Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

Figure 1.3 Late medieval oak English livery cupboard.
Planked and nailed construction with carved gothic
open tracery forming the ventilation panels in the doors
ples of Gothic armoires were most impressive,
originally having been painted in vivid colours.
The buffet, another display and storage item,
was made with a stepped-tier construction for
displaying silver items. It depended on rank
how many tiers were made and used. A second
type, not stepped but canopied, evolved
into a cupboard as it became enclosed. The
armoire or aumbry, originally a safe, became a
livery cupboard, used to store food. Tables
were based on the trestle principle.
The four-poster image of beds is not always
an accurate description, as many had testers
suspended from the ceiling or were fitted with
a headboard instead. Italian beds were different,
having head and footboards rather than a
tester. Box beds remained popular as they
were built into the fabric of the house.
Design and construction
The relationship between architectural decoration
and furniture was important, so it is evident
that there would be some use of the same
Furniture history 7
Figure 1.4 Chest types
(a) Solid hewn or dugout chest (up to the fifteenth
century). These were made from a solid baulk of timber
from which the interior had been bored out or dug out
with an adze, axe or chisel. The unhewn end walls
varied in thickness but were prone to shakes and splits
that radiated from the pith of the log. The timber was
often reinforced with multiple iron straps. (b) Clamped
front chest (thirteenth to seventeenth century). These
were constructed from planks rather than hewn from
solid baulks of timber. ‘Clamp’ refers to the boards that
form part of the front and rear of the chest and extend
past the base of the chest to act as feet. (c) Ark type
chest (thirteenth to eighteenth century). These were a
variation of the clamped front form that were usually,
though not exclusively, used for storage of grain or
bread. The lid was not originally hinged or fixed to the
base. This allowed the lid to be removed and used as a
kneading trough or hand barrow. (d) Six plank or
boarded chest (through the Middle Ages and up to the
nineteenth century). These were made from thick planks
of wood, usually oak, that were pegged or nailed
together and often reinforced with iron strapwork. The
grain of the front and back planks ran horizontally. The
sides were often extended in length to form feet and as
a result the grain ran vertically. This method of
construction restrains the movement of the timber in
service and as a result splits in the front and back
panels are common. (e) Framed and panelled chest
(from the sixteenth century onwards). The panels are
fitted (not glued) into grooves in the (mortise and
tenoned) frame components. Movement in service of the
panels is unrestricted and therefore the panels do not
split. Frame and panel construction produced chests that
were strong and comparatively lightweight