Anyone seen anything like this ?? Another stumper !!

[mart]

I am thinking restraints were the most likely !!  He posted more pics and this chair would have held an elephant  !!  Thise additional supports under the arm perplexed me,,then I saw that they were also added to the back legs and the rockers !!  So anyone with violent tendencies would have stayed put and not broken the chairs !!  It is made of much thicker wood than most as well !!

[Ipcress]

I am thinking restraints were the most likely !!  He posted more pics and this chair would have held an elephant  !!  Thise additional supports under the arm perplexed me,,then I saw that they were also added to the back legs and the rockers !!  So anyone with violent tendencies would have stayed put and not broken the chairs !!  It is made of much thicker wood than most as well !!

It would be interesting to see close up pics of those domes on the arms, if they were later additions to cover something.
If they were original, you could strap someone’s wrist over them if you wanted to cause them discomfort

[mart]

Could be but I had rather go with the gentle option of restraints to keep him or her safe !!
Did you see how that chair was made Ipcress ??  Extra bracing on arms and back ??  I worked in a nursing home many years ago and some of the residents there had to be restrained in a chair but not to that extent !!  We had two gentlemen in the same room that regularly got into downright fist fights !!

[ghopper1924]

Could be but I had rather go with the gentle option of restraints to keep him or her safe !!
Did you see how that chair was made Ipcress ??  Extra bracing on arms and back ??  I worked in a nursing home many years ago and some of the residents there had to be restrained in a chair but not to that extent !!  We had two gentlemen in the same room that regularly got into downright fist fights !!

"The Life and Times of Mart, Antique Lover"   Sign me up for a copy! 

[mart]

I hate this phone#!  You should have been there chopper to help break it up!!

[ghopper1924]

Hey, I just got "smited." What's up with that? Who would do such a thing?

Looks like our Super Moderator stepped in and got rid of everybody's "smites." Thanks!!

[cogar]

For what it is worth to all interested parties, the following is my learned opinion of the “rocking” chair in question. My comments will pertain to one or more of the included pictures.

I don’t know what the “official” name of this chair is so I will just call it a “ladder back rocking chair”. I don’t know what type of wood it is constructed from, but it has a “straight” grain and I am sure it is neither Red or White oak.

Please note that the front legs of the “rocking” chair extend up through the chair arms and the “tops” of the extended ends appear to have been covered with a wooden “cap”.

The arms are quite wide and the legs extend through the arms close to the “inside” edge of each arm, ….. which does NOT afford adequate “support” for the outside edge of each arm and therefore make the arms subject to “splitting” lengthwise (beginning at the “hole” in the arm), …… due to downward pressure applied to their outside “front” edges. To remedy the possibility of “splitting”, bracing has been affixed to the underside between the chair leg and the outside edge of each arm.

The thickness of the chair arms appears to be either ¾” or maybe 7/8”, but I do not think they are 4-quarters in thickness.

The underside of the arm appears to have a ¾” by ¼” (or 1/8”) bevel cut along the outside edge of the arm. If so, then the only reason I can think of for said “cut” is a positioning “stop” for an arm “attachment” (temporary extension).

On the underside of the arm there is what appears to be a “spring-loaded” mechanism that is mortised into the wood …… and is affixed in place by five (5) “flat-headed” small nails or large tacks, whose lengths are no more than ½” (because the arm thickness is only ¾”) 

The mechanism includes a tin “strap” across the mortise that is held in place by two (2) nails and its purpose is to restrict/control the “spring” action of the mechanism when upward pressure is applied or removed and also prevents it from inadvertently being torn out of the mortise.

And given the fact that said mechanism is only held in place via use of five (5) small nails, and not screws or bolts, …… I seriously doubt that said mechanism was ever intended for “securing” restraints to, …… for immobilizing a “rowdy” person …… because even a frail 80 year old should have no trouble “jerking” those tacks out of the wood if their “restraints” are held captive by said mechanism.

Yours truly, ……. Samuel C Cogar

[mart]

OK !!  So what do you think these are for ??  They do not extend farther than what you see,, just go in and out !! I do not see another reason for the extra supports  !!

[cogar]

I do not see another reason for the extra supports  !!

Mart, there is only one (1) reason for the lateral arm “supports”, other than aesthetics of course, and that is to prevent the chair arm from “splitting” lengthwise.

When a person raises themselves out of an “arm” chair, especially a “rocking” chair, they will usually “grab” hold of the “outside” front edges of the chair arms, and via the palms of their hands they will apply SUFFICIENT downward PRESSURE on the chair arms to raise or assist in raising their body mass to a standing position. The heavier the persons is, the greater the pressure required.

With that PRESSURE being applied to the outside edge of the arms, that “lever” action puts extreme “stress” on the grain of the wood where the “hole” for the front legs have been drilled ..... which may eventually cause the wood to “split”. If the wood was Oak or the “holes” were in the center of the arms there would be no “pressing” (pun intended) need of “lateral” supports,

OK !!  So what do you think these are for ??  They do not extend farther than what you see,, just go in and out !!

Mart, I truly believe they are part of a “non-binding” latching mechanism or “compression” latch ….. that applies the same principle as this “spring-loaded” cabinet door latch, to wit:



See picture below for the following ……

What I denoted as the “escapement dog” is firmly attached to the end of the denoted “leaf spring” …. and functions the same as the “spring-loaded” roller-bearing in the above picture.

And you are correct, Mart, the spring loaded “escapement dog” ….. just goes in and out (technically – up and down) of the mortised cavity on the underside of the arm.

And iffen it works the way I think it does, the arm “attachment”, whatever it is, will have a “projection”, ..... that when installed, ..... will compress the “escapement dog” and then the “dog” will hold it in place via a “hole” or “depression” in said “projection”. To remove the “attachment” it is just “pulled” away from the chair arm.

And it is extremely possible that I am 50% WRONG about what I stated above  …… so use your own best judgement. 

[KC]

Is there any wear on the knobs on the top of the chair toward the front?  Any wear around the wood at the front where finger/fingernails would leave marks? The reason I ask is having been raised around elderly you see that as people age it takes more effort to move forward and then get the upward motion going for getting out of a chair.

My first impression for these was that it was for a hand to grip to pull forward and up in order to exit.

[mart]

Well Cogar !!  50% is better than nothing,,which is what my opinion is worth !!  I really don`t have any idea of what they are for !!  Just guessing that if someone was restrained the thing they would do is to grab hold of the arms, stiffen the legs and rock backwards !! therefore the extra supports on the back !!  Back to the nursing home again !!

[Ipcress]

I assumed that little strip of metal and nails were later

The other thing which made me think restraints was that those arm supports appear to be additions. It might not have been a restraining chair to begin with...

Difficult to tell without further pics etc

[mart]

Hey, I just got "smited." What's up with that? Who would do such a thing?

Looks like our Super Moderator stepped in and got rid of everybody's "smites." Thanks!!

Ghopper,, I may have hit the smite when trying to get the phone print large enough for me to read !!  Sorry about that !!  I need big print !!

[mart]

I assumed that little strip of metal and nails were later

The other thing which made me think restraints was that those arm supports appear to be additions. It might not have been a restraining chair to begin with...

Difficult to tell without further pics etc

Ipcress I said in an earlier post that the metal parts look to have been added later !! Perhaps the extra supports too as you said !!

[ghopper1924]

Hey, I just got "smited." What's up with that? Who would do such a thing?

Looks like our Super Moderator stepped in and got rid of everybody's "smites." Thanks!!

Ghopper,, I may have hit the smite when trying to get the phone print large enough for me to read !!  Sorry about that !!  I need big print !!

No problem. Actually, it spurred Ed to delete ALL of the smites for everyone, so it's all good!