Replies

1. 
   SawdustSteve | Mar 10, 2003 04:36am | #1

   Dave... I don't know of any book that can give this exact information.  To get this information you have to talk to lots of reliable antiques dealers and slowly extract many small bits of info from them.  Identifying the age of furniture is not an exact science.  You have to look at LOTS of clues and then take a guess.  Dovetail joints have been used since Noah built the ark.  You have to look at the type, style and construction of the hardware, the types of castings used for drawer pulls, the type of glue used and a hundred other small details.  Are the nails hand-made or machine made?  How about the screws??  Hand-cut or machine cut??  Screw head shapes?  Are the screws pointy or flat"  Are then screw slots centered or slightly off??   Types of glue used?  Hide or modern, but remember many furniture makers use hide glue today.  Jointery varies from century to century along with finishes.  How about signs of wear, not artificial aging put on by some 'antiques dealer' but TRUE use wear?  You've got to be able to read the oxidation of wood. Some spots should have more oxidation than others.  After all that, you must know the STYLE of the furniture and when it went through various revivals and changes.    Watch the experts on 'Antiques Roadshow'.  See how they disect a piece of furniture to determin its age.  If you are interested in only dating several pieces, you may be better off finding a furniture expert and pay him to do a proper appraisal, not for its value, but for its age.  

   SawdustSteve

2. 
   forestgirl | Mar 10, 2003 08:27am | #2

   There is a small handbook out there that can be very helpful, but I couldn't locate it in my "library" tonight.  I sent you an email with another suggestion.

   You might spend some time in the library or a big bookstore browsing the antiques section.  Look for something that shows the evolution of construction techniques, marks left by planing and sawing, types of nails and screws used, and different hardware for different eras.  Also would show different styles of legs, etc.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

3. 
   BenM | Mar 10, 2003 02:48pm | #3

   One book that may assist you in determining if the furniture is old (as compared to a reproduction) is "Old Furniture: Understanding the Craftsman's Art", by Nancy A. Smith.  It's published by Dover and sells for $16.95.