Posted 10 years ago
livetoride
(47 items)
This 12 spoon woodenshelf was handcrafted in c mid 1800's or earlier.. The craftsmanship shows how dowl type craftmanship was used. No nails were apparantly used to hold pieces together. Old blue paint is color.
Measurements: Height 9 1/2 in
Wide outside to outside 9 1/8 in
Depth 4 in
Interesting, my grandfather had a shelf like this and he called it a pipe rack. All his smoking pipes were in it.
PS: How did you happen to come up with your date on this item??
The date has been determined by 2 factors
first, the owner of the item in Pittsburg..she and I have swapped stories and items for 30 yrs plus..we could write a book...the original home for this item was her family..we traded items and this item came to me with pewter spoons and her family told her their version of the history of this shelf.
I have another item that came from this family that is really unique..it is a carved ...hanging checkerboard ...and the checkers are made from dominoes
if u notice ut specifically made to tap into (carved square dowels) the side piece.... int.o the carved piece. All openings or holes were carved out..making this item unique to the c 1800's....with help from my friend we decided the time frame from from at least 1800...The original blue paint was another factor.
Notice how thin the carved holes are..this is also a major determining factor why I believe it to be specifically made for spoons..The spoon racks were made to keep varmits off them...as u are aware if im sure.
Also
I will need to go back and look at my notes
If u notice on the side view on the construction..each dowl was made to fut very tight..no nails or glue were used..just wedged together..A very good engineering thought...I might add..
I wish I could ask her several things about items we came across...she sold antiques in her home by appointment only is how we met and she is no longer with us and we had several ideas and research info we never had the opportunity to finish.
A side view wa not originally posted but will be available soon
A side view would be great. From what I can see in picture #2 this has tenon joints (dowels are round) although it may be pegged with a dowel from the back side. You may see it as unusual construction but to this day I prefer to use dowels over nails, screws or glue. I guess it depends on how we learned what we use. If this is a wedged tenon then that would help to give it a date to a certain extent. What you refer to as a carved square dowel is a mortise and tenon joint. Solid doors in your home are made with the same joints today as is furniture. A photo of the side and also the back would be nice if you have the time.
I can get this real quick but I will need to delete one of the pictures. ..and I am familar with the pipe racks as well. Notice how the openings on one shelf tmight b large enough for pipes..but the opening on the other shelf are not wide enough for pipes..I remember her telling me something about the differences in the holes. .but for the life of me I cant remember what she said
You need to back up and read what I wrote. I never said it was a pipe rack, I said my grandfather "called" it a pipe rack. There is a difference in what I wrote and what you assumed I meant. I question the age of the item but can't see anything but a tenon that has popped on the right side. I would agree it is vintage but would question it being an antique or totally original.
I did understand what u said about ur pipe rack. Im just puzzled about the different size holes. I took new photos but having trouble posting them. It nayb tomorrow before u see the new pictures...im downloading them right now to my computer and trying again
You didn't mention different size holes before and they don't show up in the pictures as being different that I can see. It will be interesting to see the new pictures and hopefully they will be a bit clearer.
More photos would be great. From what is shown it looks like a rather crude homemade item. The inconsistency on the bottom side of the holes looks splinted from running the drill bit through.
I don't see much that would indicate such an early date. Visible construction shows poor quality.
Agree with others additional photos would be helpful.
scott
Still trying to upload pictures..trying to load from tablet as opposed to my laptop which has crashed on me..
The first picture is the top. (I just added is the top shelve with different size holes....some are are about 1\2 " long..some are 3\4 " long..but for the most part..the holes are close to the same size..
The back has only two round head nails..something like a large tack..for hanging purposes.