Tea Cart Repair

Tea Cart Before

Tea Cart After

This lovely antique tea cart was in need of a broken wheel repair along with refinishing the lower shelf which had seen its share of scratches and wear. Evidently a caretaker who takes care of the owner's ninety-one year old mother had somehow tipped over the cart, breaking the wheel into several pieces.

Made of maple, this tea cart had a gorgeous finish, which I strived hard to maintain while refinishing it. The wheel, however, was a bit of a challenge as it needed to be completely rebuilt.

Using a section of wood that looked close to the original wheel, we were able to make a template of the unbroken wheel, then cut out a brand new one with a scroll saw. The outside of the wheel had to be carved out with a lathe, so that the rubber gasket could be wrapped around it as it had been originally. The finished, repaired tea cart was as good as new and ready to be used for another one hundred plus years.