Porch Bracket Restoration

Porch Bracket Restoration Information Page

"Everything old is new again"

NOTE: - One of the things we do here at the Victorian Woodshop is re-create old worn out porch brackets for historical restoration. Usually I receive a tracing from a homeowner but occasionally someone goes the extra mile and sends me in one of the old brackets. As there is one in the shop now I thought it would be a good time to go through the process for those interested in keeping the look of their old brackets. This also comes in handy for picky towns with Historical Restoration boards that have to approve any work done.

- BACK TO STANDARD PORCH BRACKET PAGE -

First I want to thank Rob in New Jersey for sending in one of his old worn out brackets for re creation. His house was built in the 1880s but I suspect these brackets are more turn of the century to later. Judging by the approximately 10 coats of paint, a good 75 - 100 years old. The wood itself held up pretty good although over the years cracks have developed in the wood. This was caused by two things. One, the paints were so bad, and two....some one down the line didn't keep up with the painting. This is one reason we live in a lucky age. The new latex external house paints are designed to last 50 years or more. This bracket is about as bad as it gets. Clicking on the pictures you will see how the interior fancy cutouts are caked with old paint.

MAKING NEW PATTERNS

To make a new pattern the easiest way is to strip the paint off of one side, this give a nice clean edge to either trace, or in this case, as the paint was so thick and wood in such bad shape, I used a can of spray paint to spray an outline on a large sheet of clean paper. This gave me a reasonable place to start. When dry, pick up the old bracket and spend a little time cleaning up the pattern. The pattern is then ready to photocopy and apply to wood for cutting as illustrated in the picture to the right.

From this is point on, it is no different than any standard bracket that I make. Time to make a pattern from this example, figure about an hour.

PORCH BRACKET RESTORATION

- Porch Bracket Restoration Video -

Trouble viewing video? DIRECT VIDEO LINK

- FROM THIS -

Click on pictures for larger detailed view

- TO THIS -

Finished Bracket is 21 inches long and pictured here with coat of white primer ready for painting.

I have come to know Rob well enough to bug him for a picture of his house when he is done installing the new brackets.

Another Example - Before and After

Above: the brackets that needed replacing, about 50 years old and quite damaged. Below:   the finished re creation that we produced for the customer. Approximately 34 inches long. In this case the customer took one down and did a tracing of the original and sent it in. the below bracket was created from his tracing.

- Bracket Detective -

Rob also sent in a smaller accent section made from the same material that I stripped and sanded down and it is certainly a case for......"The Bracket Detective".

I am not as familiar with eastern woods as I am with the woods here on the West Coast. What is driving me nuts is it looks and feels like Western Red Cedar. But what would Western Red Cedar (old growth no less ) be doing on the east coast circa 1880 - 1900?   In New Jersey?   It seems like quite a way for the wood to travel for home construction purposes. Let alone the cost of transportation around the horn of South America.   Also the thickness 1 1/4 inch is curious and an odd thickness for the period.

I am attaching pictures below for help in solving " The Case of the Mysterious Bracket".

Clues:
Swirled as well as straight grain, fingernail easily pushed into material. No smell or resin signs. Lighter to Medium weight. The bracket was cut from a solid piece of material and is 15 inches not going through the center of the tree making the trunk at over 35 inches in diameter. At least. I am guessing due to the rings that we are looking at a mature tree approx 35 - 45 inches in diameter. Slight reddish color which darkens deeper red with Danish oil applied. Knots present in wood are firm and tight no indication of loosening over time indicating the wood was possibly kiln dried to some extent. Odd considering the expense and use of the material for exterior construction in the time period. Cut very cleanly and precise for the period indication that they may have been purchased rather than made on site which may be a clue as to the importation of material to a larger shop on the East Coast.

Click on pictures for larger detailed view

My Best Guess:

I am putting these brackets as having been made in the 1920s from Western Red Cedar. One of the reasons for this guess is the layers of paint. All post 1910.   Possibly as a replacement for the originals which would have been around 40 years old by then and considering the exterior quality of the paint used during that period (Milk Paint*) about an average life for a good hand made bracket. They could have been produced later, but human nature being what it is, there are just too many coats of paint and the wood shows too much age under the sanding.   By the 1920s transportation of Western woods to the Eastern USA markets would have been easier both from the industrialization of western logging to transportation by rail.   The clean cuts indicate a shop rather than individual on site hand cutting as would have been the case earlier up to about 1910. Most probably from a shop within 50 miles of the home site

FOLLOW UP: I spoke with the home owner today and asked about the nails used to hang them. He related that they were square nails. Which goes to illustrate just how difficult it can be to accurately determine the age of something. Were these original to the house, circa the 1880s? or did a frugal home owner in the 1920s re use the nails. Growing up in the 50s I remember cans of old square nails in the family garage.......hard to say.

Home owner investigation suggestions:

An examination by the home owner of surrounding neighborhoods will probably yield a few house with the same thickness older brackets. 1 1/4 thick, again, an odd size thickness. We woodworkers are creatures of habit and his shop set up was probably geared to 1 1/4 inch thickness for brackets and stuck to it. By tracing those houses through your local library historical room ( every library has one ) you will most likely be able to trace the construction to a specific few year period with any luck, via the library and newspaper records, to the contractor and the shop itself. Even in the 1920s and later until about the 50s, it would have been too difficult to shop for something so specific out of the area. These things need to be sized for the size of the porch and impossible to produce in bulk elsewhere for resale to local retail off-the-shelf type stores. No email, no phones, no catalogs...it required two visits. One to visit the woodworker, another to pick them up.

.... I'm sticking to this best guess until corrected....Tom

*For a history of period Milk Paint as well as videos on this historic paint, see MILK PAINT PAGE

- PICKET FENCE REPLACEMENT and RESTORATION -

Another item I seem to do quite a little bit of is historic picket fence replacement.   Dogs, balls, and bicycles seem to be the most destructive force in nature.    Same process as outlined above. The Post office has free long tube priority mail boxes that seem to just fit fence sections. Just mail me one of your old ones and I can re-create it.   COSTS: $5 to make the pattern and I send you back a copy with your completed order and cost of the pickets themselves depend on what you require. $10 - $15 range is typical.

Don't replace your whole fence, we can make replacement Victorian Picket Fence parts

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	Rob also sent in a smaller accent section made from the same material that I stripped and sanded down and it is certainly a case for......"The Bracket Detective". I am not as familiar with eastern woods as I am with the woods here on the West Coast. What is driving me nuts is it looks and feels like Western Red Cedar. But what would Western Red Cedar (old growth no less ) be doing on the east coast circa 1880 - 1900? In New Jersey? It seems like quite a way for the wood to travel for home construction purposes. Let alone the cost of transportation around the horn of South America. Also the thickness 1 1/4 inch is curious and an odd thickness for the period. I am attaching pictures below for help in solving " The Case of the Mysterious Bracket".
Clues:	Swirled as well as straight grain, fingernail easily pushed into material. No smell or resin signs. Lighter to Medium weight. The bracket was cut from a solid piece of material and is 15 inches not going through the center of the tree making the trunk at over 35 inches in diameter. At least. I am guessing due to the rings that we are looking at a mature tree approx 35 - 45 inches in diameter. Slight reddish color which darkens deeper red with Danish oil applied. Knots present in wood are firm and tight no indication of loosening over time indicating the wood was possibly kiln dried to some extent. Odd considering the expense and use of the material for exterior construction in the time period. Cut very cleanly and precise for the period indication that they may have been purchased rather than made on site which may be a clue as to the importation of material to a larger shop on the East Coast.


	*Click on pictures for larger detailed view*

My Best Guess:	I am putting these brackets as having been made in the 1920s from Western Red Cedar. One of the reasons for this guess is the layers of paint. All post 1910. Possibly as a replacement for the originals which would have been around 40 years old by then and considering the exterior quality of the paint used during that period (Milk Paint) about an average life for a good hand made bracket. They could have been produced later, but human nature being what it is, there are just too many coats of paint and the wood shows too much age under the sanding. By the 1920s transportation of Western woods to the Eastern USA markets would have been easier both from the industrialization of western logging to transportation by rail. The clean cuts indicate a shop rather than individual on site hand cutting as would have been the case earlier up to about 1910. Most probably from a shop within 50 miles of the home site FOLLOW UP:* I spoke with the home owner today and asked about the nails used to hang them. He related that they were square nails. Which goes to illustrate just how difficult it can be to accurately determine the age of something. Were these original to the house, circa the 1880s? or did a frugal home owner in the 1920s re use the nails. Growing up in the 50s I remember cans of old square nails in the family garage.......hard to say. Home owner investigation suggestions: An examination by the home owner of surrounding neighborhoods will probably yield a few house with the same thickness older brackets. 1 1/4 thick, again, an odd size thickness. We woodworkers are creatures of habit and his shop set up was probably geared to 1 1/4 inch thickness for brackets and stuck to it. By tracing those houses through your local library historical room ( every library has one ) you will most likely be able to trace the construction to a specific few year period with any luck, via the library and newspaper records, to the contractor and the shop itself. Even in the 1920s and later until about the 50s, it would have been too difficult to shop for something so specific out of the area. These things need to be sized for the size of the porch and impossible to produce in bulk elsewhere for resale to local retail off-the-shelf type stores. No email, no phones, no catalogs...it required two visits. One to visit the woodworker, another to pick them up. .... I'm sticking to this best guess until corrected....Tom *For a history of period Milk Paint as well as videos on this historic paint, see MILK PAINT PAGE