Determining The Age of Handmade Antique Furniture Is What to Look for and Where to Look

Determining the age of handmade antique furniture is a matter of knowing what to look for and where to look. American country furniture was made by both amateur and skilled craftsmen. They used materials that were plentiful. Boards were hand-cut, thick and solid. They left the saw, planer and draw knife marks on the inside and back where they didn’t show. Observing these wide, thick boards with their visible saw marks is an excellent way to decide age. But the most telling factor is to look at how a piece was held together. Wooden pegs were used by skilled country craftsmen. They would whittle them from wood. The most-skilled makers didn’t allow the pegs to show on the primary surface of a piece. Less-skilled craftsmen were more interested in making a solid, utilitarian piece quickly. Nails, hand-forged by a blacksmith, also were a fastening option. Highly skilled period craftsmen frowned on this utilitarian method of joinery, but the more practical country furniture makers saw the nail as an effective and speedy way to make furniture. Nails were made by forging them individually, by cutting them from a sheet of metal or by drawing them through special dies. Forged nails (1780 to 1835) were individually hand-shaped by blacksmiths. After the shaft was shaped, the head was formed by repeated blows from a special blacksmith’s hammer. This process produced what’s now called a “rose head” nail. If you have a piece with rose head nails, it’s probably quite early. Cut nails (1840 to 1880) were made in a two-step process. Blanks were cut from flat strips of iron, and then the head was struck by a mechanical heading device. Drawn or wire nails were first widely used in the United States after 1880. They were made by pulling steel strips through a series of dies. Each die formed a different nail size. The wire nail was then held in a clamp and headed in a separate process. These nails are still being made and used today. Their heads are round. Once the furniture is made, only the heads of the nails are visible. If you see a square or rectangular nailhead, you probably have a handmade piece of furniture. If you see a round head, your piece is not as old or has been repaired with later nails. Go take a look at the heads of the nails in the earliest furniture you own. I sure hope you find a rose head! Source: columbiatribune.com