Wood Identification Part II: Figure and Texture

Close-up of a drawer front illustrates the figuring realized by quartersawing an oak log.

 

Having discussed context, density and color, we now are down to the last two properties of wood to help made a positive identification.

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Wood Identification Part I: Context, Density, Color

The heartwood of this piece of poplar was green when it cut. After curing several years it turns brown.

 

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – Probably the third most frequently asked question about a piece of furniture, after “how old is it?” and “what’s it worth?” is “what is it made of?”

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Help translating old ‘furniturese’

The interior of an 18th century desk (top) shows how valanced pigeonholes can be used to conceal an unsuspected drawer (bottom).

 

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – In my line of work I spend a lot of quality time with my second favorite nonhuman companion, my computer. (My favorite, of course, is the Harley.) I am on pretty good terms with my computer, but occasionally one of us needs an attitude adjustment and that’s when I call on my friend Bob, who is a computer tech.

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Wood veneer: cutting it a little too thin

This striking effect is called ‘oyster’ veneer. Instead of slicing a piece of wood lengthwise it is cut cross grain.

 

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – In the last 50 years or so veneer has gotten a bad rap in the furniture trade. Somehow, back in the 1960s and 1970s veneer became associated with, and in many cases actually blamed for, some of the absolute garbage that was being manufactured at the time. But it probably goes back farther than that. That attitude is a holdover from the Depression era that is lodged in the minds of the children of the time. They remember some of the furniture their parents bought back in those dark days.

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Understanding vintage furniture’s shifting values

This coffee table was one of the few pieces of furniture my wife’s grandmother bought new in the early 1930s. Since inheriting the table it has lived everywhere she has, including college housing. Is it valuable? You better believe it is to her.

 

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – A while back I presented the second most often asked question regarding older and antique furniture. That question: “Will I destroy the value if I refinish it?” I chipped in my two cents on this subject at that time, trying to soften the Antiques Roadshow hard-line attitude about original finishes by applying what we called in the 1980s “situational ethics.”

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Furniture makers’ uncharted routes to success

The Mersman triangle mark, or a close relative, was imprinted on 30 million American tables.

 

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – Few of us are probably doing what we thought we would be doing 30 years ago. Things happen along the way and unforeseen turns make life interesting if not always predictable. Sometimes one of the things that can make an older or antique piece of furniture more interesting is the value added by a little bit of eccentric knowledge about where the piece came from and how it came to exist.

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Tool marks on antique furniture: where to find them and why

Close comparison of the spindles of this Empire/transitional chair reveals the variations produced by handwork in ‘identical’ turnings. Since we expect them to be identical they appear to be until inspected and measured.

 

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – When field cut lumber, recently converted from timber, finally reached the 18th century cabinetmaker’s shop, his main tasks were to cut and shape the wood to his own design and to smooth the surface. He and his journeymen and apprentices accomplished these tasks with an amazingly small array of hand tools, some of which would be familiar to us today and some that many of us would have no idea how to employ.

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Sorting furniture styles: pigeonhole with caution

Is this a Phyfe chair and a Hepplewhite chair? Or is it a pair of Federal chairs? Or is it two antique chairs? Or is it just two old chairs?

Is this a Phyfe chair and a Hepplewhite chair? Or is it a pair of Federal chairs? Or is it two antique chairs? Or is it just two old chairs?

 

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – One of my jobs as a reporter when I cover an antiques show or sale naturally is to ask exhibitors for details of their merchandise, take photos and record comments. But I also sometimes have the opportunity to pester attendees who don’t know me and to whom I do not introduce myself.

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Give it a rest: American furniture design

This Mission style settle shows the economy of decoration of the style, relying on the look of strength and clean lines for its attractive look.

This Mission style settle shows the economy of decoration of the style, relying on the look of strength and clean lines for its attractive look.

 

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – In classical music one of the most important notations in the score is the symbol for “rest.” It denotes the pause that refreshes, the golden silence. It tells the musician to take a break, catch a breath, skip a beat, just stop. It may be for just one beat or it may be for a few measures or for an entire passage. The composer uses the rest for many reasons, but primarily to emphasize a point or provide a space for a seamless transition of direction or tempo.

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19th century furniture bent on revivals

How old is this Chippendale chair? (Answer: circa 1900).

How old is this Chippendale chair? (Answer: circa 1900).

 

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – Once, as my teenage daughter started to leave the house on a chilly evening, I remarked that her attire might leave something to be desired. In fact, I told her she was going to be cold. She calmly looked me in the eye and replied, “You have to sacrifice something for the look.”

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