Stretcher (furniture) common, connecting the legs diagonally, frequently with a finial where the stretchers crossed. Stretcher (furniture) A stretcher is a horizontal support element of a table, chair or other item of furniture; this structure is normally made of exposed wood and ties vertical elements of the piece together. There are numerous styles of the stretcher including circumferential, double and spindle design. This term is sometimes referred to as a stretcher beam. A very common pattern for chairs has each front leg connected to the back by the lateral stretchers, which in turn are connected by a medial stretcher. In the William
Conservation and restoration of wooden furniture cracks in old varnish, creating the appearance of alligator hide. Checking: Slight gapping between wood cells that creates a checkerboard-like pattern. Found where wood is cut straight across the grain for carving, such as in a ball-and-claw foot. Dry rot: Decay of seasoned timber caused by fungi that consume the cellulose of wood, leaving a soft skeleton that is readily reduced to powder. Shrinkage: A loss of mass or size in response to dry relative humidity conditions. Preventive conservation is the best form of conservation that you can do for furniture without a scientific conservation degree. A poorly controlled environment