I believe there is some mileage in a post on the evidence, pros and cons of through- and lapped-dovetail carcase and drawer construction, beginning in the second half of the seventeenth-century; however I will reserve all that for a later date. What I would like to touch on now is the universal adoption (where practical) of lapped-dovetail construction for painted and japanned case furniture.
Through-dovetails (fig. 1) are simpler and more quickly formed than lapped-dovetails – a fact that didn’t escape keen-minded seventeenth- and eighteenth-century cabinetmakers – however, they aren’t without their disadvantages.
Fig. 1. Through-dovetailed carcase (formerly the upper section of a chest-on-chest or stand).
One issue with through-dovetails is that they tend to spoil otherwise unbroken show surfaces, although this was addressed during the period 1660 to 1680-ish by applying mouldings over the drawer fronts (fig. 2).
Fig. 2. Circa 1680 through-dovetail drawer construction with applied mouldings.
The main drawback with through-dovetails though could arise when they were veneered, painted or japanned over. The problem was with the grain direction of the two components being oriented at 90° to each other which, on the surface at least, would move with seasonal humidity thus accentuating their multifarious edges. As a result, when through-dovetails were veneered over, their outlines could, in some circumstances, become visible on the surface of the veneer over a period of time; a progression known as ‘telegraphing’ (fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Top edges of veneered carcase show evidence of through-dovetails beneath. (M. Ford Creech)
Telegraphing was not limited to veneered work; indeed, the issue would most likely have first presented itself with painted and locally produced japanned furniture (fig. 4).
Fig. 4. Circa 1700 through-dovetailed carcase construction visible through black japanning.
Lapped-dovetails, conversely, permit a flat, uninterrupted, stable show surface on which to veneer or paint (fig. 5).
Fig. 5. Circa 1685 lapped-dovetailed and japanned drawers.
With Christmas and New Year festivities now behind us, I was about to embark on making the drawers for the painted chest, but the weather has, again, dealt a severe blow… literally: We are currently experiencing strong winds and temperatures of around 41°C (106°F), with the temperature in the shed a carcase-splitting 47.8°C (118°F).
Jack Plane
