Mortise & tenons & framed panels

edge treatments, pt. 2

In the last post, I showed the mitered and beveled mortise & tenon work framing panels in 17th-century joined work. This post shows some more typical treatments on New England furniture - I’ll start with the basics. The end framing of this chest is probably the most common approach - tenon shoulders cut at 90-degrees, meeting squared edges to the mortised members. In this case, there’s a molding cut in the midst of some framing parts’ surfaces/faces - this is probably what is called a “crease” molding in the period. Not the profile, but the placement of the molding.

end framing chest with a drawer

Another way to treat that panel “surround” is to bevel all the framing members around the panel, but fair-out the bevel as it approaches the mortised bits. This is found from time to time - I just got some photos of it on a chest at this month’s auction at Pook & Pook:

Essex County chest with drawer, Jan Pook & Pook