[Arran]

This was my 650 when I brought it home:

[Image: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2054/2530...a986_z.jpg]

The veneer on the sides was completely missing, the top was quite messed up, and someone had tried and failed to strip the control area (is there a proper term for that area?). Also, the cabinet was generally in a falling-apart state.

This is only my second attempt at restoring a cabinet. The first one I did was in almost pristine shape compared to this one.

I largely disassembled the thing. The top came off, the control area came out, the sides detached, the grill bars removed. In most cases what little glue remained holding it together gave up with only slight tapping from a dead-blow hammer.

This is my first experience with wood veneer application. It was not a good one. Veneering a curved surface turns out to be surprisingly hard. It went so bad that I will have to redo it some year. I'm not going to show pictures of the sides...where it is quite ick. I have now commenced collecting enough parts to put together a vacuum bag veneer press for the next attempt.

Here is the result. I have yet to order some toning lacquer to give some of the details (the vertical bars, the grills bars, and the crenelations on top) some more contrast.

[Image: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5125/5345...59d0_z.jpg]

Although I am not happy over all with it, I can at least now handle pulling the cabinet out of my garage and into the house proper.

I have found that using either band clamps or contact cement seems to work well and holding down veneer around a curve, another way is to make some curved glue blocks that conform to the profile of the curve. If you do decide to redo some of the veneer work I would like to make a suggestion, the top of the cabinet would have originally used book matched stump or burl walnut veneer (French not black walnut) for the center section to match the control panel.
Best Regards
Arran