Old dresser wood species identification

[scott vroom]

I recently acquired an old dresser with beautiful figured wood raised drawer panels. Any ideas on what species of wood this is? Also note the drawer front joinery...very unique. I was told this piece was common and from the 30's or 40's. Any help identifying species and era is appreciated.

Thanks-

[Joe Spear]

That drawer joint is called a Knapp joint, invented by Charles B. Knapp of Waterloo, WI, in the 1860's. It is also called scallop and dowel or pin and scallop. He and others were looking for a way to use machines to speed up drawer manufacturing. He had made his first machine and patented it by 1867. Cabinet makers were able to go from 15 to 20 drawers a day to 200 using the machines. Knapp sold his rights a few years later. By 1900 other machine methods were developed, and the Knapp joint was on its way out. Any furniture you see with that joint was probably made between 1871 and 1905, so you seem to have a real antique. The wood looks like maple, but we'd need some close-ups to be more certain. That fancy panel looks to be some kind of burl (don't know what species), most likely a veneer applied over the base wood of the drawer. It's a very interesting piece of furniture.

[David G Baker]

Don't know what the wood is but that is sure one fine looking dresser.

[Frank Drew]

My guess is that the veneer is elm burl, but that's just a guess.

There seems to be a rather surprising amount of tearout on the drawer face above the veneered panel, in the third photo.

[Joe Spear]

Given the age of the piece, I suspect that the damage is wear from use for a hundred years.

[Ethan Sincox]

That drawer joint is called a Knapp joint, invented by Charles B. Knapp of Waterloo, WI, in the 1860's. It is also called scallop and dowel or pin and scallop. He and others were looking for a way to use machines to speed up drawer manufacturing. He had made his first machine and patented it by 1867. Cabinet makers were able to go from 15 to 20 drawers a day to 200 using the machines. Knapp sold his rights a few years later. By 1900 other machine methods were developed, and the Knapp joint was on its way out. Any furniture you see with that joint was probably made between 1871 and 1905, so you seem to have a real antique. The wood looks like maple, but we'd need some close-ups to be more certain. That fancy panel looks to be some kind of burl (don't know what species), most likely a veneer applied over the base wood of the drawer. It's a very interesting piece of furniture.

Joe beat me to it.

I have three pieces of furniture with Knapp joint drawers. I love finding this when I examine a piece of furniture because, as Joe indicated, you can positively identify the construction to within a 34-year period.

I was at an estate sale one time, looking over three walnut night stands I'd lined up that looked very similar, trying to decide which one to buy. In the end, I decided the one with the Knapp joint drawer was the oldest (complete piece) and best quality and bought it for something ridiculous like $35. Of the other two, one was a later piece with machine-cut dovetail joints while the other had hand-cut dovetail joints but an obviously-replaced top that was much newer than the base (and that last piece was not in as good a condition).

The other two had their knobs replaced to match the Knapp joint table (you could see the old filled holes on the dovetailed drawer) and, as a mismatched set, the three looked very nice together.

Several people watched me go through the process of elimination and one of them finally asked what I was doing. So I got to give a 5-minute treatise (well... it was verbal, but you get the idea) on my process and why I picked the one I picked. Very enjoyable.

The primary wood looks to be walnut (if nobody mentioned that before) but the burl will certainly be harder to pinpoint.

[Van Huskey]

The burl could be a handful of species and harder still when you do not know the natural color. My guess would echo the above posters based on look and period, either elm or walnut. If you are trying to "match it" carpathian elm, walnut, musk and even camphor (and others) have burls that would fit. If you just want to know what it is, it will be very difficult without some serious work.

[Frank Drew]

Given the age of the piece, I suspect that the damage is wear from use for a hundred years.

Joe,

I don't know the history of this piece, and I'm not seeing it first hand, but I wonder how, from ordinary wear and tear, one could damage the front of a drawer in just that fashion.

It sure looks like tearout from machining that just wasn't cleaned up before the piece left the factory.

[Joe Spear]

We should go on a field trip to personally examine the dresser. I'm up for a vacation.

[Frank Drew]

Road trip out to California! Boy, that brings back memories!!

[Joe Spear]

1970 and 1976 for me, back when I could still drive solo 1032 miles in 23 1/2 hours, and they're wasn't even any furniture to entice me.