CNC lathe with 48 inch diameter capacity, plus ability to mill flutes, spirals or out of rounds. (Click image to enlarge)

Column Restoration is the most Cost Effective Choice: By specializing in the restoration and reproduction of existing wood columns, Honeoye Falls Millwork is answering a widespread historic preservation need in upstate New York. Owners and building managers often contact us noting that their monumental exterior wood columns are completely sound - except for the bottom few inches at and just above the column base where runoff, splashback and snowmelt have accumulated. Can it be necessary or advisable, they ask, to replace the entire column when so little is damaged and so much is sound? Our answer is no, it would be unwise to do so because replacement materials will never be so stable as the first growth lumber from which these historic wood columns were originally constructed. Nothing will be as durable or cost effective over time as restoration of these beautiful, original, irreplaceable, historic wood columns.

Reproduction, Replacement and Epoxy Repair: Large columns, fluted or unfluted, are generally constructed out of large, cambered "staves" assembled in a hollow ring. Honeoye Falls Millwork has developed a number of techniques for stabilizing repairable damage with sophisticated epoxy repair and wood preservation techniques while replacing damaged elements with faithful reproduction elements of the highest quality.

Staved column assembly.

New turned column base.

In house, we can produce column bases and similar faceplate turnings of up to 48 inches in diameter. We can, of course, furnish reproduction of any size or shape stave, as required. When a column is irreparably damaged and must be replaced, our in house computer-controlled CNC lathe ensures accuracy in turning and fluting columns up to 42 inches. Since it is CNC controlled, parts can be fabricated to match existing column sections that are out of round, fluted, or spiraled. Honeoye Falls Millwork is a complete millwork shop, and is capable of producing all types of column elements, in house, such as plinths, bases and capitals.

We advise clients to get the full story before making a final decision about the fate of their original large wood columns. A replacement solution can seem like a quick or easy answer but may produce problems very soon after installation. We are always glad to talk to you about the conditions and options for such historic work. To get started, contact Jim Turner, Proprietor of Honeoye Falls Millwork, at 585.624.3340. Serving New York State. Our email is hfmillwork@bluefrog.com. For the quickest reply, however, please communicate with us by telephone.