Knapp Joint Machine

I have since learned that the piece was made using knapp joints and that these date to the late 1800s and that knapp invented the machine to make t.

Knapp joint machine. Below is a photo of this joint. I looked at it and wondered if they had used a knapp joint machine to make the decorative trim across the top. Historically it was one of the first dovetails like joints that was designed to be cut with power tools. See the pictures accompanying the patents click on the link in the patent section to view the list of patents and then click on the datamp link for any of the patents.

In fact there was a dovetailing machine patented by charles knapp and nathan clement that was used to make the joint. In the early 1900s the cove and pin fell out of favor and the machines along with it. And the machine is just sitting there could be. Called the knapp joint the joint consists of integral dowels and half round mortises in the face of the drawer and a half round tail with a hole drilled out to receive the dowel on the drawer sides.

This type of joint was a significant advancement in furniture construction as it was made by machines whereas the dovetail joint had to be done by hand. It is also called de the knapp joint or the pin and crescent or many other names. This company was named after charles butler knapps dovetailing machine which made knapp joints also known as the cove and pin joint or the pin and scallop joint. Back then machines to manufacture dovetail joints had not been invented yet whereas the knapp joint was designed to be machine cut the pins part really cant be hand cut.

The knapp joint was used in manufactured furniture in the 1870s and 1880s as a sort of dovetail joint. Around the turn of the century the knapp joint went out of production. It is the right era for this eastlakeesque mirror. While visiting relatives last month i was admiring a slant front secretary desk and noticed amazing drawer joinery where i expected to see dovetails.

The history of the cove and pin joint megan fitzpatrick explores the history behind the knapp dovetailing machine one of the first machines to efficiently manufacture first class drawers by megan fitzpatrick 271 novdec 2018 issue. Knapp completed the joint making machine in 1867. Unfortunately the knapp joint was no longer in use but it is still in out furniture history. Most midwestern and eastern factories used the knapp joint.

The cove and pin joint also known as the knapp joint was commonly used on factory furniture in the late 1800s.