Very cool Old Dovetail Chest

[Bob Jones]

About 2 years ago my wife and I were looking for antiques for the house. I saw this "mule chest" and bought it. I knew then that I wanted to learn to hand cut dovetails and this chest is full of them. I am learning now, but this chest reminds me that I have a long way to go!

I wanted to post pictures of it here for 2 reasons.
1 - perhaps it will inspire others like me to learn to hand cut dovetails
2- see if anyone can tell me anything about this chest.

The top section is the chest. The 4 boards that make the front/back/sides are 1 board that is 18inches wide! Wow, got to be old! The bottom section is 2 doors that open to an open area.

The wood has obvious heartwood and sap wood. Any guesses on species? Any idea how old it is or where it was made? My guess is that it was a 1 of a kind thing because it was made from such wide boards.

About the dovetails - they are really great. The craftsman hit every angle - no gaps that I can find. And I have looked! I don't know how he did that. The interesting thing it that there are no gaps, but nearly every cut on the tail board went too deep. Perfection in one aspect, sloppy in another??? It still looks great.

Oh yeah, the pins appear to be the width of his DT saw. The skinny pins make the end grain obviously showing it is one WIDE board. Man! Enjoy!

[Bill Houghton]

Thanks for sharing a beautiful piece of work. Nice that it got to a home where it will be appreciated.

And, speaking of beautiful, that's some babe you've got in your arms there. When do you plan to take her into the shop and start teaching her about woodworking?

[Josh Rudolph]

Bob,

Nice chest. I don't think it is a one of a kind though. I think it is a version of a 5 board chest. My Grandmother had one that was huge. The board for the lid was 24"+. It sold at her estate auction for $1150 a few months ago. I bid on it up until it hit $500. I really wanted it as when she was living she had told my wife and I she was going to give it to us in a few years down the road, but it was never put in her will.
The box had some history and had actually come from another local family, where it had been in their family for generations. So I wasn't too upset that I didn't get it. Just glad it made it somewhere that it would be appreciated. It was rumored to have been late 1700's early 1800's, but that is only what I was told. The box was dovetailed like yours, but had an internal key that allowed the top to be removed from the bottom. The dovetails were more for function rather than form. They were 2-3" wide and their pitch changed from DT to DT. It was a really neat box.

Josh

[Phil Thien]

That is a neat chest.

Don't take this the wrong way, but are you sure that isn't a modern piece? Something new that was made to look old?

The hardware, finish, and interior oxidation of the wood look suspicious to me.

[Bob Jones]

It smells old. I know nothing about antiques, but it sure seems old to me. The camera flash makes the outside look a bit darker than it is.

Any ideas to the type of wood? It is soft enough that I can just scratch it with my fingernail on the inside.

[george wilson]

Looks like poplar. The interior should not be dark like that unless it has been stained or finished to look so. Old chests were not finished inside. Anyway,the cast iron lock,porcelain knob,and modern rolled steel hinges date it as not too old. They look late 19th-early 20th.C.. They do not appear to be replacements,especially the hinges. There is no alteration of nearby wood around them. Also,the top of the bin comes all the way up to the top of the chest,so no lid could have been fitted.

Hardware like that is commonly available from flea markets or restoration supply houses.

Old pieces have a lid on the little bin. Yours never had one,apparently. The old ones usually had holes drilled at each end of the back edge of the bin. The lid had rounded extensions that fit into the holes when the chest was put together,to serve as hinges. If the lid is lost,the holes should still be there.

I also understand from the cross grain scratches seen in the close up of the hinge, the chest has been sanded and stained or finished inside.

the whole chest looks like it has been clumsily "aged" by staining,and sanding off the finish in illogical ways that are not consistent with normal wear patterns.

[David Keller NC]

Bob - the wood is tulip poplar. Most often, that would mean that the chest was made in the mid-atlantic states. As George notes, the hardware is 19th century - the lock, in particular, is a Victorian pattern.

However, it's quite common to have replaced hardware on a chest like this, so it may actually be older. What you may wish to do is to (carefully) back out the screws on one of the hinges, and look underneath to see if there are unused screw-holes. That would indicate that the hinges have been replaced. You can do a similar thing with the lock/hasp.