Dating Furniture By Joints

This construction detail is your first key to the piece s age and quality of craftsmanship. How to identify furniture of the 1800s by its dovetailing. Upper drawers which were protected by the bottom drawer s were exposed to less air and therefore less smoke grease etc.

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A joint is where two pieces of wood come together.

Dating furniture by joints. Hand cut dovetails can date an older american piece to before 1890 although hobbyists and specialty makers still use them. Jan 30 2014 furniture detective columnist fred taylor says in an effort to determine the range of the age of a piece of furniture we have the beginnings of a built in time line if the piece has drawers. It is a five sided box that must fit perfectly with. Dovetail joints are strong and require skill to produce so they re generally a sign of a well made piece.

As the dovetail joint evolved through the last one hundred thirty years it becomes a clue for the age and authenticity of antique furniture. If you are trying to determine the age of a piece of american antique furniture it will require investigative work look closely at the the different elements that make the piece of furniture. The type of dovetailed joint especially in drawers reveals much about furniture construction and dating. Dovetails are interlocking carved wood joints used in cabinetry to connect two pieces of wood drawer fronts and sides cabinet or.

Hand cut dovetails appeared late in that century and for the next 80 years or so dovetails were wide stubby and crude. There were few 1 4 dovetails in each drawer. A drawer is a fairly difficult thing to build when you get right down to it. Examine the level of work that went into the furniture from the joinery finishing knobs and more.

The dovetail joint is one of the most distinctive and best antique furniture joints used in furniture construction to join wood at a right angle. Easily distinguishable by its multiple flared tenons which interlock like fingers and look like doves tails the dovetail forms a strong durable joint. Fig 1 the underneath side of the lowest drawer on most antique furniture is open and exposed to the air. Thomas johnson antique furniture restoration 161 162 views 27 07 use of the blacklight in identifying antiques antiques with gary stover duration.

In the 17th century butt and rabbet joints were used. Construction techniques can assist you in dating furniture. Over the years smoke grease dirt and moisture circulating with the room air cause this exposed side to darken. While it is a simple design the mortise and tenon joint is nonetheless an effective and versatile joint that can be found in most carpentry from furniture and storage to buildings and bridges.

One of the strongest and oldest forms of joinery that has been used by carpenters for thousands of years. With just a little study of these examples it is easy to spot true hand made construction vs.