Age of Ladder back rocker: Jacon4 here's the detail photos

[talesofthesevenseas]

Hi all,
I recently found a lovely little high-backed, ladder back rocker in an antique shop. I was looking for just this type of rocker for a historic camp. It was cheap and I figured it dated to about 1900, but it was in the earlier colonial style. When I asked Jacon4 to take a look at it, it is possible that I may have an earlier rocker than I thought. So let's take a look. Here are the detail pics. Jacon4 and everyone else, what do you think?



I blew off the dust and low and behold there they were clear as day... STRAIGHT saw marks, not circular! (Can I hear an "Oh hell yeah!" here?)



Furniture experts, what in the heck is this? On the underside of one of the stretchers, there are deeply scored marks, not like scars from brooms and vacuums.



Detail of the spindle, I'm seeing a bit of wood shrinkage here, high points on the grain of the wood:



Upper head rest. There are five "rungs" plus the upper head rest. As you can see here, there are some splashes of careless paint. Obviously no one thinks this chair is anything special.



Rocker #1 is clearly attached with an individually slotted iron screw.



Rocker #2 still has it's false wooden plug, covering the iron screw.



Robby, my feline furniture aficionado, examines the rocker and notes inconsistent stretchers...



So folks, what do you think? Jacon4 and Mart?

[jacon4]

Well, I am going to guess mid 19th century or so. The pic below the straight saw mark pic looks like circular saw marks to me. As they have been making ladder backs since the late 17th century it's hard to date them from pic's alone but i am thinking because of rush seat, mid 1800s. The scored marks on stretcher could be saw marks from a square blank that didn't get turned all the way out.

[cogar]

Furniture experts, what in the heck is this? On the underside of one of the stretchers, there are deeply scored marks, not like scars from brooms and vacuums.

Jacon4 is correct. Those are kerf marks that were made by an extremely large "sawmill" saw blade or band-saw blade, when the log was being cut into "rough" lumber.

One (1) tooth on the saw blade was "bent" outward (out-of-line) from all the other teeth. Thus, every revolution of the blade it would "cut" that deep kerf groove.

[talesofthesevenseas]

We're talking about the second photo, just below the rush seat?

[jacon4]

3rd pic, bottom of seat rail & bottom of stretcher rung

[jacon4]

My first impression is, mid 19th century ladder back side chair, converted to a rocker

[talesofthesevenseas]

Ah! I see what you mean in photo 3. Definitely looks like circular saw marks. I agree with the fasteners on the rockers, this does seem like a chair conversion doesn't it? I think those are straight hand saw marks in photo 2 though, right? Maybe the chair has some pieces older than others, like it was made or repaired with whatever was on hand?

[mart]

I agree with Jacon4 and Cogar on all counts !! The pegged screw was the clue !!  Still a nice early rocking chair conversion !! Looks like the rush seat is quite good !!  That's a plus !! I would say you did well Tales !!

[talesofthesevenseas]

  Thanks guys!! I appreciate all the info. Just saw the post on the "kerf" marks above. Thanks, I didn't know that!