Beveled Till Dados?

[Patrick Sparks]

I have what I think is an 18th c. mahogany sea chest with two tills (missing). What I'm wondering about is: the dados are different on each side of the chest; one side is square bottom dado, the other is sloped or beveled. Does anyone know what this is called, and why it was done that way? I gather it is to make the assembly easier. Thanks.20240225_093835 (Large).jpg20240226_124058.jpg20240226_124104.jpg

[David Carroll]

I gather it is to make the assembly easier. Thanks.

I've not seen that before in any of the old chests that I've seen (one or two). I think you are on the right track though. If the till was added after the carcass was together, that would make it easier, drop the one side into it's dado and wedge/force/dance/cuss the other one into place. I would imagine the tills were somewhat loose as a result, and that might be why they fell overboard along the way.

DC

[Patrick Sparks]

Ha! Yes, and interestingly, there are no horizonal dados along the end boards of the chest.

[Tom M King]

Maybe the maker cut, or had, a board a little too short, and did that to keep it from falling out with a matching taper on the board end.

Measure it for wood volume and weigh it. I have one that works out to specific gravity of close to 1. That's means it's probably Santa Domingo Mahogany which was all logged out by the mid 1700's.