Furniture Forensics with a Craftsman End Table

[@RexKrueger]

Since I published this video, many people have suggested the "repair theory" where the piece was built once and then fixed by another craftsperson later. I see a few details that conflict with this idea, but I've become persuaded that some amount of repair DID happen. Thanks to everyone who opened my eyes to this valuable idea!

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

Oh, yes, I was about to shout that to the four winds until I checked the comments, LOL! That front leg wasn't fixed by a craftsperson, though, but by... a handyman sort of person, maybe? Someone unfamiliar with how to copy any of the original stuff, at least. It's literally as obvious to me as the nose on your face! Maybe because I've cobbled together repairs when I didn't have the correct tools, or correct knowledge, I can see it clearly. I mean, aside from the fact that that paint isn't nearly as old as the other paint, and isn't even the same tint of white, from the look of it. I was a painter for a couple of decades, so that jumped out at me, too. Helps when I've got it on my big screen, too. 😄 Likely was also put together when lumber was scarce, and you used it up, wore it out, made it do, or did without. 😉 (Edited for clarity)

[@billkramer6470]

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[@davidfuller764]

Thank you so much. That was a wild ride. Forensics indeed. So enriched by viewing this. Thank you.

[@fred5480]

A few years ago we had a chest of drawers that were built by my wife's grandfather in the 1930s. The paint was getting tired, so I decided to refinish it. Instead of adding another coat of paint, I opted to strip it and apply stain and varnish. I stripped the first drawer. SCORE! the false front was maple. I was mulling around stain options as I stripped the second drawer front revealing a beautiful piece of....pine. The third drawer was I think mahogany (best guess) and the last another pine. The chest face frame was red cedar and the top was some kind of mystery wood that I never figured out. (I guessed elm or chestnut because they were not species I knew but they had been common once). The sides were plywood. I learned that if my wife's Grandpa (a talented woodworker) painted a piece of furniture, there was a reason.

[@RexKrueger]

There's a reason for everything, right?

[@TimRoyalPastortim]

That's simply a great story

[@Timothious_Maximus]

Neat

[@jasonm.7358]

It does make me wonder what Frankenstein’s Dresser would have looked like stained though.

[@suzesiviter6083]

@@RexKrueger Rex, I bought a dovetail rig and whilst I can join boards edge to edge, I cant make right angle joints, it can clamp both boards at right angles, but the top board stencil is 1.5"' away from the board and no way to rotate it (Like you need a route bit with a very long shaft), any ideas what this type of jig is and what its use is? It looks to be quite old and made in England.

[@allenwc]

Consider, it's 1925, most American's aren't wealthy. Bob the Builder is a furniture maker, professional, but he's also a really nice guy. Things aren't going well for a neighbour, they need some furniture. The neighbour is a labourer, and he has gather a bunch of wood scraps, bits of broken furniture, included the base for a small side table (4 legs, bottom rails, no top at all). Bob knows what it's like to get started in life and he builds this table quickly, using the scraps Neighbour guy brought over. Or, Maybe Bob just needs a real quick side table to hold some stuff, he's busy, orders up the, so he knocks this out of scraps lying about in the shop in 1/2 hr and gets on with his orders. There are million stories in these furniture pieces. One of the things I like about old furniture. What stories they could tell! THis piece is really amazing. Thanks for showing it to us.

[@RexKrueger]

I think your story is likely the best explaination.

[@ricos1497]

Consider its 2022 and Bob's neighbour comes over with an antique table, made from the most beautiful hardwood. It has a loose tenon but Bob's neighbour knows that Bob is good with his hands and will likely fix it. Bob takes a look at it and says "well, I think could be difficult to fix without it being visible, do you think we could paint it white to hide the blemishes?". Bob's neighbour reluctantly agrees. Bob strips the table down for all its best parts, replacing with an old fruit box and some IKEA drawer fronts. He then coats with lead paint, leaving it to dry on some used graphic magazines that were a little sticky. As lumber prices soar, Bob is able to sell the salvaged timber for thousands, affording him a new boat. Bob's neighbour, intoxicated by the lead fumes, becomes increasingly detached and angry. His wife leaves him, taking the kids and the debts pile high. One by one, the debt collectors take every possession and eventually the bank foreclosure takes place leaving him homeless. He pleads with the bailiffs who come to throw him out and one takes pity on him, saying: "I'll tell you what sir, I know it's all you have left, but I'll give you $4 for that table in the corner and you'll be able to get yourself some lunch?"

[@bknesheim]

@@ricos1497 Lead do not fume. I think it would be some white paint salvaged from a boat yard that was meant to go on the bottom of a boat to keep the growth of algae away. Those can have pretty nasty fumes. :-)

[@jonathanj8303]

My first thought was "bitsa". A new piece made with a mix of parts. And the back apron and legs were originally from something better made. Even money says the top boards were from something else entirely, and they're now upsidedown specifically to hide the bevels. Could be a tale like you suggest, or someone with limited time/resources/tools/skills rebuilding the salvageable half of a table into something useable for themselves.

[@phillk6751]

1920s great depression... makes sense

[@howaboutnoname]

Someone made this, probably close to 100 years ago, with what they had and with what they could do. It is still here, it is still being used and now also being appreciated for what it is. It's like that quote "the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." Thank you for the video Rex!

[@kz.irudimen]

I think "what they could do" was pretty good to be honest, they made something out of scraps and leftover moldings and it lasted a century.

[@howaboutnoname]

@@kz.irudimen very true

[@LYLEWOLD]

Love that quote, thanks for that.

[@tomclevenger5668]

My Grandfather started a furniture-making business in 1908 at the age of 15. His primary source of material was reclaimed wood. He would go around the neighborhood and collect unwanted stuff. When he was training me to take over the business, his first lesson is that no wood is scraped. You can always find something to do with it. I've just retired and passed the business of handmade furniture to my son and grandson. We continued with his business plan and are doing well at making a living, Good tip to the beginner, to keep the cost down while honing your craft, find unwanted furniture or any wood scrapes.

[@dragonstonegemironworkscra4740]

If only more people did exactly as you speak of here! Blessings Sir Crawford out 🙏🔥⚒️🧙🏼‍♂️

[@bknesheim]

Old wood is often also a mush better quality then new wood just because it has had a lot of time to stabilize.

[@tomclevenger5668]

@@bknesheim Yes, I know. For example, we stripped out an old warehouse about three years ago and got a ton of yellow pine that is 150 years old. And a lot of 100-year-old maple and oak out of there. Very tight grain structure you can't easily find anymore..

[@bknesheim]

@@tomclevenger5668 In the town where I live some years back they remove an 4 floors sea house build about 250 year ago. Beams nearly 2 foot (0,5 meter) in diameter and 2 inch thick and 15 inch wide was all dumped into a landfill. I was in the sea house just weeks before and all the wood was just fine. I could just cry when I heard what had been done.

[@bbiermanster]

Thanks Rex. This has me written all over it. Hard times, tiny place. My wife and I needed a small table and a friend was getting rid of a massive 48 x 96" table with 2 pillars and chairs to match. I took it and cut the table down to 30 x 50" with a single pillar. You can see some differences between original joinery and my amateur effort to avoid disturbing things too much despite cutting the table down to a third its original size. There were too many chairs, so I turned one into a desk lamp and gave it back to my friend.

[@alysoffoxdale]

_"You're not going to find a piece like this in most furniture books..."_ Why am I suddenly hoping that someday you'll publish a book specifically about pieces like this???

[@matts.8342]

I would buy it for sure!

[@mikecavanagh1898]

“If somebody likes it and it works, then it’s good” was inspiring for me as someone who has just started woodworking and only completed a couple of projects. They haven’t been perfect but the people I made them for have been happy and it’s been very fulfilling.

[@mrwood4557]

What have you made?

[@opabutterscotch5902]

This is definitely true. My first piece of real useable furniture was a mobile island. My wife wanted an island for when she makes raviolis (a space taking process for dough and filling) so I did what I could, using pallets I had found around the city. Is it beautiful? Not really but it does exactly what she wanted and she loves it. It is good

[@quantumleap8888]

There have been so many times that I hope that people don't notice any of the little flaws that only I know are there in my projects.

[@opabutterscotch5902]

@@quantumleap8888 I did a job for a friend and they were praising me for my work. I saw every flaw and wasn’t as impressed as they were. But, like you, we knew every mistake made during production. They don’t see flaws. Not unless you point them out.

[@emostorm7]

@@opabutterscotch5902 which we will, by some subconscious force of guilt or something, gotta point out the flaws, or at least I do lol

[@BurnsworthyII]

Furniture Forensics (or CSI: Carpentry Scene Investigation) is my favourite series on your channel. I love this end table a lot as well.

[@pitsnipe5559]

We have an old record cabinet that my wife’s grandfather built for my wife’s mother in the 1940’s. It was made from whatever pieces of wood he had lying around yet the craftsmanship is superb. When we acquired it, it was in rough shape. I stripped it and uncovered an elegant piece of simplicity.

[@johnshufelt]

Weirdo builds are the only builds I know how to do. Great archaeology, Rex -- informative and encouraging.

[@RexKrueger]

Many of my builds are pretty weird.

[@addisonshinedown]

Man... watching you nerd out over old furniture will never get old.

[@psguardian]

I just finished my first piece of furniture (a rolling night stand) and it shares some similarity to this. Maybe not show room stuff, but functional & I like it. We really are just hard on ourselves unnecessarily as crafters. Thank you for always calling out that being imperfect is acceptable.

[@RexKrueger]

You're very welcome!

[@adm1nspotter]

I'm struggling with that in the project that I'm working on (some small shelf units for storing LPs). I constantly beat myself up, which makes me lose motivation on the project, specifically because they *won't* be perfect. There are all sorts of smallish errors, they're not all constructed identically, and the finishing may end up somewhat variable, but they ought to be fine for their intended purpose.

[@psguardian]

@@adm1nspotter I try to consciously balance the automated complaints with intentional compliments. I spot a poor shoulder at a joint, balance with two areas i like on the piece. Helps keep me moving.

[@ashex_int]

Rex your vibe and way of talking about the things you enjoy makes my day so much better and inspires me to do things with the stuff i have in fantastic ways. Youre the best man.

[@gaminawulfsdottir3253]

Fascinating forensics. I have a table that I built not unlike this one (though without the fancy joinery) with design decisions for much the same reasons. It was 100% salvaged lumber, and made for a special purpose: an aquarium stand that had to be a certain height, width, and depth, and had to withstand a heavy load. I'm very proud of it for its straightforwardness, simplicity, and a kind of rustic elegance stemming from my not wanting that sturdy table to look stodgy. I was very happy to see this video. (I also appreciate that you left the cracked paint intact.)

[@genem2768]

When my friend and I were in high school we would make what we called leftover goulash from the fridge. Basically taking all the leftovers and arranging it into a good lunch. This reminds me of that. It looks like a competent woodworker that had some scraps of this and pieces of that and made it work. I love this kind of stuff. The craftsperson lives on in the quirks.

[@bradcummons7132]

This is very interesting. My business does a lot of furniture restoration projects and watching your forensics videos trains me as to what to look for.

[@sergiogonzalez17395]

12:46 Thanks Rex. I recently (nine months ago) took up woodworking as a career, like, full on going to trade school and whatnot, and we have been making some bedside tables that featured a small cabinet. Wanted to gift it to my ma, since her birthday would be just around the corner when I had it finished, but man... it was plagued by mistakes, and self doubt was really creeping in. What you said here resonated with me, because I've shown the piece to my ma, and she loved it, even with all of its glaring flaws. Thanks. It meant a lot

[@RexKrueger]

Your mom is very lucky. I bet no one else can see those mistakes.

[@ukype]

Love these forensic videos. Also, if you build it, and it works, and somebody likes it, it's good. All beginners need to be told that. Too easy to look at all of your mistakes when probably no one else ever will.

[@Dragon_With_Matches]

I love these furniture forensics videos! And I appreciated your closing thoughts about our own amateur furniture making. If we like it and it works!

[@jeffdutton1910]

found/discarded/re-purposed wood: There used to be a furniture factory near my house. They always put their off-cuts into a 45 ft. trailer with a sign ("FREE FIREWOOD"). These little blocks and strips of wood were mainly maple until they started using particle board for their sofa frames. I collected piles of this stuff and made a lot of toys for my kids and nieces and nephews.

[@noahfreeman8115]

Very excited about this. I’ve been making furniture for about a year and have all the tools I need, so I feel like I’ve outgrown a lot of the content on this channel, which is sad because I love this channel. So seeing content like this makes me really happy because it gives me the opportunity to learn and grow for the foreseeable future from stuff Rex is publishing.

[@claudiomenesesc]

Love these old furniture forensic videos. Thanks for sharing.

[@KorvinST]

Thank you for the words of encouragement at the end. I appreciate it. If somebody likes it and it works, then it’s good..

[@michaelthys4000]

I do a lot of furniture restoration of this kind. Off the side of the road. Fix, clean and resell. I would love to see you clean this one up and show the joints without the paint. After it’s scrap it might be able to be stained or painted again but I think it would be clearer on film. Great video as always.

[@nolanstevenson3510]

Love the positive notes near the end

[@seamus6387]

A friend of mine has an old toolbox he got from the guy that taught him to be a carpenter. It's a beautiful wooden toolbox made entirely from recycled "junk." All of the drawers are stuff like old wooden produce boxes. It has old molding planes where you can tell every blade started out a handsaw. Was made in a time people acquired skills, not money. The old guy needed a toolbox and couldn't afford one. Was also a time when there was no shame in reusing stuff. Waste not, want not.

[@RexKrueger]

That tool box sounds amazing. I'd love to see it.

[@charlesmckinley29]

Yes please get at least some pictures of the tool box and contents if you can’t make a video.

[@jeffreysmith6987]

My wife’s grandfather served his apprenticeship in Iceland came to America in 1918. He was a master craftsman who was very frugal and repurposed parts of old furniture many times.

[@mason.berlin]

love what you said right at the end of the video!

[@ScottCalvinsClause]

Rex is the Steve Burns of carpentry. So uplifting and encouraging.

[@ethanwong9950]

Might be a high school shop student’s piece. I remember in shop I needed to make every type of joint to get the grade, so we all did simple stuff like this. One piece of furniture but displaying ever type of joint, easy

[@LarsSveen]

Those pieces are truly works of art. Weirdly built, but solidly built by a skilled craftsman. I have an old dining table that has similar weird choices, including some filler pieces made from horribly worm-holed wood. It's a lovely table though and solidly built -- it will easily last another hundred years.

[@keithswoodshop1193]

Been watching your videos for a couple years, love the furniture forensics, great theories, I have to agree with the repair theory. Keep up the good work. You’re inspiring. Thank you.

[@robertquiles7815]

I'm sure other people have said it, but this is what I truly enjoy. The furniture forensics, it brings history to life. I appreciate the outro also. It hit home and made it real to me. Thank you for your videos!

[@matesmichalec1972]

I really loved this video. Thanks for showing us stuff you can't find in a magazine. Really shows that some dedication and skill makes a nice piece of furniture. Not just wood choice.

[@coolthinghere6853]

what a cool piece. id love to see it stripped down (except for the drawer bottom of course) and refinished so it will last many years more!

[@1954JDR]

Your theory on an amateur builder is the most logical. When my older brother was taking shop class in the 1950s, he would make things from old wood he would find lying around. I'm sure the person became a master craftsman, like yourself. I hope you refinished the piece for your neighbor.

[@wiseoldfool]

I'm only part way through, but my guess is re-purposed shop furniture. There is so much to learn from furniture forensics. I'm not sure if I coined this expression, but to me a big part of woodwork is "woodthink". Furniture forensics helps me to "woodthink". Keep 'em coming!

[@theeddorian]

When you need furniture and you don't have money, you use what you can. My wife and I had a nice old table, we obtained from a land fill, of genuine wood and still is a nice piece. The seating were stools we made of Prestone Antifreeze boxes, shored on the interior with vertical card board ribbing. We had a book case made of neon light tubes - cut down eight-foot boxes for the uprights and the top and base, four footers as internal vertical support and shelves. The entire book case was covered in free snake-skin patterned wall paper that give it added rigidity. It lasted three or four years at least, until we could afford nicer wooden book cases. We put it out, expecting to see it collected for trash, but it was quickly snagged by other needy neighbors in another apartment, and was still in circulation among the apartments when we finally moved out.

[@theonecalledstein]

We have a few pieces that my great grandfather made that look exactly like this. Shelves, cabinets, and I think there's still a step stool floating around. He would save old crates and reuse the nails.

[@hansangb]

@11:00 So this is the OG pallet wood project of its time! 😁 Very interesting!

[@chevychris3819]

The weirdos pieces are my favorite and the best in my opinion because they have character and it's more like something I can build. I never bought wood to work with because I'm still trying to learn and free wood is the best type of wood to learn with.

[@RexKrueger]

I totally agree. If it's free, it's me.

[@nointegritydotorg]

I love how Rex not only teaches you how to make tools, use hand tools and such, but he meticulously he takes you through the history of tools, furniture and joinery. A wealth of information that makes you appreciate woodworking even more.

[@austininatx]

Everytime I watch a new episode in this series, I'm just shaking my head at how ridiculously good it is. Seriously Rex, it's awesome

[@MrJono1999]

I love these Furniture Forensics videos. Please make more, they are so interesting. Cracking job, keep up the good work.😀

[@MortimerSugarloaf]

These furniture forensics style videos are my favorite series of yours. My favorite of any creator, really. The first one with the drop leaf table was the single most influential woodworking video I've ever seen. It completely changed the way I approach woodworking both operationally and philosophically. I enjoy the craft so much more than I did before, and on more levels. Thank you for enriching my woodworking experience. Keep em coming!

[@RexKrueger]

I will!!!

[@Gshochet]

In 1954 my grandparents bought a summer cottage, circa 1906, that is still my favorite place in the world. It is full of salvaged, wierdo pieces of furniture and bits of lumber that were clearly repurposed from whatever was to hand at the time. Some of them predate my grandparents, while others I know from family lore were perpetrated by my carpenter great-grandfather, or so my father says. When he enclosed the front porch he did an amazing, workmanlike job, while the enclosed back porch/bathroom is a marvel of creative reuse. The night tables in my grandparents’ bedroom (they are gone now but it will always, to me, be their bedroom) are the two sides to an Art Deco Vanity. From the front they look normal but each has one side that reveals their origin. That’s exactly what I thought when I saw the asymmetry in your salvaged table; that it was part of a larger piece. I love stuff like this. Shelves that were clearly once floorboards or part of a door. An outhouse that now serves as a tool-shed. And all these bits of vernacular furniture; step-stools, tables, benches, that clearly were cobbled together from whatever was readily available. When I built farmhouse benches for the dining room in my 1865 colonial, it was with this sort of vernacular furniture in mind. Simple, sturdy, unpretentious. I had the luxury of choosing whatever lumber I wanted but I still had my forebears in mind. I hope my son will love them, and I like to think my great-grandfather-whose tools and toolbox now are in my keeping-would have approved.

[@ulrichminky9495]

I have a similar table that sits beside my bed. It was made by my grandfather sometime between 1910 and 1930. Like most of the things my grandfather made it was created from scraps of previous projects. The major difference with my table is the paint is in better shape. Cheers from the left edge of Canada. ~ulrich

[@ArniesTech]

Love woodwork forensics 💪🙏

[@thetcaseaway4306]

Thank you. Watching this is the motivation I need to continue. If someone like what I made and it's functioning correctly, it's good enough. Thanks

[@woodworksbygrampies1284]

Hola! 🖐 I really like these "forensic" videos. I learn so much from all the info you pack into them. Now I cannot drive home from work without scanning left and right in hopes of finding a little treasure. Keep them coming. Take care and have a good one, Adios! 👊

[@lanceroark6386]

When you’re a professional that makes things with scraps (scraps that have joints cut into them before the project is considered, much-less started), this is what you get.

[@jons2447]

Thank you, Mr. Krueger! Interesting video, I'm 67, so I 'reuse' things, too. Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!

[@bobfisher2398]

Thanks for this video. I was absorbed in your breakdown of the piece and the story you divined from it. I think half the reason it was such a fun episode is your clear enthusiasm for what you found.

[@norm_olsen]

Very interesting piece of confusing furniture! There could be a number of explanations as to why the use of inconsistent joinery and wood! One thing to note though is that at the 7:14 mark, you mention that the drawer is finger jointed. In actuality, this is a box joint (also known as a finger lap or comb joint). A finger joint (without the lap in its name) is comprised of thinner, tapering pins that interlock with opposite tapering gaps. Additionally, finger joints are not really used for corners, but rather on end grains of straight pieces to form longer straight pieces (also known as scarfing). Overall, a very interesting piece of history you have there!

[@iliapetrov5761]

Rex I'm not even that much into woodworking anymore but I still go back to your channel every once in a while, because your content is just so good. Amazing work as always, kept me interested through the whole thing. Bravo!

[@alanshotts8344]

Years from now someone like you will look at some of the stuff I build and scratch his head and ask, "what was this guy thinking?" Sometimes it is based on what wood I have available, sometimes on what works at the time and even sometimes on "I wonder if this will work?". Keeps things interesting.

[@thiggy1249]

Great video Rex. One of your best forensics!! Your videos are always learning experiences. Thanks again.

[@WilliamMoneyhun]

Right on, Rex. Thank you for saying that part at the end. Fanfare for the Common Man.

[@nicmasterdude]

This was AWESOME!! I love this series, and Gustav Stickley!

[@RexKrueger]

I'll keep them coming!

[@strongjohn10956]

Love, love, love your analysis of old pieces. I think we are/will be seeing a lot of deconstruction and reuse of wood from old furniture with wood prices being what they are. I've several items I've bought cheap or scavenged for their value as just the wood. You are so right that vernacular, or folk, furniture, and architecture for that matter, are very interesting and informative. In some ways, those kinds of pieces distill the key characteristic of style to their essentials. Anyway, keep up these terrific videos!

[@leeh9420]

I really enjoy these a lot! Your perspective makes this humble piece of furniture fascinating, and most of use would probably look past it if we saw it. Cheers!

[@markp6062]

This was EXCELLENT! Your forensics is astounding and very informative, not to mention on point! Thank you for this!

[@amos1678]

On the west coast you can find a lot of repurposed furniture out of Asia. Taking armoires and turning them into entertainment centers is probably the most common. It’s fun to check out the joinery and types of wood they use

[@hohuy1469]

We gotta call Rex as "carpentry detective" at this point. I love this series ❤ !

[@steveconlon8936]

I absolutely love your forensic furniture videos. I look forward to the next one!

[@MrTresto]

Hey Rex, I have a 20 month old son. I have been watching and supporting your content with patreon since before he was born. I bought a couple hand planes and have been learning how to use them. Two days after his birth, we brought him back home from the maternity, and all we had was a family crib that was detached from the bed, the very one used by my wife's parents for her and her siblings. But was a bit wobbly, creaking, and didn't feel totally safe. We wanted a very solid and rigid bed that was level with our bed for the first few months, and with only three sides to it, that would go against our bed. I think they call that a sidecar. Just that same day, two days after his birth, as I was taking the trash out, I found a desk in the street that was beat up but seemed to have a thick solid wood top. I planed it down and I was right. It wasn't fancy, it was poplar, but still, finding what amounts to a few 4ft long 5/4 thick poplar boards in the street is pretty sweet. I cut it all up and made his baby bed with this material, and used a little piece of oak that I had sitting around to make a clip for it to hold on our two person bed. I skipped the mortise/tenon joinery because I was short on time, and used some dowels and screws, but it's still pretty solid and looks quite ok for something made in about 5-6 hours. We have it stored now, and will use it again for our second baby when he/she will be born next year. So... I made a newborn bed for my son just like my dad made one for me. And that was thanks to you teaching me how to use a hand plane. And now I watch this video you made about a desk and a story about a 1920s craftsman who likely re-used some wood. I felt so much sense of wonder and mystery. And it happens today, right after I felt so much wonder and mystery about my growing son, as this morning he put together two words for the first time, he said "Daddy upstairs" when he saw me come back from the bathroom which is indeed upstairs. Your content is so special, personal and unique, and personally resonates with me in a way hard to describe. I used to do a bit of woodworking with my dad when I was a kid. Nothing too crazy, we finished the attic of our house, it was a lot of trim. We also made a tree house in the yard with his own father, who had quite the workshop, I remember looking around with amazement at all these incredible tools, a drill press, a table saw, etc. I do remember seeing this weird metal tool, I asked what it was, he said "un rabot" (that's French for a plane). I didn't really understand what it actually was, and never saw him use it. Now I got mine I know what it is. He's far away now, but now that I'm a dad myself, and doing some woodworking for my son and maybe some day with him, I feel closer to my dad despite the distance, and that's partially thanks to you Rex. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[@georgeparker7409]

Hi, as a pro furniture maker (Shaker Style) a suggestion passed on to me by an "old timer I am 82) at the Shaker Village here at Sabath Lake Maine is NOT to make the legs exactly 90 degrees but to cant them out @ 1 degree. This fools the eye to make the look straight. I had the occasion to see/work on one of the largest collection of original Shaker furniture a few years ago and most of the legs were slightly canted (I measured them) and NOT 90 degrees. Just some food for thought. Thanks for listening and great show.

[@specialagento486]

I look forward to Rex Krueger III, 70 years from now, finding the end table I made as a way to hone my skills, and trying to figure out what I was thinking when I combined drawbore mortise and tenon with a wacky bespoke drawer slide system. Maybe he can come back in time and tell me, because I still can’t figure it out. Great video!

[@OgreProgrammer]

Sneak your name on it somewhere, and maybe a build date so someone can wonder about "The old timey person who made this... What was their life like? What were they thinking?" and one of your descendants might get a message, "I found an interesting piece of woodwork, and I think a relative of yours made it.... what can you tell me about Kevin?"

[@pete8279]

Many years ago I curb side shopped a 2 row six drawer cabinet. I painted it and have used it for many years. It looked like it was at one time a top shelf for a barrister book case and someone decided to add drawers to it. Just this past week I decided to use it for the basis of two 3 drawer cabinets. I decided to harvest as much from the original as I could, While taking it apart I discovered that it was made up of oak, poplar, pine, plywood, and some other species I don't recognize. The dividers between the drawer columns were made from scrap as they were built up with what ever cutoffs that may have been in the cutoff bin. Once i finish and they are painted I'm sure they will look fine back on my shop wall. The 1/4" plywood I'm using as trim came from a shipping pallet I picked up from the curb a few weeks ago.

[@MegaSuperJaBaTo]

WSI: Krueger ... Wood Scene Investigations at its best 😉. Very inspiring look into a piece of craftsmen history. Regards from Germany 🖖

[@zillaquazar]

what an adventure, the stories this thing could tell, this was a very enjoyable video

[@groermaik]

This is a table that was fine in the back, and screwed up in the front, so the front was cobbled together as well as the newer carpenter could.

[@Sawtooth70]

Great representation, your analysis is keen and entertaining. Love this video.

[@scottcampbell4429]

Thanks Rex, this is the only explanation that has ever summed up why I love working wood, going to antique stores and museums. Connecting to previous creators and seeing how they thought is simply joyous. This video is out of the park. You could do the same for a table from your neighbor, Tut's tomb or Versailles and it would be equally fascinating, bravo!

[@andrewzanto8591]

Thanks Rex, great story, thanks for sharing the journey with us.

[@eloscuro704]

In the early 1980's, my first big high school project was a cedar chest of drawers. I was making it for myself and used it for a few years before joining the Army. After I left, my parents took over my room and started using it. It has all of the hallmarks of a high school project - simple rabbit joints, drawers like in this project and so forth. My dad is in his 80's and as far as I know, he is still using it.

[@ajaehall7695]

This seems like a test or audition. Here is one piece that is small, simple but shows a huge amount of skills that any woodworker would need, starting from some scraps.

[@RichardBuckman]

I love these analytical history of technique type videos you do :)

[@nobuckle40]

I think that you have to admire someone who is able to do what they can with what they have. As I consider the piece shown in the video, I think about how the individual struggled through various aspects of the project. I can picture them pondering, perhaps for quite a while, about how to solve some of the joinery issues. The need for a table dictated the entire build. This is often the case for many of us. I mean, who would have ever thought to use a piece of moulding in that way? Genius? No. Thrifty? Absolutely! Hats off to the creator of that table!

[@Upsidedownorangejuice]

This is the most fascinating series and real fresh spin in the woodworking YT landscape.

[@elterga6224]

My great grandfather built his furniture out of particle board and plywood, then stained and varnished. It’s an odd choice, but they look surprisingly good!

[@wabio]

".....not interested in weirdo, half-baked stuff." The crazier the better! I love eclectic furniture.....like the Judson Beaumont stuff.

[@beachsketch3531]

I really enjoy this series. Thanks for taking us along!

[@wanderingranger4208]

Wouldn’t be surprised if it was a gift made during hard times. I can relate to the guy, I’m in the middle of making a work bench in my shed and all I have to use is old pallet wood (the chunky bits for the legs) which isn’t square at all and my old neighbours decking that was put in during the pandemic and the new owners ripped out, I don’t have the gear to square up the legs but I’m kind of wanting it to add a quirky charm to it, as long as the top is flat and it doesn’t rock itself loose I’ll be happy.

[@Chupetex79]

Thanks Rex, halfway through the video, I realized I had a smile on my face, and kept it through the end. Great video.

[@LightFootMcBride]

I learn so much from these videos! Furniture forensics dovetails (ha!) nicely with the woodworking for humans videos. Thanks!!

[@dholtz3]

I really enjoyed this video. One of my favorites that you have done. Thank you. Great work.

[@mason.berlin]

love this series! great video!

[@jelmo1057]

Looks very similar to several depression era furniture pieces I’ve come across. During those tough times both skilled and unskilled used whatever they could scrounge up just to survive.

[@mattevans-koch9353]

Thank you Rex for another Furniture Forensics.

[@cydrych]

100+ years into it’s life and that table with a hodgepodge of joinery and wood from various sources that was who knows how old when reclaimed is still standing strong. It could probably use a new coat of paint but it looks great still. I thank your neighbor for letting us see this unique and interesting piece of history. I burn RB and the year into everything I make so in a hundred years if any of it is still around some antique dealer will drive themselves crazy trying to research what it stands for. 😂

[@antipodesman]

Wow . . . great story. Thanks Rex

[@B.A.Bassangler]

Great job Gil. Initially I thought maybe a school project, where they had to display several joinery methods.

[@trevann8213]

This is honestly my favorite series about furniture itself you've ever done

[@avoidtheherd7066]

Rex Krueger, Furniture Detective! Very entertaining and informative video. Thanks for making it.

[@miguele.carvajal8219]

It all makes sense, if the piece was made during the great depression, regardless of whether it was built for selling or for personal use, that it was made by a clever person making use of existing things. My respect to that generation! Upcycling long before the term was invented, reusing and improvizing. I really enjoyed this video.

[@jameslogan1153]

I also have seen a lot of furniture and wondered how it was made, now I know that reading may very well be the answer

[@pedrosarsama]

There's a similarity of ethos with this kind of building and people snagging stuff like pallets or crates from the dumpster. Most of my early woodworking was nailed, butt joined stuff made form leftover building materials and stuff like pallet wood.

[@oldwaysrisingfarm]

I love examples of human ingenuity like this!