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J Rummer Sons Woodworking

306 East Michigan Avenue
Berthoud, CO, 80513
785-760-5549
A tradition of Craftsmanship

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J Rummer Sons Woodworking

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He's got the Knapp ...

November 9, 2017 Bob Rummer
The Knapp or pin-and-cove drawer joint

The Knapp or pin-and-cove drawer joint

I have been intrigued by Eastlake furniture. You would probably recognize it quickly if you saw it in an antique store--spoon-carved designs, porcelain or carved handles, chamfered corners, beaded spindles. Charles Eastlake tried to redefine Victorian style with an emphasis on hand-made work, simple ornamentation, and affordable pieces. In the U.S. it became the Queen Anne or Cottage style. One design element that fit into Eastlake's philosophy was the Knapp dovetail (or pin-and-cove) drawer joint. Making drawers was one of the last furniture tasks to be mechanized. Knapp invented a joint and a mechanized process that quickly and efficiently shaped pins and matching tails. One Knapp dovetailing machine could make 250 drawers per day with one worker. Lacking the actual machine I made drawer joints with a router and pattern bit, scrollsaw, and drillpress. My pins are actually separate dowels inserted into the joint but when it is all done it looks like a real Knapp joint. If you look at drawers at the antique store--Knapp joints pretty clearly date a piece to between 1870 and 1900. Unless you are looking at my shop cabinet and then it doesn't. Because I have the Knapp.

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