Thread: Old dining chairs

Hi Andrew,They are a bit eclectic in style and typical of a lot of oak furniture in the late Victorian/Edwardian period and probably date to around 1910 give or take.
Looks like the upholstery is from the 1970's.

Not worth great deal (low hundreds at best) Probably worth restoring provided woodworm haven't eaten away the leg mortice and tenons.

I would not spend a lot of money on them. I agree with Mark David's assessment with regard to value.

Thanks guys, much appreciated

I have a set of eight of the same chair. Your chairs are not oak, they are blackwood. Early 1900's. Doweled, not mortise and tenon. they are unblocked in the corners and would respond well to a well fitted pair of corner blocks to each leg.

I agree with the above responses that these appear to be Edwardian. However, the style was continued in traditional workshops through into the 1920's. I can't judge the timber from your photos but I also once owned a set of similar chairs in Blackwood.

The chairs that I had were very comfortable and pretty solid so they cleaned up well and were very useful. Don't strip them, just clean and, if necessary "freshen up" the polish with some shellac applied with a brush then waxed. That keeps the patina. Unless they are loose-jointed I would not add any corner blocks or mess with the structure. But if they are loose you could perhaps tease them apart - boiling water poured into the joints will loosen them - then re-glue using hide glue (Titebond liquid hide glue is convenient and seems to work well). Re-upholstering is the costly part and, depending on your inclination, is something that you could do yourself. However, when I lived in Hobart in the 1990s there were some very reasonably priced upholsterers around so that may still be a possibility.

My chairs ended up being purchased by a prominent Sydney government institution and take pride of place in the directors office!

A doweled chair without blocked corners is a liability not a chair. Particularly a chair of such size and weight.

Originally Posted by rustynail

A doweled chair without blocked corners is a liability not a chair. Particularly a chair of such size and weight.

The chairs that I had were mortice and tenon joints, not dowelled, but did already have corner blocks fitted when I got them. I don't know if those blocks were original but they looked like they were. I cede to your expertise on chairs with dowelled joints and the need for corner blocks, although I have restored other light-weight ladder-back kitchen chairs with dowelled joints and no corner blocks and they are still holding up - but that is only about 18 months ago so time will tell. I also agree that many, if not most such chairs originally had corner blocks and that if they do not they may need them, if they are loose. Dowelled joints alone do not seem to stand up to use and abuse for 100 years.

My comment above was on the basis "if it ain't broke don't fix it" and also the restorer's creed "do the least possible to maintain the integrity of the piece".

Your last paragraph is most relevant. And the "Creed" should be adhered to. My suggestion for blocks was based on the fact the chairs may well be dowelled and, as they were to be restored, gave an ideal opportunity to fit some blocking, or repair that which was already there.

I love this dinning chair! It would be fit over our dining area. But a little bit of restoration it will also best fit on my bar area. Love that chair details!