Iron-clad wood furniture!

While we are on the subject of furniture, I have some iron-clad wood furniture that I have never been able to track down.

I have pieces in four different sizes:
8 pica x 8 pica
8 pica x 4 pica
8 pica x 3 pica
8 pica x 2 pica

This are each comprised of a piece of wood framed (clad?) in iron (steel?) about 1/16” thick. Each piece is about 4.5 picas tall.

They are solid but have the advantages of being lightweight (because of the wood) and strong (because of the metal framing). The two larger sizes have “Patented July 2, 1912” stamped into the wood.

Anyone know anything about their origin? They have simply remained a mystery to me.

Thanks,

Rick

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Rick,

This might be a red herring, but see US patent No. 1,031,267, issued July 2, 1912, “Base for Printing Plates.” Issued to Max Hoge and Paul C. Riebe, of Chicago, and assigned to the Upright Grain Printing Base Company, of Chicago.
(You can find this via Google’s patent database at http://www.google.com/advanced_patent_search )

It claims metal-bound wood blocks used as base material (but also admits of the use of these blocks within a chase). A quick look at Google turned up a couple of references in the Inland Printer for this company, and later for base of this brand as made by the John W. Pitt company of Chicago. Hoge, Riebe, and Pitt also filed other patents jointly.

Not sure if this will help.

Regards,
David M. MacMillan
www.CircuitousRoot.com

BINGO!!!! Thanks David. Never thought to look for the patent info.

The mystery is solved. They must not have lasted too long on the market because I have only run across them just once in three decades of poking through hundreds of shops.

Rick

Much later, Cornerstone also sold a metal plate base with wooden inserts for nailing. Imagine a honeycomb base with wood plugs in the holes.