We’ve all had those moments -- you see a piece of furniture on the curb or at a second-hand store that looks like it could be a good find, but you can’t tell for sure if its worth saving and rehabilitating. Maybe you make the decision to leave it behind while the not-knowing haunts you; or on the other hand, you decide to take it only to regret your decision when you realize its cheaply made and unsalvageable. Follow along with our “How to Find a Good Piece in the Wild” series and don’t let this happen to you again.
Part 1: Its All in the Joints
Good joints in the frame of a wooden piece of furniture can mean the difference between a chair that will stay in good shape for decades, and one that will end up finding its way to the landfill in a few years. Pieces that begin with good joints can be reglued and repaired more easily and securely than those that don’t. So, even if you find a chair that has dowel joints but is wobbly, that chair has the potential to be refurbished into a solid, stable, and beautiful piece of furniture that's worth picking up.
To identify the joints that make up your furniture frame, look closely at the points where the different pieces of wood forming the frame meet. If there aren’t any joints obviously exposed, you may have to look at the bottom of the frame or pull or push back some of the upholstery to get a look at the wood. Often, pulling back the cambric (the thin black or white fabric) on the bottom of a sofa or chair will expose the methods used to join the frame.
Look closely at the points where pieces of a frame meet. In this small gap where the seat and back of the chair join, you can see what appears to be a dowel joint.
Some of the strongest joints include dowel, mortise and tenon, and dovetail. Dowel joints are by far the most common and are found in all types of well-made pieces of furniture. Braced miter joints are common in chairs and can also be relatively strong; these are often used in conjunction with dowel joints. Butt joints are one of the weakest types of joints and are more prevalent in pieces of mid to lower quality. Butt joints in better quality furniture are usually glued and then screwed together, while on the low end of quality, you will find a butt joint that has simply been stapled together. Butt joints can hold relatively well, but when they do break, the damage is often major (such as a screw giving way and ripping out a large hole in a seat frame) making repair more difficult.
Some common types of joints
By and large, wobbly or creaky frames can be repaired and weak joints can be shored up. So, if you find a piece you love, concern about the integrity of the frame doesn't have to be a deal breaker. However, if you are looking for a piece that will be a good investment, check out its joints before buying.