How to Date a Sewing Machine Cabinet

Look for a manufacturer's label. The label may be found in a drawer, under the cabinet or beneath a hinged lid that hides the sewing machine. A manufacturer's label will give the manufacturer and the city the cabinet was made in. It may even tell the year that the furniture was produced. By tracing the manufacturer, you may be able to find the date of manufacture.

Look at the way in which the cabinet was constructed. As woodworking technology progressed, the ways in which cabinets were carved and joined changed. A cabinet with scalloped dovetails would have been made during a very short period of time around 1890. Mortise-and-tendon joints were widely used in the 19th century. Later cabinets had machine-cut dovetails. Phillips-head screws and laminate surfaces are a more recent invention and were not used in antique sewing machine cabinets.

Examine the sewing machine that is paired with the cabinet. Look at the sewing machine's manufacturer, model and serial number. You can find the exact date of the machine's manufacture by using factory records, make and model. If your cabinet was sold with the sewing machine, it will date to the same time period. The Smithsonian Institution Trade Library has an online collection of manuals that you can browse. You can match your machine visually with one in the collection for a positive identification.

Examine the cabinet for stylistic cues to the time period. Machines made before the 19th century have brass bail handles, while later knobs were often made of wood or glass. Older cabinets have details such as wooden embellishments and curlicues, while later cabinets have cleaner lines.

Look closely at the wood. Some woods have gone into or out of popularity. Wood in a 1950s cabinet has a light blond wood color. Older wood cabinets were often made of cherry, oak or maple. Examine the grain. As wood ages, it shrinks along the grain, and the grain becomes more prominent.