ENGLISH FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION

Hewn Chests are the earliest examples of moveable furniture still in existence and the earliest date from about the 12th Century, though they continued to be made until the end of the Middle Ages. They depended on the smith to render them complete and serviceable, for upon him devolved the task of banding them with wrought-iron straps and hinging the lid.

With the introduction of constructed furniture the basic design began to evolve, this included a knowledge of growing trees suitable for the purpose together with felling methods and seasoning to secure sound workable timber.

The earliest method of construction applied to articles of box form, such as chests and standing cupboards, dating from the 12th and 13th Century. It consisted in using stout planks, either split or sawn from the log, crudely put together with oak pin s or wrought-iron nails. The planks were reduced in thickness as the pit saw came into general use and this simple method remained common in country districts for making small chests and boxes down to the 18th Century : whereas it had been superseded by panelled framing for better quality furniture 200 years earlier.

An extant example of a riven chest shows the angle posts have long slots or mortices in which the horizontal planks are housed and oak pins are driven through to secure them. The side planks incline inwards from the bottom, a usual feature which allows the cross-tie at each end to occupy a very strong position; the two rear posts are again slotted at the top to take the ends of the lip, a stout oak pin being passed through to form a ‘pin hinge’.

Later in the 16th Century and the 17th Century larger and better quality chests were panelled on all four sides and often the lid also. Mortise and tenon joinery now secured this furniture.

One of the most important events in the construction of English furniture was the introduction in the second half of the 15th Century, of rectangular framing filled in with these panels, though this became general 100 years later. This was the solution to construct an article of large superficial areas so that it would be economical of material, light enough to be portable and so put together that the natural tendencies of warping, twisting, splitting and shrinkage could be adequately counteracted.

This was joinery in the true sense of the word. and in early work the joiner is seen arranging the joints and mouldings of his frame after the manner of door and window frames in timber houses. The mouldings were worked on the solid in both building work and furniture and had mitres at the angles.

A panelled front in Tudor and Jacobean work is bounded by the two side posts or stiles, which continue to the floor and the top and bottom rails: the latter are continuous from stile to stile and have tenons cut on their ends which slide into mortise holes cut in corresponding positions in the stiles.

The number of intermediate stiles and rails varied according to the size and type of work. Of these the rails were continuous, while the stiles (more properly termed “muntins” when in intermediate positions) were in panel heights lengths, plus a tenon top and bottom to fit into mortises cut in the rails. The panels, having been cut to requisite sizes and taper-trimmed at the back on all sides to tongue in the grooves, were inserted while the framework was being assembled. The joints were lightly tapped together until properly set, then dispensing with glue, the joints were driven up tight with a mallet. Holes were bored in the framing – one or two, to pass through each tenon – roughly squared and tapered oak pins being driven through until tightly wedged in the holes and then trimmed flush. Setting joints in glue was seldom done and it was hardly necessary with pinned tenons, though, doubtless an added source of strength to open frames of tables and chairs. In 1632 it was decided that the Joiners were entitled to make all tables of wainscote, walnutt or other stuffe, glued with frames, mortesses and tennants.

In the first half of the 17th Century it became customary to decorate furniture with applied mouldings glued and bradded in position and this method (in addition to mouldings on the solid) has been continued until modern times.

The same principals were applied to Wainscot or Dado panelling which is fitted to the lower half of an interior wall.