By 1730, through dovetail joinery was abandoned in English furniture making in favor of the lapped construction. As furniture became more refined, furniture makers began to take pride in the construction of their drawers as well.
When did dovetail joints stop?
The English cabinet maker first started using the dovetail joint in the mid 17th Century on walnut furniture and carried on doing this by hand until the late 19th century when they were produced by machines, mainly in the Edwardian periods.
Are dovetail joints still used?
They are still used today by many experienced custom furniture makers. Dovetail joints are not only used to make a strong joint for drawer construction, but cabinet makers often use them to join the tops, bottoms and sides of cabinet cases, as was done on antique furniture.
Why are dovetail joints bad?
The disadvantages of dovetail joints are that they can be fairly difficult to mark out and cut, and if they are made badly these joints lose the advantages listed above. Depending on the project, function, and design, there are a number of different types of dovetail joints to choose from.
How can you tell how old furniture is?
Search for any labels, stamps or manufacturing tags underneath or on the back of furniture, or in the drawers. These marks will be able to tell you who made the furniture, where it was manufactured and often the year that it was made. If there is a label, look for signs of ageing as they can be faked.
When did dovetail joints stop?
The English cabinet maker first started using the dovetail joint in the mid 17th Century on walnut furniture and carried on doing this by hand until the late 19th century when they were produced by machines, mainly in the Edwardian periods.
Are dovetail joints antique?
Most quality pieces of antique furniture will have a dovetail joint in the drawer construction as it was a very early form of construction, but was so successful, it was used for many 100’s of years. The Dovetail joint, got its name because of its similarity to the shape of a birds tail.
How old are dovetail joints in furniture?
17th Century Dovetails While dovetail joints can be found on ancient Egyptian coffins from 3000 BC, they were not used in European and American furniture until the mid 1600s.
What is the weakness of dovetail joint?
The disadvantages of dovetail joints are that they can be fairly difficult to mark out and cut, and if they are made badly these joints lose the advantages listed above. Depending on the project, function, and design, there are a number of different types of dovetail joints to choose from.
What is an alternative to a dovetail joint?
The finger joint resembles a dovetail joint in the way that both boards mesh together and create a visually appealing pattern when the joint is assembled, but the finger joint is significantly easier to master.
Is dovetail the highest quality?
Dovetail is arguably the strongest joint in millwork. It’s made so that it can’t be twisted or pulled in any direction except for one. This means that it’ll take more force to break or damage the joint. Because of the preciseness of each piece, this joint is held into place without the need for extra reinforcement.
Are dovetails the strongest of all joints?
The advantages of the dovetail joint are that it is the strongest of all joints, has a large gluing area, is interlocking, resists being pulled apart, looks attractive, and would hold together even without glue.
Are dovetail joints worth it?
Making sure that you pick a drawer joint that can withstand this type of wear and tear is crucial to the longevity of your kitchen cabinets. Dovetail joints are considered one of the strongest joints used in kitchen cabinetry construction and are the best solution for a kitchen cabinet drawer box.
Which is better English or French dovetail?
While both English and French dovetail construction are very sturdy and high quality, English dovetail construction is slightly sturdier with the trade-off of being more expensive and time-consuming to produce.
What year is considered vintage furniture?
Most antique dealers consider an item to be vintage if it is at least 40 years old. So, in the context of this blog date, a vintage item would be made between 1918 and 1978. Even though many vintage items are nostalgic, they are sought after for many reasons besides their age.
How to identify 1800s furniture?
Another sign of pre-1860 antique furniture is straight saw markings. Circular cuts on the wood generally signal a circular saw was used to cut it, which wasn’t in use until 1860. Small indentations, nicks, or slivers can indicate that the material was cut by hand.
How do you date a dovetail joint furniture?
You can get an idea of the date of a piece of antique furniture by looking at the dovetail joint, as if it is hand cut you know its pre 1880 and the more primitive the cut usually means an earlier piece. Below you can see examples, the first is a 17th century drawer, pre dovetail so very primitive clout nails used.
What is an alternative to a dovetail joint?
The finger joint resembles a dovetail joint in the way that both boards mesh together and create a visually appealing pattern when the joint is assembled, but the finger joint is significantly easier to master.
How long were Knapp joints used?
What makes the Knapp joint so special is that it was only used for about 30 years, from 1870 until 1900.
What are the cons of a dovetail joint?
The disadvantages of dovetail joints are that they can be fairly difficult to mark out and cut, and if they are made badly these joints lose the advantages listed above. Depending on the project, function, and design, there are a number of different types of dovetail joints to choose from.
When did dovetail joints stop?
The English cabinet maker first started using the dovetail joint in the mid 17th Century on walnut furniture and carried on doing this by hand until the late 19th century when they were produced by machines, mainly in the Edwardian periods.
What is a secret dovetail joint?
Secret Mitered Dovetail It offers the strength found in the dovetail joint but is totally hidden from both the inside and outside corners by forming the outer edge to meet at a 45-degree angle while hiding the dovetails internally within the joint.
What are the 2 types of dovetail joints?
Types of Dovetail Joints Half-Blind dovetails: In these, the pins and tails are hidden. Half-blind dovetails are only revealed when moved, opened or seen from a certain angle, like behind a drawer face. In a through dovetail, both the dovetails and pins are visible.
Is 40 year old furniture antique?
In the strictest sense, the difference between an antique and a vintage item is its age. Antiques are items which must be at least 100 years old. That means, as of the date of this posting, an antique item was made on or before April of 1918.
How can you tell if wood is antique furniture?
The best way to tell if it’s real wood is to look at the end grain. This is the surface of the wood that is exposed when a piece of wood is cut across the growth rings or layers of the tree. Real wood’s end grain looks distinctly different from that of manufactured wood.
How old is a vintage piece of furniture?
Most antique dealers consider an item to be vintage if it is at least 40 years old. So, in the context of this blog date, a vintage item would be made between 1918 and 1978. Even though many vintage items are nostalgic, they are sought after for many reasons besides their age. This includes decorating and collecting.
