Can anybody tell me anything about this dresser with wooden peg joined drawers?

Hi,

I have recently acquired a piece very similar to this. I was wondering if you could help me figure out approximately how old my piece is. Based on the saw marks and the type of knobs, I'm guessing it isn't quite as old as the piece in this post. I can provide several photos once I figure out how to add them (the file extension isn't working...I'll keep trying).

 

You have the one pic attached as a thumbnail. Once attached, go back and hit full size to have them show in the thread. Your's is pine for sure. Can't tell much else from the one pic.

 

Sorry, I wasn’t able to get the other pics to attach at all (wrong file extension type). I’ll try and figure out how to do it again. Thank you for your help so far.

 

Also, I’ve sanded the top. The finish came off with no effort. There are a few spots where the sander cannot remove the color. It doesn’t look like stain. And it appears to be where there are nails. Any idea?

 

Thanks for the additional pics. Your's is not quite as old as the OP's but close. Would think 1870s or so. Definitely pine all the way. We generally do not sand antique furniture unless absolutely necessary. You will never get the patina of old wood back. On the bright side, this is not a priceless antique and, if keeping it for yourself, sanding is not a mortal crime. The variations you see are natural. The black marks may be mineral deposits or could be from mold. The last mark is a sap vein. Very common in pine.

 

Thank you for your help with this! I definitely plan to keep it for myself as I've never owned such an old piece. Can you tell me what type of joinery is used on the drawers? I read about cove and pin (Knapp joints) but this doesn't look quite like that because there is no "cove". Is it just a simple dowel joint?

 

Not a Knapp joint, which is done by a machine. Yours is just a simple country solution to make a strong joint. Looks like simple lap joint, reinforced with dowel pins.

 

You've been very helpful, thank you! I have another piece which I suspect is very old but I have to get it out of the back of my garage to take pics. It was given to me and I was told it is "over a hundred years old". It is painted so I am weary of touching it as it is likely, almost certainly a lead based paint.

I will post pics in the next few days.

 

Best to start a new thread rather than tacking on to an old one...... Particularly for dissimilar items.

 

Good idea- I will do just that!