Pallet Wood As An Inlay

I lucked out and found a complete, functional treadle with a beautiful, 6-drawer cabinet at a Goodwill for $5.00 (yes, that’s not a typo – five dollars)! When I got it home and disassembled it to clean the machine and assembly, I found that 100+-year-old cabinet had some damage. There was a split piece of secondary wood (redwood), so I trimmed it off and joined a new piece of reclaimed redwood from my property (almost 100 years old). There was a broken piece of oak frame that supports the sewing machine when it is folded down inside, and that was patched with oak pallet wood. I thought I was good until I started sanding the top. Before anyone screams, this cabinet had been refinished at least twice in the course of its life. I discovered that the oak veneer on the top cover was lifted – and when I started to lift gently to apply glue, I found that it was infested with black mold! The whole thing had to come off. It had been used as a plant stand that had obviously had some drainage issues. It was damaged into the secondary sub wood, so I decided to do an inlay! I picked a pattern that I liked, then used bits and pieces of various pallet wood types that I’d saved from other projects. I glued it all together, carved out an inlay with chisels and cleaned it up with a Dremel. When I dry-fitted it, I planned it all level, then sanded it. I glued it in place, and when it was dried, I selectively stained a few pieces (the redwood and oak mostly) and stained the cabinet and drawers with the light cherry finish. It’s not assembled yet, but I had to share! :-D