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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: Ellenshar on February 01, 2012, 06:21:52 pm
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My brother-in-law's sister was going to through this "table" away today - so I took it. It has been on their farm for centuries. I am not sure what it is exactly - it is less than 2' high, so can't be an end table. Underneath there are two slots that would make me think it sat on top of something. The top is in rough shape so I am planning on practising my restoration techniques on it. I am also wondering why it would have 6 legs. It is also quite heavy. Any ideas on what this is?
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Centuries? Wow!
It does look somewhat William and Mary-ish... Can you please take closer pictures of the underside - specifically the screw holes? Have you seen ANY marks that might identify a maker?
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Sorry - meant to say decades, not centuries. I believe it was his great grandmother's. Can't get good close ups of the screw holes, except this one. There are four like this - the other screws are buried deep in the furniture.
I just measured it - it is 16" high only.
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Here are some things to photograph and describe for us that will help date your table- What kind of hardware is that down inside those recessed holes? If it is a slotted screw head that you see in there does the slot look perfectly centered (made by mechanical means) or is it a little off, (cut by hand)? I think I may see some diagnon saw cuts on the underside, can you see any saw marks, are they straight, diagonal or circular? Any nails or other hardware?
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I'm also interested in the way that the background "stippeling" was done (Not sure if this is the correct term, I'm talking about the little dimples in the background of the swirling design. Can you tell how those were made? Looking at the way it was stained, I'm guessing 1900-1930, but I'm not the best when it comes to furniture, so I'll watch and see what others say.
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The screw holes and the slots appear to be machine-made. Here is a picture of the nails used on the two pieces of the cheaper wood from the underside of the table. Have no idea what type of wood - any help would be appreciated. All I know is it is pretty heavy for such a small table - still don't understand the 6 legs on it!
I just looked at the 2 slots again - if the table got inserted into something, the brace would be in the way - so that wouldn't work. The picture may look like the brace is out of the way, but it actually runs through the middle of the table.
As for the "stippling" on the front of it where the design is - thanks for pointing that out - I hadn't noticed. When I look closely it almost looks like little waffles or checkers.
Thanks.
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I would wonder if this wasn't the base for a large wooden cabinet radio?
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Can you please list he entire dimensions of the piece?
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KC, it is 24" long, 14" wide and 14" high. I have been searching the internet all night and can't find anything remotely similar. Beginning to think it might be from the 80's and is a tv stand. Still can't get past the part that it has 6 legs.
The other thing I noticed was the top seems to be a veneer. I know from lookng at my grandmother's old dining room set that there is no veneer (her's would be about 80-90 years old). Just wondering when they started putting veneer on furniture - if that is a relatively new thing.
I will keep searching. Thanks.
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I'll toss my hat into the ring with an opinion that your little item is indeed a "replicantique-ish" item .
Unless my eyes are wrong , the image of the screwhead is of a type known/aka 'squaredrive' & 'trailerhead' , which are pretty modern screws .
Something about the whole assembly of the item screams "airtools" to me .
General design of your side table reminds me of many 6-legged lamp/parlor tables seen in homes along the Mississippi , when steamers worked the big muddy .
Sadly enough , I'd say yours is not from that century !
It would however , be a pain to repair the veneer (unless you've got a stock of it & a press) , but @ least it would be a practice piece , until a 'real one' (antique) comes along !
You could also 'shabby chic' (distress/paint/ect) it up with some faux painting , after removing the veneer top .... have seen some faux painters that are amazingly artistic ...
Might have been used as side-tables for a low , "cruise & swing" , riverboat-themed type sofa/waterbed ?( :D :D :D)
The story of using veneer woods goes back centuries & centuries + some , to the way-old-timey-time , Ellenshar , sometimes known as 'inlay' , 'overlaid' , 'marquetry' (etc) woodworking/artistry .
Folks looking for 'solid wood' furniture (vs laminates/chipboard) would have been the original 'target' customers for these 'furniture-store' items , IMO .
Sometimes these heavy-looking items are @ least sturdy , other times , not too much .
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The top is in rough shape so I am planning on practising my restoration techniques on it.
My opinion, there is a lot better "junk" out there for you to be practising on because that piece will just get you frustrated. Course, you could practice taking the rest of the veneer off the top via use of a hot iron, damp cloth and putty knife.
Reminds me of the time this young dude bought this small house and was telling his new neighbor that he decided to do some remodeling on it, like new windows, etc.
She told him, "Don't be silly, you can't do that, ..... don't you know that you bought one of those small double-wide modulars".
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William and Mary and Jacobean "Revival" style both used this style legs and stretchers !! Your stool appears to date late 1920 or 1930 !! However,, I have no idea what its use may have been other than just as a stool !! Did read a bit and some sites do say that during the reign of Charles I chairs were not common and stools were used as seating !! So perhaps whoever made this stool just took a bit of creative license in making it that short !! If I had it I would certainly attempt to restore it !! Use a heat gun or like Cogar said hot iron to remove the remaining veneer on top !! Will make a nice stool for a plant ect !!
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I agree with it being some sort of antique radio table or stand. Scroll through similar designs here:
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A2KJkIeneitPX2oAr76JzbkF?p=antique+radio+table&fr=yfp-t-701&ei=utf-8&n=30&x=wrt&y=Search
Or, just search for antique radio table.
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Some that are similar to yours actually had built-in radios in the table, like this one. Maybe your slots have something to do with that?
http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/v/Atwater-Kent/kielclosed2edited.jpg.html
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Those 2 slots in the underneath side of the top were made via use of an electric “circular” saw, ….. aka: a radial arm saw, ……. and the slots reveal the fact the top is made of plywood. It’s possible those “slots” were for “positioning” the top during the manufacturing process.
Add that to the fact that the underneath edges of the stretcher base are void of any stain and that it was assembled via use of an air or electric power tool and Bugle Head type “square drive” screws …… and you got what you got, ……. and my guess is, circa 1970’s or 1980’s.
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Cogar,, I think that square drive screw is not original to the stool and was done much later !! It was put in at the wrong angle and doesn`t fit the offset !! Look at the top of the screw head,,you can see the circular bottom behind it !! So whoever put the screw in,,did not do it at the correct angle !!
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Mart, me thinks the possibility that a “weekend handy-man” would just happen to have one of those “square drive” screws in his pocket, along with a matching screwdriver to put it in with, is remote at best. That is, unless he worked as a “repair man” who often worked on house trailers.
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Square drive is used almost exclusively by modern woodworkers. Perhaps they asked someone who works with furniture to repair it - maybe someone they knew?
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We live on a farm and we have the tools for square drive screws !!
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I agree with Mart. To me the piece screams 1930s. It very well may have been the bottom of something. If you are handy use it for parts to make something like a wall shelf or just fill in the gaps and paint it white or some other color and put a planter on it.
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Wow - thanks for the responses. I called my sister and asked her to call her sister-in-law to get detalis on it. I still think it has to be from the 80's - but still don't know what it is for.
As for the screws and nails, I checked my grandmother's china hutch, thinking that back then they didn't have screws (what do I know) - but sure enough, it has the exact square headed screws (and same nails) as my table. She was born in 1902, got married when she was about 15 or so, and got the dining set a couple of years later, making it from around 1920.
The screws on the hutch are not buried deep - they are flush - but they look like the holes were pre-made with a tool -they definitely had woodworking tools back then - learn something new everyday. The stain is only on the main parts of the wood, not underneath. I know her dining set is solid oak, but still not sure what my table is made from. Don't think it is plywood, but could be.
Will let you know what I find out - hopefully this weekend.
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I would wonder if this wasn't the base for a large wooden cabinet radio?
I was thinking of something similar to this:
(http://www.oldradios.co.nz/gallery/consoles/1934%20ZENITH%20775.jpg)
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From the way its made it sure could be !! And likely is the same !! Excellent Rauville !!
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Still researching - came across this photo. Hmmm, seems similar!
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I also thought it was the base..and those slots on the underside (do they go all the way through) just don't make sense if they are ony on the bottom!
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Nope - the slots don't go all the way through.
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My bad, …… cause I screwed up on this one because it’s fer sure I opened my mouth before I knew what I was talking about. To wit:
The following exerted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertson_screwdriver#Robertson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robertson_screwdriver#Robertson)
A Robertson, also known as a square,[17] or Scrulox[18] screw drive has a square-shaped socket in the screw head and a square protrusion on the tool. ………………… Robertson screws are commonplace in Canada, though they have been used elsewhere[20] and have become much more common in other countries in recent decades.
Canadian P. L. Robertson invented the Robertson screw and screwdriver in 1908 and received patents in 1909 (Canada) and 1911 (U.S. Patent 1,003,657).
Robertson had licensed the screw design to a maker in England, but the party that he was dealing with intentionally drove the company into bankruptcy and purchased the rights from the trustee, thus circumventing Robertson.[citation needed] He spent a small fortune buying back the rights. Subsequently, he refused to allow anyone to make the screws under license. When Henry Ford tried out the Robertson screws he found they saved considerable time in Model T production, but when Robertson refused to license the screws to Ford, Ford realized that the supply of screws would not be guaranteed and chose to limit their use in production to Ford's Canadian division.[21][22][23] Robertson's refusal to license his screws prevented their widespread adoption in the United States, where the more widely licensed Phillips head has gained acceptance.
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Did read a bit and some sites do say that during the reign of Charles I chairs were not common and stools were used as seating !
LOL, yessssssssss, back in the day, when men were men & women and children sat on stools.....sorry, couldnt resist! It was not until recently (18th century) that chairs were common and everyone sat on them. In the 17th century & before, pretty much everyone except the man of household and royalty, sat on stools. Chairs were expensive and typically most familys only had 1 (if any) which was reserved for dear ol dad! everyone else, sat on stools.
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KC, I checked the underside again where the slots are and came across something. The slot isn't cut through to the top. However, looking more closely at it, the top appears to be two identical pieces, either glued or screwed together (I can see daylight in places between the two layers when I use a flashlight). Could be they removed the cabinet, cut off the lid, and glued the top lid onto the identical bottom base (which has the slots cut through). That makes more sense as to why the slots are there - the cabinet would be inserted into the bottom piece - but someone has screwed the top lid onto the bottom piece making it look like the slots aren't cut through.
Cougar - I am from Canada - which explains the Robertson screw head.
Thanks to everyone for their input so far - will let you know what my sister finds out. Will be disappointed if I find out it is only 20 years old! Now, if I could only find the matching cabinet!
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In looking at the slots,, they appear to be expansion slots and not for any practical purpose !! The bottom piece had no finish applied so the wood was not sealed !! The slots would allow for the wood to expand and contract without warping !! If you look at your found example and at Rauville`s pic of similar stands both tops were made similarly to your table !! Looks like double thickness !! I don`t think that the top of the upper cabinet was cut off and applied to the stand !! Thats the way its supposed to be !!
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Well - sister was no help. Her sister-in-law just remembers getting it from her dad years ago - she thinks he probably got it from either a garage sale or auction, but she has no idea what it is for.
I just stuck a letter opener into between the two pieces on the top. The back left side of the top is barely held on - was able to lift it about 1/4 inch. When I lifted it, I could see a long slot running from front to back near the edge - the same direction as to the two slots underneath (which are in the middle). I was also able to lift the right back side a bit and can see another slot on that edge. So it definitely has 4 slots. I think the top will come off pretty easy.
I lifted the back a bit and was able to stick a small piece of wet paper towel in between to clean the dirt off - the top of the bottom piece (sounds confusing) does have stain on it - however, it also has 4 slots drilled through.
I could remove the top piece to refinish it, but the bottom piece would then show the 4 slots. Oh well!
Mart, I also checked my grandma's hutch - there is no stain underneath it.
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Having no stain was common on parts you do not see !!