RE-CUTTING OLD WORN CHECKERING
ALSO KNOWN AS "CHASING", "GOING OVER"
OR "FRESHENING UP" OLD CHECKERING
I do re-cut old, worn checkering. Pricing is the same for a re-cut as for new checkering. It saves me about five minutes of drawing the pattern on, it's virtually the same as a new job.
Please see my price sheet for cost, price as "new checkering".
Usually I follow the old borders, it mostly depends on how worn the old checkering is. It IS possible to change the pattern if most of the old checkering is work off or sanded away. I can also change the lines per inch to the pattern if the old checkering is slightly worn. I can easily add new panels to change the pattern if you prefer. Please keep in mind that occasionally the old borders are darkened from years of use and hand oils, they may be too deep or darkened to change the original borders on some projects.
You should always do the refinishing work first, before having your checkering re-cut. You won't want to damage your new checkering while you are trying to sand off scratches, dents and dings on your stock. If you think that you willl sand off the existing checkering during your refinishing project, it is always a good idea to take a photo or a rubbing of the checkering pattern (just place a piece of plain white paper over the checkering and rub with a pencil) to get an imprint of the pattern so that I have something to go by should you desire to have the original pattern replaced.
I always try to follow the same original lines, but occasionally there are flaws in the old checkering that I will try to correct, such as squiggly lines, lines that are not evenly spaced, over-runs or panels that are uneven or mis-shapen. Sometimes it is not possible to correct certain abnormalities due to the size of the pattern, meaning, if the pattern cannot be stretched out or made larger to cover up such imperfections, I will stick with the original pattern exactly.
If there are dents and dings in the old checkering, sometimes is IS possible to get rid of those with re-cutting. It all depends on just how deep the dent or ding is.
When re-cutting an older style pattern, I will always add in the original elements such as an extra border (additional $30 per job), unless you specify otherwise.
One other mention, most of the time, with both re-cuts and new jobs, the checkered areas will appear a lighter color than the rest of the stock. Some folks are shocked at this, but usually a coat or two of finish over the checkering will darken it up. Some even use a stain to darken up the areas.
Please feel free to email me with any questions! checkering@aol.com
I do not expect to be held liable for damages that occur to any stock due to dry, brittle or cracked wood or finish. While I am always careful with every project I work on, sometimes very old wood will deteriorate.