Featured Forge Welded Butterfly Hinge

I picked up this 1730 or so william & mary gateleg table at auction during a HUGE snow storm that had new england shut down a number of years ago. There was a note in the drawer from the person who owned it who lived in Weymouth Mass, a burb of Boston i think. The base is maple, the top is mahogany but what really attracted me were the hinges. They were forge welded iron butterfly hinges attached with hand wrought iron nails, i asked the restorer to leave a couple nails per hinge as he wanted to remove them ALL and use screws instead. No, you can't see the hinges unless you turn the table upside down but the fact i know they are there is enough. It's ALL about the construction details you know!

 

How to make a forge welded iron butterfly hinge.........in 6 mins

 

Hi James,
Thanks for posting. I gave away a similar table to a couple who were getting married 20 years ago. I heard that they separated last year. I wonder who has the table? The one I gave them was solid walnut. It has gotten so bad that I only give money to couples today. I really wonder if any of the antiques that I used to give people are still loved?
greg

 

ABSOLUTELY they are! just maybe by different people is all. Furniture that has survived for 300 years have been through much worse than a divorce i would say.

 

Lovely table. I must say,I had gotten away from appreciating "brown" furniture,not because I didnt like it,because I was into so many other things. Your posts are making me appreciate it again.

 

Hi James,
I am so glad that you made the repair guy keep some of the nails. I hope to remember that before I lose the rest of my marbles.
greg

 

Yes, i knew it was gonna be a battle right away because there was about 5-6 inches of damage to one of the rule joints that i wanted repaired that would require removal of hinges to fix. He was not comfortable with the nails AT ALL so we compromised, 2 nails per hinge. Everyone walked away happy

 

Thanks! It's a bit rococo for many these days but i can see why woodworkers were DELIGHTED after 5 centuries or so to abandon the rather boxy, chunky world of pilgrim riven oak style furniture & enter the brand new style of william & mary. This period marked the end of the line for joiners as the dominate trade in furniture making and thus began the world of cabinetmakers.

 

Nice look at the art of hinge making. I like these turned leg & stretcher pieces of furniture. Would this be circa 1700 ?

 

I think it's kind of funky-looking, and the blacksmith's descendant and engineer's daughter in me loves those hinges! It's the sort of thing that will come back around eventually. And when it does one of us will have cornered the market. I hope.

 

1710-1730 or there about

Yeah is, it's rococo & TOTALLY out of fashion these days, my kids don't like it at all! I don't care though, it fits in very well in my kitchen eating area & works perfectly.

 

And if it happens to pick up a few more use marks, so much the better.

 

Yep, it's what tripped my trigger on this table no doubt! Gatelegs have been popular since the 17th century when they first appeared and, i can see why, very handy in a small space. The pic above makes the table top seem round, it's not, it's oval.

 

I'm surprised no one snagged this before you got to it. Gatelegs in small apartments are a good thing.

 

Well, there was a snowstorm, a BIG ONE, if you were in NE, you had no lights, no heat, no power and no internet. One of those dealios where much of the competition was MIA so to speak. Estimate was 3-5k i think, i got it for around 2k, no one was interested in it kinda deals. Another $1000-1500 in restoration and BAM, it's been in my kitchen ever since. Here is auction pic of it, there were many more but this one is only one i kept.

 

And a good time was had by the bidders who could get through, although not by the sellers. I'll bet some poor soul paid big money for that about 40 years ago.

 

YES, at least i had a good time, that's for sure. While you & your people were huddled in a corner freezing to death, dad made off with his prize!
Thing is, those hinges & the way they were attached are not just cool, it kinda certifies that this table was not messed with much if at all, which is important. It's ALL about the construction details for early pieces, always has been & always will be as it is really the only thing you have to go on.

 

I don't think I've ever heard of a Colonial piece being signed much before the 1750s....but then I know little if anything really about truly old furniture.

 

Yeah, even then it is very rare to get a signed piece, it just wasn't something american shops did back then. Even famous shops in the 19th century like Duncan Phyfe in NYC did not sign his pieces, he thought his woodworking skills & designs were so good it wasn't needed, it would be impossible to copy his work, naturally he was wrong on both counts.

 

Imitation is easier than origination, any day.