Medieval and Renaissance Furniture

by Daniel Diehl

  Now plane the outer edges of the bottom panel so that it slides easily into the ¼-inch-wide, ¼-inch-deep rabbet in the side panels and the ¼-inchwide, 3⁄8-inch-deep rabbet in the front panel, as shown in the top center drawer back and cross section (with bottom removed) drawings.

  When the frame of the drawer fits together with a gentle tap of a mallet or the heel of your hand, apply glue to the dovetails, then fit the drawer together, making certain it is perfectly square, and slide the bottom into place before allowing the glue to dry. After the glue is dry, turn the drawer upside down, so that its bottom faces upward. Drill pilot holes and nail the drawer frame to the back panel with 1-inch common nails. The small center drawers each have only one nail, while the four wider drawers each have two equally spaced nails. You should now be able to slide the drawers into place in the dresser. If they bind slightly, try rubbing the sides and bottom edges of the sides with a bar of soap to give them a bit of lubrication.

  Building and Installing the Top

  The underside of the top, shown in the top underside drawing, has been fitted with four braces that keep the edges of the boards together. These are a later addition and were probably installed because the pegs that originally held the top together broke as a result of warping. You may elect to peg the top boards together in their original manner. But the existing braces do serve a practical function: the outermost two braces are located 1½ inches from the outer edge of the top so that they set snugly against the inside of the top side rails, guaranteeing that the top can be easily set into its proper position. Whichever approach you decide on, after you have attached the two top boards (11¾ by 54¾ inches and 12 by 54¾ inches) to each other, use a router to cut an ogee edge around the front and sides of the top as shown in the drawings of the front and back of the dresser. The offset edge at the top of this ogee is extremely thin, being no more than 1⁄32 inch in height. As shown in the top underside drawing, the front corners of the top are rounded enough that they form one-quarter of a 1¼-inch circle.

  When the top is complete, set it in place on the base of the dresser so that there is an overhang of ¾-inch on each side and ½-inch in the front. The back of the top should be flush with the outer face of the back boards. When you are satisfied with the positioning of the top, draw a pencil line around both faces of the front legs on the underside of the top. Remove the top and run a small bead of glue around the top of the case, then replace the top in its proper position. If possible, clamp the top into position with cabinet clamps to prevent it from shifting while you nail it into place. Each board is fixed with three nails. Drill small pilot holes to a depth of 1¼ inches through the top and into the case as follows: The front nail in the front board is located in the center of the front leg, and the rear nail in the rear board is located in the center of the rear leg. There are additional nails about 1 inch on each side of the joint between the top boards and at about the center point in each board. Nail the top to the case with 1½-inch finishing nails, setting the nail heads slightly below the surface and filling the holes with putty. The original piece shows clear evidence that the top had handmade, square-cut nails, but if you do not have cut nails, modern finishing nails will be nearly invisible when the holes are filled.

  Hardware

  When we acquired this piece, it had a variety of different drawer pulls and rosettes. Scarring on the drawer fronts also indicated that locks had been added but later removed, and the mortises plugged with oak. With the help of a furniture historian and restoration expert, we determined what kind of hardware was most likely to have been on the dresser originally and had pieces cast to replace the later additions. Although finding exact duplicates of this 350-year-old cast brass hardware is probably impossible, the illustrations will help you find appropriate-looking substitutes.

  The locations of the pulls are as follows: On the top row of drawers, all the pulls are centered 2 inches below the top edge. On the four long drawers, they are 4 inches in from the sides, and on the small middle drawer, they are located in the center. On the lower row of drawers, all the pulls are centered 2½ inches below the top edge. In this row, they are also located 4 inches in from the sides of the longer drawers and centered on the middle drawer.

  Finish

  After centuries of waxing, polishing, and dusting, this piece has taken on a rich, medium-dark coloration. As a result of natural wear and handling, the edges of the top are considerably lighter than the rest of the piece. To approximate the general all-over tone of the original piece, use a Danish Walnut or Walnut-colored stain. If you want to approximate the light and dark variations that have resulted from use and polishing, apply a coat of oil to the edges of the top prior to applying the stain; this will inhibit the stain from penetrating as deeply into the wood. For details on how to apply an appropriate finish, see page 7.

  PROJECT 15

  Fifteenth-Century

  Ambry Cupboard

  Ambry Cupboard, English, fifteenth century. Elm, 29 x 32½ x 17½ inches. Collection of Haddon Hall, Bakewell, Derbyshire, England. Photo by D. Tyler Huff.

  The ambry cupboard was in essence the first kitchen cabinet. In its earliest form, the ambry was a recess in a church wall where vestments, silver, and other goods were stored. By the high Middle Ages, it had evolved into a freestanding wooden cabinet and had been adapted to domestic use, utilized for the storage of food as well as dry goods. In its function as a food cabinet, the ambry was often referred to as a livery cupboard or sometimes as a dole cupboard.

  Ambries widely varied in size and shape but were generally around 4 feet high, 3 feet wide, and 1 to 1½ feet deep. They were of plank construction and had a single door in the center of the front face. Because they were purely functional, ornamentation was kept to a minimum, usually limited to carved tracery or spindle work at the ventilation holes, which were necessary to keep the food inside from molding. This ambry has spent most of the last six centuries in the kitchens at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire County, England.

  Construction Notes

  This ambry has been altered at some point in its existence. A piece was added to the right side of the door, and the bead molding nearest the door, on the left panel, was cut off. Perhaps the cooks at Haddon Hall found the original 9-inch-wide door too narrow for their needs and had it widened. The plans here show the cabinet in its original proportions. The wheeled castors visible in the photograph at the corners of the ambry were undoubtedly a nineteenth-century addition and have been left off. The turn button closure on the door is almost certainly of much later date than the cabinet; however, there is no evidence of an earlier closure mechanism. It is possible, though hardly practical, that the door did not originally have a latch and was simply pushed shut. The treatment is up to your discretion.

  Materials

  This cabinet is reportedly made of elm. Elm in any quantity or in dimensions suitable for the construction of furniture is almost impossible to find today. Pine, fir, birch, or poplar would be a suitable substitute. Boards of the dimensions called for in this piece should be readily available, with the exception of the side panels, which need to be glued together. Because of the light structure of this piece, we recommend that you have them professionally joined at a lumber mill or cabinet shop.

  Setting Up

  Cut all the pieces to size before beginning construction. Mark each board with its final position so that you can easily locate it as needed. Make all markings in chalk so they can be removed from the wood.

  Frame Construction

  Begin construction by assembling the case of the ambry. First mark the relative locations of the shelves on both the inside and outside faces of the side panels with chalk. Drill pilot holes through the side panels. Place the shelf boards into position and nail them to the end panels with forged nails. The shelf boards should line up flush with the rear edge of the side panels but should be ¼ inch short of the front edge of the side panels so that the front panels will fit properly. If your lumber varies from this, a
djust the widths of the boards as necessary to compensate.

  Hold the shelves in place with corner clamps while nailing, or have an assistant hold the pieces together while you assemble them. When both the upper and bottom shelves have been nailed into place, the rear brace board, shown at top right in the right side interior view, can be nailed into place. Drill pilot holes in the brace to avoid splitting the end grain.

  Back Panels

  Attaching the back panels will stabilize the structure. The back boards overlap the side panels so that the seam between side panel and back board is visible when the cabinet is viewed from the side. Check that the frame of the ambry is square, drill pilot holes, and nail a back board to one edge of the ambry. When nailing the back boards to the brace board, provide back support under the brace to absorb the shock of the hammer. Next, nail a back board to the opposite edge of the ambry. Fit the last two boards between the first two and nail them into place. The boards need not be pulled tightly together. If the last board does not drop into place, plane the edges until it is an easy fit. When all the back boards have been nailed into place, the cabinet should be relatively sturdy. Now install the front brace board, shown at top left of the right side interior view, first drilling pilot holes.

  Top

  Now attach the top boards to the body of the cabinet. Attach the rear top board first, keeping it flush with the outer edge of the back boards and allowing a ¾ inch overhang on either side of the cabinet. Drill and nail the board into place as shown. Repeat the process with the front board. The top should extend 1 inch beyond the front edges of the side panels.

  Front Panels

  Cutting the Rabbets. Rabbet the two front panels along one edge where they overlap the side panels (see detail A). The panels are slightly different widths, so establish left and right panels before cutting the rabbets. Be certain that the rabbets allow the panels to fit snugly against the side panels and lie flat against the face of the shelf and bottom.

  Moldings. The vertical moldings on the face of the front panels are so shallow that they cannot be accurately depicted. The basic shape is a convex half-round central molding surrounded by two concave half-round moldings. In even simpler terms, the moldings are rounded, W-shaped depressions in the face of the wood. The molding is only 1⁄8 inch deep and ½ inch wide. The moldings are about ¾ inch from the edges of the panel. They were probably cut with a molding plane holding a single wavy-shaped blade. This is still the best way to cut such shallow moldings. Alternatively, the outer, concave depressions could be filed or sanded into the wood, and the center, convex shape sanded into the ridge between the depressions. Whichever approach you use, clamp a guide to the face of the panel to keep the moldings straight as you cut them.

  Carving. Transfer the designs for the carvings onto the front panels and the door. First enlarge them on a copier to the dimensions indicated on the drawings. Trace the pattern onto the front panels and door board, and with a coping saw or reciprocal saw (saber saw), cut out the areas of the designs that are shaded in the drawings. Although these carvings are wedge shaped, cut the sides of the tracery vertical at this time. Be concerned only with getting the shapes of the openings regular, not with tapering the sides.

  Then work the sides of the tracery into their wedge shape with a series of files or small rasps. For flat, straight areas, use flat or triangular files; for curved and rounded areas, use round files; and for corners, use triangular or square files. Your wood should be relatively soft, so shaping the edges of the open work should prove fairly easy. The narrow bands of tracery, especially where it runs across the grain, will be very fragile, so take care not to break the carvings.

  Keep the board on which you are working firmly weighted or clamped to the workbench. Work only on the first inch of open work nearest the edge of the workbench, and even less if you are working on an area that is cut across the grain of the wood. This will require a lot of moving and readjusting of the panel, but it will prevent breaking the delicate carvings. After the open work has been filed to shape, finish it with sandpaper.

  When the tracery has been completed, lay the panel flat on the workbench and use carving knives and gouges to carve out the shallow corner decorations that do not pierce through the wood. The smaller these areas, the shallower the carving; the deepest ones are no more than half the thickness of the board. For more information on gouge carving, see page 4. Finish by sanding, being careful that you do not round over the edges.

  Installing the Front Panels. Set the carved and molded front panels in place, drill pilot holes, and nail. Trim the lintel and doorsill plate to fit snugly between the left and right side panels. The sill plate should lie flush with the face of the cabinet and the thickness of the floor board. Nail the sill plate and lintel into place, providing back support for the lintel while nailing, as there is very little supporting the brace into which the lintel is being nailed. Then countersink all the nails in the front, sides, and top of the ambry to a depth of 1⁄8 inch beneath the surface of the wood, again providing back support when countersinking the nails in the lintel.

  Installing the Door. The door should fit into the opening in the front of the cabinet so that there is a gap of about 1⁄8 inch on all four sides. Remove the door and prepare to attach the back braces as shown in the edge view of the door in the drawings. Note that the braces are 1 inch shorter than the width of the door, and all four edges of the braces are cut at 30-degree angles. Position the braces so that they are 5⁄8 inch from the top and bottom edges of the door and ½ inch from the front and rear edges. Nail the braces into place from the rear, through the braces and into the back surface of the door. Use nails that are 1¼ inches long so that they will not pierce the front of the door, and drill pilot holes before nailing.

  Hinges

  Precut the butterfly-shaped blanks for the hinges, and bend the tangs to form the spine as described on page 10.

  Finish

  This ambry has had a great deal of use over the centuries, but evidence remains that it may have been painted a rusty ocher, similar to the color of richly oiled wood. Before finishing, fill the nail holes with white putty or thickened gesso. When the filler is dry, finish-sand the entire piece.

  If you wish to paint the ambry, first give the top, sides, and front a coat of gesso to serve as primer. When the gesso is dry, sand the cupboard again and finish with a coat of egg tempera or flat-finish oil paint (see page 8). If you prefer a natural oil finish, tint the putty in the nail holes with wood stain so that it matches the color of the wood, and then oil the ambry as described on page 7. The back, interior, and inside of the door do not appear to have been finished in any way.

  Hanging the Door

  Nail the hinges to the door before attaching it to the face of the cupboard. The short end of the hinge should be attached to the door, and the longer end to the cabinet. Set the door in place, with equal amounts of space above and below the door but with the entire ¼-inch gap kept to the left of the door, opposite the side with the hinges. This will allow the door to swing easily. Nail the hinges to the side panel.

  Insect Screen

  Food being stored in ambries was generally protected from insects by backing the open-work tracery with a piece of loose-weave cloth. This cloth may have been woven of either linen or horsehair. Cut the cloth into panels about 1 inch larger than the carved areas they are intended to cover. The cloth panels are attached to the inside of the ambry behind the tracery carvings. You can tack the cloth directly to the wood with a few tiny nails, or for a neater appearance, nail small strips of wood to the inner surface of the cupboard, with the cloth sandwiched between the strips and the cupboard. If the cloth will be nailed directly to the wood, the edges should be hemmed to prevent fraying. We recommend simply tacking the cloth directly to the side panels, because the interior of the ambry is a difficult area in which to work.

  PROJECT 16

  Wine Cabinet

  Wine Cabinet replica; original, English, fourteenth cent
ury. Oak, 62½ x 33 x 26½ inches. Replica in collection of the Medieval Merchant’s House, Southampton, England. Photo by D. Tyler Huff.

  Medieval merchants frequently fulfilled the functions of both wholesaler and retailer, and those engaged in the importing and selling of wine were no exception. For the nobility, rich merchants, and other largescale customers who kept their own wine cellars, wine merchants kept an ample supply of wine in kegs and butts. Catering to the needs of smallscale customers such as less wealthy individuals and neighborhood taverns created a problem. The technique of storing wine in glass bottles had not yet been discovered, and selling small quantities was difficult and messy. The solution was to keep several large pitchers, each filled with a different vintage, in a cupboard in the wine shop. Customers would bring their own pitchers to the shop and have them filled from the large storage pitchers, or jacks.

  The cupboard in which the wine merchant kept the jacks were specialized in size and design. The casework had to be attractive enough to grace the sales room of the shop, and the cabinet had to be spacious enough to hold several large pitchers, each of which could contain as much as 5 gallons of wine. To allow the wine to breathe as well as to entice customers with its heady aroma, the door of the wine cabinet was pierced with openwork carvings.

  This handsome reproduction wine cabinet graces the sales room and shop at the Medieval Merchant’s House in Southampton, one of the oldest surviving merchant houses in England. John Fortin, a merchant who traded with Bordeaux, started building this house around 1290. A residence and place of business, it stood on one of the busiest streets in medieval Southampton. Now restored to its mid-fourteenth-century appearance by the removal of later additions, it is equipped with replica period furnishings. This wine cabinet was built based on both documentary and fragmentary evidence of an original that once resided in the hall of the house. Ideally, we would have loved to have been able to photograph the original, but apparently very little of it survives. We debated whether to include this reproduction, but it is such a lovely piece of furniture and has been so thoroughly researched by the craftsmen for English Heritage that we couldn’t resist.