Dear Esther,

I know of a German company that designs desks with base which is height-adjustable but also with tops that also tilt their surface towards the conservator/user (you may contact Berlin's Museum of Islamic Art textile conservator Anne Besselin who may have their contact details). 

For our newly built conservation lab in Saudi Arabia though, I end up 'designing' custom-made top-desks that can roll over in all possible angles or just upside down with a secure mechanism at the centre of a side major metal leg. The most important point is that although the top can turn upside down (in one side you may have perfect-flat surface and on the other i.e. a cork-surface to pin down textiles for drying or tensioning), this table-top has to stop firmly in every angle you want while rolling it over in both directions (if your space is not vast, like in our museum, you may not be able to move it around too much). All tables will have a maximum and minimum height level which is higher and lower than those I have seen in other institutions and manufacturers (I worked in museums that they changed chairs and the height was altered thus making difficult the work on the existing table tops). All table legs will end on 4 wide rubber-covered roller with secure-fix. The cork surface is an idea I have seen in the old National Museum of Scotland's conservation lab but now of a different make. The complete roll over system was seen in Warsow's tapestry conservation studio for when they needed to work on both sides of the surface.

Another type of surface will have to be for small pieces that need two conservators to work on the same piece on each side (similar to tapestry support stitching/repairs when stitching can be faster this way). I plan the format of this table surface to be larger than the first type as most likely larger objects will be worked on this table. This surface can be of an embroidery system threading edges secured on a wooden thick frame. I am still working on how to replace the traditional embroidery-threading of a continued thread running around the wooden surface, with individual set stretch threads with clip ends that will hold the piece in several points, like the gentle method used in stretching parchment leafs. 

Each type of table (different only in their top) will have a different color, as a colour-code of their type of function/work. One of the ideas is to try and work as much as possible in an appropriate angle for the back to remain straight, as we know of the back-problems of textile conservators. The vertical-object style of work though demands excellent chairs with wide arm-supports that are height-adjustable for arm-resting.  

Good luck and please let us know of your choices when you decide,

Konstantinos Chatziantoniou
Head of Collections & Conservation
King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture
Dhahran
S.Arabia


Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2013 13:03:17 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: in search of a well designed work table
To: [log in to unmask]

Dear Esther,

I would highly recommend a company called General Woodworking in Lowell, Massachusetts. The contact I have had for many years is Peter Schell.

Tel: 978-459-1151, Email: [log in to unmask]

General Woodworking makes tables with powder-coated steel bases on casters with formica tops. The tables roll around easily for adjusting table spaces. In the mid-90's, they made the tables for the Textile Conservation Center and since then over the years have fabricated tables for many other museums and conservation labs. Tables can be custom designed to be adjustable or have cut outs for a suction disc or for stitching on a modular flat surface. Recently I had him design one for a large wash tank with a sectional table top to be the same height as all of the rest of my tables. They will custom build to your specifications including height and color choices.

Best of luck.

Deirdre




On 8/6/2013 11:57 AM, Esther Methe wrote:
[log in to unmask]">

The Textile Museum is in the process of moving to two new facilities and we are looking at new work tables for the textile conservation labs. For each lab, we are looking into a modular system with probably 4-5 tables on casters. We have one adjustable table and we may want to go to that direction.  Has anyone come up with a great design to share? Or found a company to recommend?

 

Thank you for any information you would like to share.

 

Esther

 

Esther Méthé

Margaret Wing Dodge Chair in Conservation

Chief Conservator

The Textile Museum • 2320 S Street  NW • Washington, DC 20008

tel. 202.667.0441, ext. 18 • fax 202.483.0994

 

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-- 
Deirdre Windsor, Principal
Windsor Conservation
85 Pine Street
Dover, MA 02030
Tel/Fax: 508 785-1974
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