What did I just buy?
June 29, 2010 4:12 PM Subscribe
Do you know American antiques (possibly)? If so help me figure out what I just bought.
I made my regular trip to the local thrift shop yesterday and found an odd looking chair. I kept debating on buying it but I just couldn't resist.
As far as I can tell it is hand made. There are no nails, it is all just wood work. It looks fairly old to me and is not exactly symmetrical. One leg kind of skews out and the seat seems to have been cut askew as well. I did a bit of googling for 'rustic' and 'primitive' chairs but didn't find anything. If it helps or matters I am located in New England.
For all I know it was made in someone's high school wood shop three weeks ago, but I figured I would post it up here just to see what metafilter thinks.
I made my regular trip to the local thrift shop yesterday and found an odd looking chair. I kept debating on buying it but I just couldn't resist.
As far as I can tell it is hand made. There are no nails, it is all just wood work. It looks fairly old to me and is not exactly symmetrical. One leg kind of skews out and the seat seems to have been cut askew as well. I did a bit of googling for 'rustic' and 'primitive' chairs but didn't find anything. If it helps or matters I am located in New England.
For all I know it was made in someone's high school wood shop three weeks ago, but I figured I would post it up here just to see what metafilter thinks.
That reminds me of a spinning chair, although most of the ones I've seen have higher backs.
posted by cabingirl at 4:36 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by cabingirl at 4:36 PM on June 29, 2010
It looks 20th century. Mainly based on the edges of the cut wood, the colouring, style of the back.
posted by fire&wings at 4:39 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by fire&wings at 4:39 PM on June 29, 2010
Best answer: All I can say is the circle on the seat indicates that someone kept a pot on it for enough time for the water to oxidize the wood of the seat thus making the circular pattern of darker wood.
The holes in the back rest are for dowels to lock it into place.
I can't tell the figure of the wood, or see the grain, but this image does show some type of finish, or waxing.
It definitely looks old, I keep thinking milking stool, but I'm no expert.
the skewed leg could be from hand drilling, where someone made an eyeball estimate and got it wrong.
What did you pay for it?
posted by Max Power at 4:46 PM on June 29, 2010
The holes in the back rest are for dowels to lock it into place.
I can't tell the figure of the wood, or see the grain, but this image does show some type of finish, or waxing.
It definitely looks old, I keep thinking milking stool, but I'm no expert.
the skewed leg could be from hand drilling, where someone made an eyeball estimate and got it wrong.
What did you pay for it?
posted by Max Power at 4:46 PM on June 29, 2010
The spinning chair is also along the lines of the milking chairs that farmers used which would be more in line with its stubbiness. Here's another example which looks pretty much like the spinning chair.
posted by jessamyn at 4:52 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by jessamyn at 4:52 PM on June 29, 2010
Response by poster: No makers marks that I can discern. I will keep looking though. As for the finish, it seems soft but the wood feels quite hard to me.
What looks like grain on the top of the seat there is actually a ring stain of some sort. Oil? I can't tell. There are some surface scratches in the finish also.
I added some more pics that may help solve the mystery. http://picasaweb.google.com/matthew1215/OldChair#
Thanks for the help so far!
posted by WickedPissah at 5:06 PM on June 29, 2010
What looks like grain on the top of the seat there is actually a ring stain of some sort. Oil? I can't tell. There are some surface scratches in the finish also.
I added some more pics that may help solve the mystery. http://picasaweb.google.com/matthew1215/OldChair#
Thanks for the help so far!
posted by WickedPissah at 5:06 PM on June 29, 2010
In case you're interested in the construction, and wondering what the flathead-screw looking things are, this is how they put the legs on: 1 2 3 (although yes, aren't legs). You drive a tapered pole into a hole, then hit a wedge into it to get a good fit. After everything's been set you then saw off everything poking out.
posted by soma lkzx at 5:12 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by soma lkzx at 5:12 PM on June 29, 2010
Is it short? i.e., would a normal adult sit in it with feet on the floor, or is it shorter than that? It looks short in the pictures. If so, that might be an plus for the milking chair idea.
As a spinner, I know that modern spinning chairs like the one cabingirl linked to are normal height, and they pretty much need to be for comfort. I would be surprised if antique chairs were any different, especially considering that those poor women needed to sit in them for much longer periods of time than us modern hobbyists.
posted by liet at 8:20 PM on June 29, 2010
As a spinner, I know that modern spinning chairs like the one cabingirl linked to are normal height, and they pretty much need to be for comfort. I would be surprised if antique chairs were any different, especially considering that those poor women needed to sit in them for much longer periods of time than us modern hobbyists.
posted by liet at 8:20 PM on June 29, 2010
Best answer: I'm not much of an expert though I have an interest, but my brother is an avid antique hunter and has been for the last 30+ years, and I asked him to take a look at your pics.
He said that your idea that it was made 3 weeks ago in shop class isn't the case. The patina underneath indicates that it's pretty old, and that you can't really fake that. Plus, he saw signs of horsehide glue, which also indicates that your chair is pretty old. There are also signs of worm damage, another indicator that it's not a recent piece. He guesses that it was probably made late 19th, early 20th century, but that it's hard to tell without actually examining the piece. (He said if there were nails in it, you'd have an easier time dating it.)
He said that while the lack of symmetry as well as the weird shape of the seat indicate that it wasn't made by a professional, there are other things that would indicate otherwise ... specifically the shaped legs, the mortised support under the seat, and the way the legs are attached with wedges.
He said he thought it was designed for being outside, since the lower part of the back shows signs of water damage where it's not varnished, especially noted in your picture #6 and picture #9.
The cracks in the support on the bottom are additional signs of age, but one crack -- seen in photo #9 -- might need your attention. He thought it might have been caused by someone leaning to hard against the back, but it could also be caused by too much weight on the leg, due to the legs being out of skew.
We were both puzzled by the swirling pattern on the seat, and couldn't really figure out what might have caused it. He suggested that someone might have tried to refinish it at one point, and ended up staining the top. We also wondered if the dark staining might be from motor oil.
In the end, it reminded us both of furniture our grandad furnished his summer cabin with, by a company called Hunt Furniture, which uses similar joinery, and staining, but has a bit more refined design.
Anyway, my brother said he hasn't ever seen anything like your chair before, but if he had to guess, he would guess that it's a farrier's chair, or a chair for the person who puts horseshoes on a horse, and it's designed to come apart easily. He also posited that it was probably made in upstate New York, or possibly New Hampshire or Vermont, though he didn't really say why he thought that. He also contemplated that it might just be a back-country sort of utilitarian piece of furniture that could pull double duty as both a table and a chair.
posted by crunchland at 8:31 PM on June 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
He said that your idea that it was made 3 weeks ago in shop class isn't the case. The patina underneath indicates that it's pretty old, and that you can't really fake that. Plus, he saw signs of horsehide glue, which also indicates that your chair is pretty old. There are also signs of worm damage, another indicator that it's not a recent piece. He guesses that it was probably made late 19th, early 20th century, but that it's hard to tell without actually examining the piece. (He said if there were nails in it, you'd have an easier time dating it.)
He said that while the lack of symmetry as well as the weird shape of the seat indicate that it wasn't made by a professional, there are other things that would indicate otherwise ... specifically the shaped legs, the mortised support under the seat, and the way the legs are attached with wedges.
He said he thought it was designed for being outside, since the lower part of the back shows signs of water damage where it's not varnished, especially noted in your picture #6 and picture #9.
The cracks in the support on the bottom are additional signs of age, but one crack -- seen in photo #9 -- might need your attention. He thought it might have been caused by someone leaning to hard against the back, but it could also be caused by too much weight on the leg, due to the legs being out of skew.
We were both puzzled by the swirling pattern on the seat, and couldn't really figure out what might have caused it. He suggested that someone might have tried to refinish it at one point, and ended up staining the top. We also wondered if the dark staining might be from motor oil.
In the end, it reminded us both of furniture our grandad furnished his summer cabin with, by a company called Hunt Furniture, which uses similar joinery, and staining, but has a bit more refined design.
Anyway, my brother said he hasn't ever seen anything like your chair before, but if he had to guess, he would guess that it's a farrier's chair, or a chair for the person who puts horseshoes on a horse, and it's designed to come apart easily. He also posited that it was probably made in upstate New York, or possibly New Hampshire or Vermont, though he didn't really say why he thought that. He also contemplated that it might just be a back-country sort of utilitarian piece of furniture that could pull double duty as both a table and a chair.
posted by crunchland at 8:31 PM on June 29, 2010 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: It's pretty low. But not milking stool low. More like people were shorter back then low.
posted by WickedPissah at 8:31 PM on June 29, 2010
posted by WickedPissah at 8:31 PM on June 29, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks so much for the detailed answer crunchland! That was great. Tell your brother I said thank you as well.
I had never seen anything like it either which is why I ended up buying it and I will probably hold onto it for the time being.
posted by WickedPissah at 7:24 AM on June 30, 2010
I had never seen anything like it either which is why I ended up buying it and I will probably hold onto it for the time being.
posted by WickedPissah at 7:24 AM on June 30, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
What kind of finish does it seem to have? Is it soft (seems easily scratched?) or hard? Can you get a closer shot of the wood grain of the seat for us?
posted by strixus at 4:29 PM on June 29, 2010