Old Cabinet found in the woods  

Oak doesn't have a lot of knots so it's some other wood species. The hinges look like maybe more of a clue to the age than the nails do--I think nails like that are still made or at least were made until pretty recently. Or maybe not, it's hard to tell exactly what they look like from that photo.

I wouldn't stain it. The weathered old look has a lot of charm. If you stain it, there's a good chance it will end up looking blotchy due to uneven absorbtion and then it'll just look like someone's DIY project. Leave it as is and enjoy it. I don't think it's anything special (not that i'm an expert or anything) but the fact that you found it in the woods kind of sets it apart from the usual. The only good things I've ever found in the woods are an unopened Mars bar, and 50 cents in cash (which when it's 1960 and you're age 5 is a fortune).

God god, do not stain it.

Ok ok I won't stain it!! Someone told me that the old wood would look even better but I was actually scared to do it so that's why I was asking. Thanks.

Still hope that anyone can tell me a bit more about it as it is probably not even oak as I thought.

Maybe it's cedar? It's awfully reddish on the inside. Redwood? I don't know and I'm not that good at wood ID outside of a few of the most common ones. You could look at wood species photos here: http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/index.htm

It's either fun or overwhelming, or first fun and then overwhelming. Either way, interesting.

I noticed on second viewing that the corners of the top are sort of hacked away to be more rounded. I think this is probably a homemade cabinet by someone with basic carpentry skills, maybe to use in a garage or garden shed. You could probably get some decent money selling it to trendy types as a primitive, if you were so inclined and if you're in the right part of the country for that kind of market.

Need better pictures of the wood in the interior, but quick glance makes me think doug fir or red wood, but those are not European species, so that would be odd. It is a wood with tannin, since the steel nails caused those black marks.

Unfortunately, it is not likely that you will get any identification help here, as it is not at all the style this forum typically discusses.

I agree, the less work you do to it the better. The weathered look is beautiful. You can't recreate that grey.

Some up close pictures would be great, but some of the dappling on the central support (bewteen the doors) makes me think it could be beech. The weathering really does make it hard to ID, so maybe some close detailed shots of the less weathered interior?

Thanks!

Seeing a piece like that one has me thinking in terms of British Thermal Units. And, if it were out in the woods around here, it'd have been riddled with bullet holes already ...probably by whoever left it there.

The full frontal view shows the piece at its best -- any attempt at improvement is bound to make it worse. The knots are attractively, randomly placed. The top, which might or might not be of the same material, could be replaced with something better without taking anything away from the carcase and doors.

Enjoy !

Thanks for all the replies. I know that this forum is more for design furniture but it is the only place I know where there is a lot of knowledge about old furniture so I wanted to give it a try 🙂

If you look inside the cabinet it does look like an odd wood type (not oak). So I made some detailed pictures and maybe they will help to find out some more..

Trunnels? Seriously?

The thing looks like it was put together by apprentice timber framers.

Haha, yeah those hinges look incredibly delicate next to every other aspect of its construction. (They also look like theyre pulling the wood apart due to the weight of the doors).

As for the wood, scratch beech entirely. Meranti? I don't even know from here. It looks somewhat exotic to me.

This "old" cabinet found in the woods reminds me of the distressed stuff sold at RH (Restoration Hardware, USA). Their catalog describes these as "...reimagined & inspired by an 18th century antique, crafted by hand of solid wood, aged in a multi step process in which it is soaked, dried at high temperature, then soaked again & dried again..." to justify the over the top price tag.

Restoration Hardware...[shudder]

My meager wood ID powers are not enough for this job (surprise, surprise) but for you who are up to it, don't forget that you can right click on any photo and then click "open image in new tab" or whatever your browser calls it, and get the original size version.

https://www.designaddict.com/cdn/farfuture/RWjm0sMUP4J4Zt5e_1CFPNRaaNffyd...

That's just one. You can do it with any photo though not all are big in their original state.

This is Restoration Hardware's new marketing program: they hypnotize ad-readers with that little square puzzle-box in the corner, which induces the reader to go to a certain woods, where -- presto -- an "old" cabinet is found.

How they monetize this I haven't figured out yet . . .

Are the hinges the most interesting part of this piece ?

Do the knots go all the way through the doors, or are skins or veneers present ?

(I'm not a robot)