Hi all. Refugee from Cooks’ Talk here, hoping you can help with a bit of a mystery.
I decided to make my wife a new sewing machine table for Christmas and picked on an old dresser that’s been taking up floor space in my shop for too long.
This dresser is an old piece that belonged to DW’s grandmother and was too far gone to restore. I first saw it in a room full of white oak antiques and assumed it was one more. But, when I started taking it apart, it was immediately obvious that it’s a different wood altogether. It’s a softwood, but being unused to dealing with older growth softwoods, I’m having trouble identifying it. Hoping you folks can help.
I’m guessing the piece is 75 – 100 years old. It’s all wood construction, frame and panel, solid drawer bottoms and so on, appears to be all the same wood although the panels at the back are of lower quality than the front ones. Drawers are dovetailed at the front, dadoed at the back. Wire nails were used, as well as screws for the pulls. The corner posts are dadoed full length, spreaders and panels fitting in in the modern fashion, but Shaker style – maybe table saw rather than router work. The wood is stained to a walnut tone but not particularly well finished. The grain is reminiscent of cherry in places, pine in others, but the weight falls between the two. Too heavy for pine, too light for cherry, or even fir. It looks like a mid grade item – not super high quality but well constructed.
I’m hoping that someone out there, experienced in the field, will recognize the style and wood from this poor description.
ADAM’S APPLE, n.
A protuberance in the throat of man, thoughtfully provided by Nature to keep the rope in place.
Ambrose Bierce – The Devil’s Dictionary
Replies
Couldn't you post a picture or two?
Just got a new camera, still learning its ins and outs but I'll try. Poplar is an excellent possibility though.
ADAM'S APPLE, n.A protuberance in the throat of man, thoughtfully provided by Nature to keep the rope in place. Ambrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary
Probably Poplar.
Gonna try to load some pictures here - bear with me, this is experimental! The third pic is the underside of the top.
ADAM'S APPLE, n.A protuberance in the throat of man, thoughtfully provided by Nature to keep the rope in place. Ambrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary
It's hard to tell from the pictures but it looks a bit like spruce.
Could you try some more pictures? Get a little closer, hold the camera steady, and shoot at an angle so the flash doesn't reflect directly back to the lens.
Sorry, crappy camera. It was a freebie for sitting through a sales presentation on time share vacations. No flash and no close up capability. I'm actually feeling pretty good about poplar - definitely not spruce.Started planing the stuff today, and with all this cheap wood on the outside I found one internal dust frame stick that's birdseye maple! Go figure.
ADAM'S APPLE, n.A protuberance in the throat of man, thoughtfully provided by Nature to keep the rope in place. Ambrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary
Based on the data offered, another guess for poplar. Those green shades in picture 2 & 3 are telling.
Have seen many similar types of furniture pieces that were made of poplar for the frame (with some veneers for the visible parts.)
spruce would be too soft.
From the pics, especially the top underside, I think it looks like Red Gum. Gum sometimes has streaks in it like the underside of the top, looks and stains similar to poplar.Furniture...the Art of a FurnitureMaker
Most likely made in Canada, so I don't think it could be red gum. Pretty sure the other gentlemen have it right. Thanks to all for the input. Drop by Cookstalk sometime and say Hi!
ADAM'S APPLE, n.A protuberance in the throat of man, thoughtfully provided by Nature to keep the rope in place. Ambrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary
I second the vote for poplar.
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