Also Russell's Teapot.Originally Posted by Jim Matthews
Mike
Contributor
Also Russell's Teapot.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
I enjoy these posts. Two methods of work that are very different. Each trying to match the other. The hand tool worker takes a saw and a chisel and cuts a dovetail. The machine worker takes a machine and tries to match what the hand tool worker does. Just how many types of dovetail set ups have been invented and there is always a new and better one. Now the hand tool worker tries to match the sharp edges and exact spacing of machine work. How many dovetail markers and guides have been produced. Same things go for all types of woodworking. Super Surfacers trying to match a hand planed surface and various types of irons for hand planes to produce machine work. All very strange to me, one trying to replicate the other. Two very different methods, both good, trying to look like each other.
Friend of the Creek
Mike, they appear hand cut. Perhaps the piece is older. After another look, they are better than I remember. Both the front and back of the drawers are dovetailed.
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Member
How many forges were running in the 18th century? If you have done historical research you will know that this is not something that is easy to ascertain. If you want to make a point about the number of forges, the burden of proof is yours; I did not talk about forges.
If you are interested in wages and the cost of chisels, works by Charlie Hummel and Jane Rees are a good place to start.
Member
See: Burden of Proof fallacy
You staked *your* claim on a metric that can't be tested.
You inferred that the few remaining smiths, today, charge similar rates to toolmakers of Chippendale's day.
It's a convenience to omit details which counter your assertion.
Contributor
Yeah....I can see where all of the above responses are REALLY helping the original question....Maybe two should conduct a private message duel?
Contributor
Definitely looks hand cut.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Member
Thanks for that steven. Really made me laugh out load. Good one 👍
Contributor
Phil, show us the drawer front. And the brasses or knobs.
Friend of the Creek
Mel, I’m away until Sunday. Will post a pic when I get back.
Contributor
If a craftsman was being paid by pieces made, it is likely those who could make dovetailed drawers without having to mark them first could turn out an extra drawer or two each day.
Starting in about 1870 the Knapp joint or pin & cove joint was used in factory made furniture until the late 1890s. This is when practical machine made dovetails started to take prominence in factory made furniture. There may have been some machine made dovetails before 1870, but not common due to many factors.
https://www.harpgallery.com/library/dovetails.htm
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Ever wonder what happened to all the furniture made by all the Village Joiners/Carpenters back then? Maybe the only ones left for us to view and critique today, were done to a higher standard ( and price, IF they could pry the coin from the client...) and the cheap stuff just didn't last more than one household? Rather doubt a Newport Kneehole desk would have been carried in the back of a wagon going to the Northwest Territories.....or even on a Keel Boat down to the Ohio Territory .
So, maybe what we are able to look at today, was made to a higher standard then what the average Joe log cabin builder could afford.....as he had more important issues to deal with....like keeping the hair ON his head. Back when a Joiner built houses during the summer, and items for inside that house during the winter.....with his house being the last in line, usually....
Friend of the Creek
Mel, here’s a picture of the piece and a close up of the drawer pulls. It’s been in need of some minor restoration, but it’s just one of those projects I keep putting off. Over the years, it’s been used for all sorts of things, including an aquarium stand. I picked it up from an antique store decades ago for about $50 bucks if I recall correctly.
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Last edited by Phil Mueller; 06-14-2020 at 5:14 PM.
Contributor
Phil, I think that looks like a Beidermier piece 1830-1840.
Friend of the Creek
Thanks Mel. Years ago, prior to the internet, a college professor and I tried to ID it from a stack of books he had. Never could nail it down. Sort of lost hope in figuring it out. You’ve piqued my interest again. Definitely some design similarities to your suggestion. Wish I could find a closer match. In all my searching, I can’t find a single identifying mark on the piece. May post it on an antique forum and see what comes up. Appreciate your interest and input!
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