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Horton's corner guard and strap
I’ve made the following statement at least a dozen times in strategy meetings, classrooms and beer halls: Someone should review furniture hardware.
After all, if the hardware stinks, I think the furniture piece as a whole is diminished.
I obsess about hardware, and I have a huge bin of it in my shop, mostly pieces that I bought to examine: knobs galore, hinges, escutcheons, pulls and catches. And whenever I go to flea markets, I’m always on the lookout for the scrap metal guy who sells old hardware from torn-down houses and ruined furniture. That stuff can be (not literally) gold.
For the last couple months I’ve been on a hunt for good hardware for campaign furniture. I’ve ordered a lot of pieces from suppliers to find what I want, and I’m still looking. What I’m trying to find probably doesn’t exist because it was made before I was born.
My grandfather's hardware
My grandfather built several campaign pieces for his Connecticut home, and I inherited a bag of assorted campaign brasses – five edge straps, two corner guards and two ring pulls. It is gorgeous stuff – all cast brass and heavy. That’s what I’m looking for as I build my campaign chest with a secretary insert.
One of the first places I looked was Horton Brasses. I love Horton and have been shopping there since 1996. Nobody is faster or nicer. And their hardware is excellent. (Disclaimer: I’ve never taken anything for free from Horton. I always buy my hardware from them.)
This week I received the box of samples I purchased from Horton, including a chest lift, edge straps and corner guards. It’s a mixed bag.
The edge straps and corner guards are fairly thin brass (.065”). That’s not a deal-killer for me; it actually is less material for me to remove to mortise the hardware in place.
What I’m not wild about are the dimensions of the hardware. Both are intended to be used in material that is at least a full 1” thick. While that’s certainly do-able, not all campaign pieces were in 1”-thick stock. Try 7/8” or 13/16”. And a lot of woodworkers today will use 3/4”-thick stock.
The 6” chest lift, however, is a total winner. It’s heavy and looks ready to head to India on the back of an elephant. Plus Horton supplies slotted screws – no Phillips or Robertsons. So I think I’ve found the winning chest lift.
The search continues for straps and corner guards.
Later this week: More on hardware and details on campaign chest joinery.
— Christopher Schwarz
