It is very common in cabinetry construction due to its strength and durability. A fine antique dealer, however, would only consider something that is older than 150 years an antique. Bergère; Chaise Longue; Corner Chair; Curule; Fauteuil; Klismos; Morris; Ribbon-Back (Standard magnifying glasses are typically in the range of 2 to 4x magnification.). This would indicate a later Georgian period, from 1760 to 1770. Marquetry: This is a technique where various types of wood are applied to the surface to produce a picture. The colors of walnut can vary from a light walnut to a rich golden brown color. When you look closely at rosewood you will see fine black or white rings. But, it is important to determine which type of wood is most prevalent in your antique to help determine the age. Hummel Figurines and Collectibles Value Chart - Hummel Price Guide. The mirror (last pic) I was told might be mahogany but the seller was not sure about the drawers. Another type of maple is bird’s eye maple. I’m trying to match the wood grain internal to a motorhome. Although difficult to directly communicate, with enough firsthand experience scents can become a memorable and powerful means of wood identification. Shop early american sheraton and a century of dating backs, identifying antique furniture. Thank you so much, this website is really helpful. See their ordering page for more info. Mahogany was used to make fine furniture during this time period. Perhaps no other technique for accurate identification of wood is as helpful and conclusive as the magnified examination of the endgrain. While for others, 100 years is the age when a piece of furniture can be called an antique. This article helped me a ton. If the wood is unfinished, then look at the texture of the grain. Pine was frequently used to make furniture that was intended to be painted or veneered. There is of course no obligation, but if you’d like to give back and ensure that the project continues to grow, consider supporting me on Patreon. How to Tell If a Swarovski Crystal Collectible is Real or Fake? Many woods, when left outside in the elements, tend to turn a bland gray color. How to Identify an Antique Dresser by Its Signature. Wherever you look, it's a sure bet that you won't find a genuine antique from 1500 or 1600. Check out this video and learn a trick to identifying oak! How to Identify Which Time Period a Mantel Clock Was Made. Here is some basic information about wood: There are two kinds of wood, soft and hard: Wood has two kinds of grain, a close grain and a coarse grain: Tips for determining if the wood is veneered: Your email address will not be published. The trick to making wood look realistically weathered is to not overdo it. It need not be expensive, but whatever tool is used to view the endgrain should have adequate magnifying power. In a simple water extract color test, wood shavings are mixed with water in a vial, test tube, or other suitably small container, and the color of the water is observed after a few minutes. Using a lovely antique oak child's chair, we run through some of the obvious points to look out for when hunting for genuine antique furniture. Written by. The two styles look similar, but to the trained eye, there are distinct differences. Believe it or not, freshly machined wood can have a very identifiable scent. Before proceeding too much farther into the remaining steps, it’s first necessary to confirm that the material in question is actually a solid piece of wood, and not a man-made composite or piece of plastic made to imitate wood. The last pic is the back of the dressing table mirror (separate piece which has been matched to the chest of drawers) Can i please have any info on what sort of wood might have been used. Consider saying “thanks” and helping to support the project. There are also special types of walnut including burled (closed scrolling grain), circassian walnut, and American fireside. We have to know how to recognize the type of timber which makes antique furnishings. Assuming it is a real wood veneer with a distinct grain and texture—and not merely a piece of printed plastic—you may still be able to identify the outer veneer wood in question, but you should still realize that is it only a veneer and not a solid piece of wood. Some common-sense questions to ask yourself when trying to identify a piece of wood: Knowing as much as you can about the source of the wood—even the smallest details—can be helpful. ), and rengas (Gluta spp. Shop how american furniture. Two of the most useful are the tests that are meant to separate Red and White Oak, and Red and Hard Maple. Is it heavier than oak? Can’t tell conclusively from those pics, but at the very least, it looks mahogany-like. (And this is a continuing shift as newer replacements are sought for rosewoods altogether.). If the wood came from a wood pile or a lumber mill where all the pieces were from trees processed locally, then the potential species are immediately limited. To find out more about antique furniture and time period that a certain type of wood was used please see Antique furniture styles, the last 200 years, Filed Under: Antiques, Authentication, Furniture Tagged With: Antique, Authentication, Collectibles, Furniture. Doesn’t look like cherry to me. Because decorating styles come back and frames may hang for many years in a home, it's sometimes difficult to tell whether a frame is antique. Frequently used shapes where flowers and birds.  Many exotic wood such as satinwood, ebony and tulipwood were used for marquetry. The finish won't look natural if you attempt to create an overly distressed look. When examining the wood in question, compare it to other known wood species, and ask yourself these questions: Wood from freshly felled trees, or wood that has been stored in an extremely humid environment will have very high moisture contents. In this article I have provided some information to help you identify the wood used regularly to make antiques. It is quite easy to antique a piece of newer wood furniture and make it look distressed by using paint and stain. In the 17th century Europe started to use oak to make furniture. The wood along the edge of the top is crimped in a decorative way, resembling a pie crust. Inlay is a decorative trimming where materials other than wood is inlaid into wood. Fancier models—with built in lights, or larger viewing surfaces—are available at a premium; but the most basic models are usually only a few dollars. Identifying Antique Trunks. Inspect the wood grain pattern on top of the wood and follow it with your eyes to the end of the piece. Simply knowing what the wood was intended for—when considered in conjunction with where it came from and how old it is—can give you many clues to help identify it. Overall, antique tools are quite common and plentiful in the collecting market. Thanks for any help!! Types of Antique Chairs. The most predictable baseline to use when identifying wood is in a freshly sanded state. There are several ways you can identify an antique furniture item. This gives the wood grain an uneven appearance. Antique HQ: How To Identify Wood Used To Make Antique Furniture Arkive: Big Leaf Mahogany Anna Graizbord Anna Graizbord has been writing since 2000. Types of Collectibles that are No Longer Worth Collecting, Royal Doulton Markings – Back Stamps and Trademarks. Look at the edges of the wood and if you see a seam then it is veneered. Oak is highly popular in furniture that dates from 1700 to earlier years. This can be helpful to compare to other density readings found in the database. The back of a picture frame offers important clues about its age. If you have a scale, you can take measurements of the length, width, and thickness of the wood, and combine them to find the density of the wood. The following techniques and recommendations don’t necessarily have a wide application in initially sorting out wood species and eliminating large swaths of wood species, but will most likely be of use only as a final step in special identification circumstances. If you see a large panel that has a repeating grain pattern, it may be a veneer. Any idea where the motorhome was made, and/or country of origin? So, will it be okay to assume that the drawers too are made of some good quality hard wood. Rosewood is a hardwood that has a close grain. Elm is native to North America and Europe Like maple, elm was frequently veneered. ~Eric. One of the most well known timbers is the Mahogany, which is mostly imported from the nations like Cuba, San Domingo, Bahamas and Honduras. When attempting to identify a wood sample, it’s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. They tend to employ many Amish for most of their construction. See the article Fluorescence: A Secret Weapon in Wood Identification for more information. If it’s possible, pick the piece of wood up and get a sense of its weight, and compare it to other known wood species. In such cases, a very thin layer of real wood is peeled from a tree and attached to a substrate; sometimes the veneer can be one continuous repeating piece because it is rotary-sliced to shave off the veneer layer as the tree trunk is spun by machines. Antique Hand Tools Identification Google Da Ara With Images. Common materials used for inlays: Gilding is where gold leaf is applied with a plaster like substance to wood. The other one just says Craftsman and assumes you know what you got. Many times we forget common sense and logic when attempting to identify wood. Piecrust tables were popular during the Queen Anne and Chippendale periods and often used to serve tea. Granted most of the “wood” is synthetic but cabinet doors and some trim is solid wood. Here are some signs to look for as you examine an old picture frame. Maple was frequently veneered. After you figure this out, you'll know if you can apply the new finish you want over top or if the wood has to be stripped. A good way to tell these two types of wood apart is to press your fingernail into the wood (usually in a hidden place). Identifying an Antique Picture Frame. Ask yourself these questions: Most softwoods will be almost perfectly smooth with no grain indentations, while many common hardwoods have an open pore structure, such as oak or mahogany; though there are some hardwoods that are also smooth to the touch, such as maple. Finding The Value Of An Old Trunk Thriftyfun. One has No. Yet when birch or cherry has a curly grain, it is more often much less pronounced, and the curls are spaced farther apart. This phenomenon is known as fluorescence, and certain woods can be distinguished by the presence or absence of their fluorescent qualities.  Veneered furniture  has a lower value  than a piece that is made of solid wood. There are some woods that are more valuable than others. Any thoughts?? Looking at the endgrain with a magnifier shouldn’t be a mystifying or esoteric art. 3. It’s unlikely that real antique furniture is made with the same type of wood throughout. Some wood species have dramatically different grain patterns from plainsawn to quartersawn surfaces. What I want to know is how to identify different hand planes to know what I have and if they have any special uses. (This can sometimes be observed anecdotally when the wood is glued with a water-based adhesive: the glue’s squeeze-out is an unusually vibrant yellow.). Motorhomes, such as mine, are built in Illinois. The difference between the two is the subject matter. Its grain has a straight, uniform pattern, and the wood tends to get darker with sun exposure. This made it so furniture makers could provide more affordable furniture to more customers. Walnut is native to North America and Europe. If the heartwood extractives are leachable by water, then a corresponding color change should quickly occur. Sometimes a wood species will have heartwood extractives that will be readily leachable in water and capable of conspicuously tinting a solution of water a specific color. Jan 19, 2015 - There are many different types of antique chairs, and each has a unique appearance. Many times lesser value woods will be stained to look like expensive woods. It is pale and is knotted. Antique Shop Treasure Hunting (9 Things to Look for), Royal Doulton – Celebrity and Artist Collaborations. Also, even interior wood also takes on a patina as it ages: some woods get darker, or redder, and some even get lighter or lose their color; but for the most part, wood tends to darken with age. Rosewood is also heavier than mahogany. An antique piece of wooden furniture is not just valued for its age, but also for its ornate carvings or charming flourishes that stand apart from contemporary designs. One of the most popular clocks in the 18th and 19th century was the mantel clock, … Because this property is quite uncommon, it can serve to quickly differentiate these woods from other lookalikes. Frequently, it brings the identification process from a mostly intuitive, unscientific process into a predictable, repeatable, and reliable procedure. Thank you so much Eric. If you're trying to identify poplar, it has a heartwood with a creamy, light yellow-brown color, sometimes with streaks of gray, green, or even a gray-purple hue. The most predictable baseline to use when identifying wood is in a freshly sanded state. Look at the end grains of the wood to see if there is exposed engineered wood. Mahogany is a hard wood that has a close grain. For identify antique furniture manuafacture chairs. Obviously softwoods will tend to be softer than hardwoods, but try to get a sense of how it compares to other known woods. Where to Sell Your Antiques and Collectibles? If the piece has drawers, remove a drawer and look carefully where the front and back of the drawer are fastened to the sides of the drawer. I don’t know who made it but I do know that it was used in a Pullman rail car called the "Wisconsin" around the turn of the century for John Ringling. It’s usually best to begin with a relatively smooth saw cut (as from a fine-toothed miter saw blade) and proceed through the grits, starting at around 100, and working up to at least 220 or 320 grit, preferably higher for the cleanest view. Question I have a project that requires reproducing an antique chair. Mahogany is native to South America, North America and the West Indies. If the wood ID is merely a curiosity, or non-critical, you can post pictures of the wood in question. Thanks for your reply! From the mid 17 th Century oak was mainly used for the carcass and drawer linings of furniture. Antique Original French Agriculture Tools By Lyranebulaprints. Wood that have to be imported cost much more then wood found native to a country. You might not be able to tell what period the chair is from, but you can get a sense of what kind of chair it is and when it was made by identifying what chair type category it fits into. One of a small living room? It can be difficult to tell these woods apart and if the wood has been stained or painted it can be even harder to identify them.