A Little Mystery

[James Mittlefehldt]

So I am in this antique store on Sunday and I see this chest of drawers, $400. on it, did not stand out at first until I started looking closer, it was quarter sawn oak and well made I thought.

The owner says I brought two container loads of this stuff over from England, he was English himself, and I have to clear it out so if you want I will sell you the whole set, chest, mirrored dressing table, and footboard, and head board for $500. The dressing table was very low with a five foot beveled glass mirror, and while the overall design was simple, it was very elegant.

My wife has been looking for a bedroom set for some time now, for our spare room, so she said yes if the head board and footboard are as good as this we will take it.

The vendor must have sussed that I knew a little bit about wood and said you want to see something odd. (HERE COMES THE MYSTERY PART) He opened the top drawer of the chest to reveal that the secondery wood on all the drawers was in fact some beautifully figured Mahogany, I think personally Cuban Mahogany, as it tends more to brown than red but that will take some research.

His theory was, and it sounds possible to me, that the shop or factory that built this piece was doing what was fashionable ie quarter sawn Oak, and that by the twenties Mahogany was out of fashion. So they were probably an older established firm and having an old and probably large inventory of mahgony used it up as drawer sides.

I have to say all of the grain is beautiful ansd some outstanding, one piece looked like it was from a crotch, I took all the drawers out when it was delivered yesterday to see.

So anyone else think that is plausible?

My wife asked me suspiciously last night, your not gonna take the set apart for the drawers are you? I of course anwered no, but it really is nice old mahogany lol.

[Ethan Sincox]

James,

I notice you neglected to indicate what your response was! Or was that your response (i.e. silence)?

I guess the only concern with disassembling it would be if it turned out to be Honduran mahogany or something other than cuban mahogany.

I feel your temptation, though, brother.

Try to fight it.

[Jim Becker]

Ah, James....pictures! :) Please!

I think the theory about using existing inventory for the "secondary" wood is probably spot-on.

[Wilbur Pan]

His theory was, and it sounds possible to me, that the shop or factory that built this piece was doing what was fashionable ie quarter sawn Oak, and that by the twenties Mahogany was out of fashion. So they were probably an older established firm and having an old and probably large inventory of mahgony used it up as drawer sides.

I agree with that theory. People do all sorts of wacky things in the name of fashion.

[James Mittlefehldt]

Actually it is well made and styled and I would never dissasemble it for the wood. That is unless it sustained some sort of major damage. LOL

One thing that I found interesting was that the maker whoever it was, put thin, maybe 3/8 pieces of wood beneath all the drawers and mortised them into the runners, sort of like a dust seal. The drawers all slide in and out effortlessly.

Pictures may be forth coming but not until tomorrow some time.

The dovetails were machine cut which on is unusual as much of the up market furniture from English makers I have seen usually had handcut dovetails, even in the twenties.

[Clara Koss]

photos man.... you can't leave us with a cliff hanger like this and not let us SEE...

[James Mittlefehldt]

Anon Clara anon, I should be able to post pictures on Saturday, though I will be going to a twon wide garage sale in the morning on a rust hunt.

[Johnny Kleso]

We had a factory in town next to the old mill that made solid oak stuff and they had a mountian of mostly 4x4 wood outside under shed roofs and I can see that happening.. Was like 12' high by 30-40' wide and maybe 100-150' long .. Passed the stacks ever day without even a fence around it and only 30' from the road.. Was really temping when I was building my bench :)