I recently modified a piece of high end furniture for a friend's Mom. This piece was Ethan Allen-class furniture (good quality, expensive, but still factory made). It was probably 10 years old. It was rough and unfinished inside where no one would usually see. It had stain spatters and planer marks/ridges. It had some tear out. Why was it like this? Because most people will never see these parts and if they do, they'll say "No problem, that's on the bottom." So the builder saved some time and money and left it rough.
I suspect the same was true for some of the antique pieces that were made for wealthy customers. From what I've read, many rich people (or their retainers) haggled over prices with craftsmen the same way I would today. The King/Duke/Baron who could say "price is no object" was probably an exception to the rule. So a craftsman cut a few corners on parts not readily seen, to let him hit a price point, driven by what their customer agreed to pay.
Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 07-05-2018 at 12:26 PM.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”