How to identify the age of antique furniture by drawer joinery.
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- How to determine the age of antique furniture by looking at the drawer construction. We examine basic construction, machine dovetails, hand cut dovetails, Knapp joinery and modern assembly.
Follow along with Jon and learn how to recognize antique drawer construction circa 1860's and more. Thanks for watching!
I have an Eastlake style dresser with the Knapp joint. That dresser is so solid you wouldn't even realize its from the 1800s. The only thing wrong with it is the worn out drawer slides but that can easily be fixed and it would be just as sturdy as the day it was built. It was a dresser I'm surprised was passed up for over a year in the thrift shop at its $50 price tag. I figure its going to cost maybe another $100 to restore but honestly $150 for a dresser I'm keeping the rest of my life that I can trust will still be sturdy enough to last another 150 years I think its well worth it. I have grown a significant appreciation for Knapp joints because of that dresser and would actually love to be able to replicate them when I get back into woodworking. Id love to create high quality wooden furniture using older more strong methods. I dream of finding an original 1800s Knapp joint machine but they seem to be near impossible to find.
Thankyou Jon, for your presentation . . . Chris . . . Norwich, England
My pleasure!
Thank you for the information. Drawer joinery is the first thing I look art to determine whether a piece of furniture is solid wood, thanks to you I've a better idea of how to guess age.:)
Thanks for watching! Appreciate the feedback.
Absolutely brilliant. I just got an old bureau and wanted to date it. I think, from your information it’s between 1910-1960. Thank you! And that knapp joinery is stunning!
Thanks for watching! Drawers are only one piece of the puzzle to help identify age. Look for clues in wood selection, hardware and style. Please subscribe if you haven't. Thanks!
@@jci2010 thanks for the advice!
That Knapp joinery is beautiful. Not seen that here in the UK so much, mostly a wide variety of shapes of dovetails. I'm not an expert, I just like old furniture and browsing antiques, so I love learning about dating methods.
Interesting video!
Nice video.
Just a few additional points I've known of (and not saying anything you said was incorrect)...
- be careful of married items. It is not uncommon to find pieces that were not originally one piece of furniture. Things to look for are different methods of construction, marks/ holes/etc. in areas that do not make sense (like finding a hole for a pull knob on a board making a drawer's back).
- fake - intentional attempts to make obverse appear old. Harder since the purpose is to deceive the buyer... but generally they will try to use old parts/ wood/etc. that on inspection may not match other areas.
You are awesome. Thank you for your help❤
Great video, I didn't know about the scallop & pin style joinery
Thanks for watching!
Such an informative video thank you!! 😊
Thank you!
You learned me something today sir thank you for the insight
Great video+explanation+presentation! Thank you for sharing! Well done mate - NEW SUB 🙏🏻
Awesome, thank you!
Adorable clues ❤❤❤❤
Thanks for watching
GOOD STUFF!!!
The larger of the 2 drawers in piece you’re working on has a center board in the bottom panel. What’s the purpose of it?
The drawer had an extra tongue and groove board in the center. This was used to add strength. Both side panels are solid wood and are allowed to float while that center board is glued into place. Thanks for watching!
Truly the furniture made today is by FAR inferior to the furniture of ages past. With that said, today’s furniture is stapled as you said but hopefully, they would have added glue to that one drawer that was on the top of your stack. Glue can be stronger than the wood itself….but like everything that is produced today, it will never hold up like the antiques of the past. PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE! Ugh!
Thanks for watching! This is exactly why restoring an old antique is so rewarding. Not only because it's made from better materials and superior construction methods, but also satisfying to resurrect an artifact that otherwise, was headed to the fire pit.
We have a Tavern Table, at least that’s what it’s been called, that’s been passed down in our family. It’s constructed with square cut nails thru the top into base with a single drawer under the top. Drawer sides & back are joined with basic rabbet joints &
small square cut nails. It’s made of pine with a lot of patina!! Any guess how old it could be?
Thanks for watching! Square cut nails were used until the end on the 19th century, when price and availability crushed the competition. Wire nail technology progressed right alongside factory machinery. Of course it's impossible to date exactly, but around 1870-1890 the wire nail becomes dominate and completely takes over. That style of joinery could easily be made by a local farmer/craftsman with very few tools, hand planer, chisel and saw. Your best bet to date the table is the family history. If I had to guess, I'd guess it was built pre 1890.
That joint from the 1860s with the pins is machine made. Machine dovetailes are easier to identify as well. My 18th and early 19th century hand dovetailed drawers are finally made and the bottoms of the drawers are hand planed as opposed to circular machine planing of later on.
Thanks for watching! Enjoy
I had an Eastlake bedroom set I thought was made between the 1920s to 1930s which used the drawer type you described in at the beginning ( the ones that do not come apart) so is my dating wrong? The drawer pulls were "sphinx" faced in brass.
That's part of the mystery and why we gather clues to help us identify.
Thanks for watching and enjoy!
How can you tell how old a Hoosier cabinet is ?
The Hoosier cabinet was made from about 1898-1920's. They have an enamel counter top with several bins and tins for storage. Originally shipped in a box, easy to transport via wagon or train, the Hoosier was one of the first "ready to assemble" pieces of furniture. This "furniture" was not made very well and they have not stood the test of time. I have restored several Hoosiers and they always arrive in pieces. So, if yours is falling apart, chances are it's an old original. If it's solid, it's probably a reproduction. Thanks for watching!
I have a dining room set from Youngsville Star Manufacturing Company in great condition. How do I determine it's value?
Great Question! Value is subjective and often difficult to determine what something is worth. Many factors can play a role, i.e. condition, age, rarity, provenance and market. In your specific situation, if you can find an exact set or LKQ set from the same or similar Mfg, you have a "replacement cost" value at retail price. If you are looking for a value to provide to an insurance company, an original receipt or professional appraisal is usually necessary. Thx
Would u be able to identify my piece? I believe it is from 1910’-1930’s
Sure, can you attach a few photos?
To look at that cabinet I would have thought late 1920s...
That's exactly what I thought when I first looked at it. There were obviously some amazing cabinet shops back in the day. Thanks for watching!
Not a bad explanation of the joinery-use as an age identifier....but not particularly complete, imo.
The materials used in drawer construction are also indicative of the age of a piece. Plywood use for bottoms (20th century) or back pieces, integral drawer slides, and of course...finish quality (or even existence on all but the face !) are also good indicators. Additionally, the species of wood used in "non-seen" parts, their smoothness (saw marks) and consistency throughout the entire piece, are also indicators of an era or even an area of the country in which the piece was made.
Overall, not a bad video, so thanks.
Next time you go into a discussion of dovetails, you should probably include the differences between "through dovetails", "half-blind dovetails" and "full blind dovetails" as well as the 'oh-so tricky and difficult to get tight'.....sliding dovetails, to be thorough in your tutorials....just sayin'.
(Gotcha by nearly 3 decades in doing this kind of woodworking professionally, but you are doing fine !)
Yes, you're correct that there are other indicators to help determine the age, i.e. style, design, wood, finish, hardware. But this video I said we would use only the joinery to determine the age. Thanks for watching :)