flakes in the veneer? The desk seems to have originally been a light golden color that darkened over time. Since I like the darker color, would a darker stain be appropriate on a desk from this era?

If anyone has information on this kind of desk or has had success refinishing one, I would love to hear about it. Thanks.

 

nice desk.....i'm sure it was a workhorse !!!

 

Nice roll top! Check out Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration youtube channel. He is a great resource for how to's and some of the challenges you might encounter.

 

This looks more like 1930s-ish rather than Edwardian. Especially with those handles and plywood panels. Edwardian I'd expect to look like these with solid wood panels. https://www.google.com/search?q=Edw...UMohQKHZE6CPYQ_AUoAXoECAsQAw&biw=1560&bih=759

 

I think this desk dates to just prior to WWI when the stark oak aesthetic was at its peak and before traditional ornament became popular again in the 1920's. I can't find any similar desks in old ads, but there is this Art Metal catalog from 1916 which shows a desk that looks very similar but that is made of steel (page 55). Also, the clock and shellac finish seem to predate the 1930's. My understanding is that roll top desks sharply plummeted in popularity around WWI, but I'm struggling to find a good source on the different styles, makers, etc.. Have any catalogs survived? Are there any good resources on the topic?

 

I don't believe the desk contains any plywood. If it does, it is just the bottoms of the drawers. The sides, back, and horizontal surfaces are all made of solid boards of oak that were then veneered with quarter sawn oak. When I bought the desk, quarter inch plywood panels had been added to the sides of the pedestals to conceal the damaged or missing veneer. That is why there are shreds of plywood still glued to the one side.

 

I have no problem with a circa 1920 date on this, though those sides are a bit bothersome. Really would expect some kind of inset panel. Almost looks as if some plywood panels have been tacked on.

I would probably remove those panels and replace with new 1/4" oak plywood. Veneer chips in other places can be patched in.

 

The flat and austere sides are definitely an original feature. I suspect it was more costly to make the desk this way originally (since it uses more wood) and was probably considered a higher end feature that better displayed the veneers. I believe the brass handles were also originally considered higher end, compared to the usual wooded pulls. Sadly, both features have lost their original effect as the large panels with a continuous veneer look like plywood and the design of the pulls were later widely used on filing cabinets.

 

I spent this last year fixing the desk. I had to tear the whole thing apart, strip all of the finish off and rebuild it. I used hide glue wherever I could to stay close to the original, but I did use some epoxy and super glue where it made sense. Originally, I intended to use shellac but decided to use shellac only as a sealer coat and to use precatalyzed lacquer for the top coats (after all of this work, I wanted it to last as long as possible).

Here are some photos of the progress:


I had to strip all of the old finish off except inside of the drawers where the finish was in surprisingly good condition and free of the usual ink stains. I suppose there were so many drawers, most were used only rarely. This step of the process went surprisingly fast despite all of the surface area.


This desk is largely veneered and every veneered edge had some loose veneer. I had to inspect it all closely, peal back loose bonds with a knife and spatula, sand to remove the oxidized wood, and glue it back together. This was a tedious process and required many passes.


As you can see from the photos from the original post, the one side has had all of its veneer removed. I bought some new, extra thick quarter sawn white oak veneer to re-veneer this surface. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to buy veneer with figure as prominent as that used on the desk.


Here it is after being hammer-veneered with hide glue. I had to make my own veneer hammer as they are very hard to find.



Here is the desk and chair being reassembled, after all of the individual pieces have been patched and sanded.

The desk was then dyed, shellaced, lacquered, and the pieces were fitted back together. The cast bronze hardware was either sandblasted or cleaned with brasso, treated with vinegar to bring back an even patina, and then lightly rubbed with scotch bright. The locking mechanism for the drawers was also brought back to working order. A friend helped repair the clock and get it running again.

 

Here is the chair I bought for the desk. I think it matches the desk perfectly. I refinished it at the same time so that the finishes match. I still need to finish the upholstery and need to find a new pair of springs for it.

 

Here is the finished desk. The lighting wasn't great, but the desk looks truly gorgeous in person. It is also far larger than it looks in the photos. It is 72" wide which is as large as roll top desks came (many double pedestal desks are only 54", a somewhat large one is about 60", 72" is massive).














Notice that all of the drawers are quarter sawn oak in the inside as well. This is an uncommon feature for desks of this era. Also, notice how well the bronze complements the flakes in the oak veneer.

 

Enormous amount of work you put into the desk but in the end it as very, very handsome!

 

Here are some photos of the places where I had to patch the veneer. As you can see, where I used the new veneer, the contrast is quite easy to spot due to the lack of flakes, but the form is exactly the same and the finish is just about the same.

 

Utterly fantastic!

 

I’d still be interested in learning more about it, if anyone knows of any good resources.

 

Wow, very impressive work. I'm not usually a fan of roll top desks but yours is beautiful.

 

After all that work it’s now truly something that you can be proud of.. Very well done! Looks great..!

 

As you say, the chosen finish might not be the done thing, but what an amazing job! And what a beast! I thought my 63 incher was big. Great!
The lock puzzles me, though.