# Dresser please help identify



## Babamba (Aug 16, 2021)

As title says. I'm guessing either cherry or maple, but i dont really know.


----------



## phinds (Aug 16, 2021)

Grain pattern seems much too bland for cherry and too grainy for cherry or maple. Is the wood stained?

My low-confidence guess is stained luan ("Philippine mahogany").

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## 2feathers Creative Making (Aug 16, 2021)

And looks to be a veneer in close up picture. Grain is side grain on both edges...

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Babamba (Aug 19, 2021)

2feathers Creative Making said:


> And looks to be a veneer in close up picture. Grain is side grain on both edges...


I think youre right... i cant believe i didnt notice until now


----------



## JerseyHighlander (Aug 19, 2021)

I think I'm in the Luan boat with Phinds. Any unfinished drawer parts/dividers that look to be the same wood?


----------



## Mike Hill (Aug 20, 2021)

Looks like one of a number of dressers that I carried into houses in the late 70's when I worked in the summers and christmas vacations at a furniture store delivering furniture. Pre vietnam- manufacturing days - still made in NC. The 70's was a crazy mixed up time for furniture. If it wasn't "modern" which most people could not afford and they had to settle for what they could buy at Sears or Monkey Ward. Which meant it was one of 3 styles. Mediterranean (or Spanish), Dark stained pine chunky, or maple colonial. The wicker of the 60's was dying out. I would vote maple, but then I'm a piker at wood ID. Our house had 2 of the 3 - Living room was Mediterranean, den was chunky dark stained pine, but with a round oak table with lions paw legs. Parents bedroom was Pecan Mediterranean influence. But my room was truly darling - big, big ugly drawer cabinet of the old (really ugly) white with sparkles formica that my grandfather made years before (unfortunately the piece he separated a finger from his hand on), desk was mission oak, bed was no headboard. My 5-drawer chest was built-in and of woodgrained formica.

PS - my dad sold lots of furniture at a Sears in San Antonio before he was made store manager. Then we moved and he took a job at the furniture store in the small town. Can't tell you how many dressers like this I deluxed.

Reactions: Like 3 | Great Post 1


----------



## Mike Hill (Aug 20, 2021)

I just remembered the other thing we had to deliver a lot of - fun fur chaise lounges. Had to deliver some of them to places I wish I could forget! Yup, a shock to teenage Lil Mikey's brain - burned into his brain cells never to be unseen! Can't claim it to have been a classy town!

Reactions: Funny 2


----------



## phinds (Aug 20, 2021)

Mike Hill said:


> I would vote maple


See post #2. This is not maple.


----------



## Mike Hill (Aug 20, 2021)

OK - IT'S SETTLED.

Reactions: Funny 2


----------



## phinds (Aug 20, 2021)

Mike Hill said:


> OK - IT'S SETTLED.


Damn right !!!

Reactions: Funny 1


----------



## barry richardson (Aug 20, 2021)

Not like any luan Ive ever seen, I just made 2 boxes from it, and have quite a bit on hand. has a much coarser grain, and too soft for such furniture IMO. That dresser could be made from about anything, the dye or stain or whatever they used obscures the wood. how about a shot of the inside of the drawer front, they usually don't stain the inside...


----------



## Byron Barker (Aug 20, 2021)

phinds said:


> Grain pattern seems much too bland for cherry and too grainy for cherry or maple. Is the wood stained?
> 
> My low-confidence guess is stained luan ("Philippine mahogany").


That’s funny you’d say that. Luan is the first thing I thought, but REALLY didn’t expect anyone to know what that is. Also wouldn’t think it was known or used on your side of the planet.


----------



## Arn213 (Aug 20, 2021)

^I guess you don’t have the last word Paul, gospel according to Barry! 
As always, these threads when an OP starts always leaves you in a “wild goose chase”. Never fun because they don’t give you enough information such as background information, more photo’s or any evidence of sticker or stamp on the maker. I mean turn the piece over and look for for any labels, pull out the drawers and see how it is constructed. 

Honestly, to me this just wreaks of a lot of commercial made period reproduction that was affordable and accessible. Every detail here is so wrong. The wood is suppose to mimic “genuine mahogany”. But, I am not seeing that and I am not convinced by whatever effect treatment they used. You are not going to miraculously unearth this and it is an original Chippendale or worthy of a photo/description on an auction catalog via Christie’s or Sotheby’s.


----------



## Arn213 (Aug 20, 2021)

Byron Barker said:


> That’s funny you’d say that. Luan is the first thing I thought, but REALLY didn’t expect anyone to know what that is. Also wouldn’t think it was known or used on your side of the planet.


Most cheap as$ hollow core doors that are flushed/flat panel are made of luan- faced with.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## Byron Barker (Aug 20, 2021)

barry richardson said:


> Not like any luan Ive ever seen, I just made 2 boxes from it, and have quite a bit on hand. has a much coarser grain, and too soft for such furniture IMO. That dresser could be made from about anything, the dye or stain or whatever they used obscures the wood. how about a shot of the inside of the drawer front, they usually don't stain the inside...


There are dozens of varieties under the same name. I go to a lumberyard here in Taiwan that exclusively sells ‘luan’. I’ll look through a stack of boards and I swear I’m looking at completely different trees. Some are dense and about as hard as hickory, others are grainy and somewhat soft. Really odd. I’ve made tables out of it just selecting the hard pieces.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## phinds (Aug 21, 2021)

Byron Barker said:


> There are dozens of varieties under the same name.


"Dozens" is a serious understatement. My database lists 130+ shorea spp. any one of which might be designated luan or Philippine mahogany or meranti. And, as Bryron says, look and density are all over the map.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## phinds (Aug 21, 2021)

Byron Barker said:


> That’s funny you’d say that. Luan is the first thing I thought, but REALLY didn’t expect anyone to know what that is. Also wouldn’t think it was known or used on your side of the planet.


It's widely used for thin plywood here. I don't know about furniture but would be surprised if there were not some low end furniture sold here in the states that is made from one Shorea spp. or another, although it would likely be under the name Philippine mahogany rather that luan (which IS the name used for the plywood).

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Mr. Peet (Aug 21, 2021)

Byron Barker said:


> There are dozens of varieties under the same name. I go to a lumberyard here in Taiwan that exclusively sells ‘luan’. I’ll look through a stack of boards and I swear I’m looking at completely different trees. Some are dense and about as hard as hickory, others are grainy and somewhat soft. Really odd. I’ve made tables out of it just selecting the hard pieces.


Luan is a _Shorea_ species, as is Meranti. There are around 400 species of_ Shorea_. Neither name is species specific but a "catch all" like saying 'maple'. So that is a can of worms by itself.

As for veneer, not jumping out at me. First picture shows engrain that was cross sanded. Left panel corner shows growth rings for endgrain as well as a seam/joint. The dent on the edge along the cove does not match common veneer denting. The surface is not grainy enough for most Shoreas that made it State side, and the rays look small for most 'shoreas' as well. It has black spots, a very common accent seen in 1970's and 1980's furniture from several producers from North Carolina (and likely elsewhere).

Mikey is likely on the trail, this is a reproduction / copy of furniture that was commonly maple or cherry. Paul is on the path as well about grain patterns, as clean straight wood was the in at the time for the classic age. The dark graining of the surface is false, made by secondary application. Tulip poplar / Yellow poplar needs to be considered. It has been used for 300 years in the USA often as veneer base and framing support in furniture. In the 1970's it moved into the forefront as finish wood for lower grade and cheaper furniture. 

I have cut up plenty of furniture over the years to often be surprised to find that green hue hidden beneath. So, as mentioned already, inside pictures, raw wood pictures, manufacture stamps, logos or tags and more need to be looked for as well.

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## JerseyHighlander (Aug 21, 2021)

Byron Barker said:


> That’s funny you’d say that. Luan is the first thing I thought, but REALLY didn’t expect anyone to know what that is. Also wouldn’t think it was known or used on your side of the planet.


Growing up working exhibit and cabinet shops in the 80's Luan was probably the single most common utility grade wood we used. Mostly for parts that weren't seen & or were laminated or veneered, it was cheaper than Pine. "Luan" ply was also the everyday utility grade plywood & lumbercore sheet, also the most common flooring underlayment that you'd put vinyl down on. Cut so much of it, I swear I still smell it on occasion when I sneeze hard.

My first glance instinct on the furniture was instantly Hard Maple/Birch but then the grainyness on that one edge made me agree with Phinds. Honestly, it looks like more of the "grain" comes from the tinted finish, with more of the stain in the finish then in the wood & makes it pretty difficult. I may have to default to Treewood or Darnif Iknow.

Reactions: Like 2 | Informative 1


----------



## phinds (Aug 21, 2021)

I think what we have here is a wood that is described the same as the name you get when you cross an elephant with a rhinocerous.

ellifino

Reactions: Funny 3


----------



## Mike Hill (Aug 21, 2021)

After having bought 10's of 1,000's if not far north of 100k Luan skinned doors in my career and after having numerous arguments about the finishing and after deluxing similar dressers for years, it's not likely veneer or luan. Drawer sides might have been luan ply. NC furniture makers would be very unlikely to import cheap veneer from the far east to try to make it look like something else. They got very good with finishes and making them look like something else. A lot less money at the time than even veneer. Poplar was very popular, but also saw maple being disguised as something else. These pieces prior to the late 1990's were made in the piedmont region of the Appalachians and they used what was around. That region had lots of timber and cheap labor because cotton and textiles were in decline - plus no unions.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1 | Informative 2


----------



## Byron Barker (Aug 21, 2021)

JerseyHighlander said:


> Growing up working exhibit and cabinet shops in the 80's Luan was probably the single most common utility grade wood we used. Mostly for parts that weren't seen & or were laminated or veneered, it was cheaper than Pine. "Luan" ply was also the everyday utility grade plywood & lumbercore sheet, also the most common flooring underlayment that you'd put vinyl down on. Cut so much of it, I swear I still smell it on occasion when I sneeze hard.
> 
> My first glance instinct on the furniture was instantly Hard Maple/Birch but then the grainyness on that one edge made me agree with Phinds. Honestly, it looks like more of the "grain" comes from the tinted finish, with more of the stain in the finish then in the wood & makes it pretty difficult. I may have to default to Treewood or Darnif Iknow.


That is so strange for me to hear living in Taiwan. It’s hard to imagine so much wood getting imported from the Philippines so inexpensively. It was heavily used in Taiwan till about 20 years ago. Now, you can buy reclaimed pieces very inexpensively. I bought 40, 10’x10” beams in good condition for 200usd. Using it to build part of my house. All other wood is so pricey right now I feel pretty lucky to know how to source this wood locally.

Reactions: Like 2


----------

