Cockbead

[Keye]

Was looking at an old dresser drawer cockbead detail. The cockbead is applied (glued) around the edges of the drawer. I am trying to figure out why the cockbead miter joint in not seperated when the drawer expands and contracts. This is from a mahoganey chest on chest made by Craftique in Mebane.

 

[McRabbet]

We have a Craftique Tall Armoire that has this cockbeading on all of the 6 drawers and, as you said, it is glued on to the drawers (a rabbet is made all around their drawer faces that is the thickness of the cockbeading and about half the depth or thickness of the drawer face). When the cockbeading is glued on, it protrudes in front of the drawer face and looks very nice. The corners are nicely mitered so it surrounds the drawer face. Why don't the miter joints crack or separate? I believe that the answer is simple -- the drawer and cockbead material is Mahogany, so the woods are not dissimilar. Second, the long pieces are long grain to long grain and so they expand or contract together. The side pieces are less than 8" long and expansion is so minimal that they don't move. We have 10 pieces of Craftique furniture (King-sized Rice Four Poster, Queen Anne Highboy, the armoire, two nightstands and a Martha Washington chest grace our Master Bedroom) and I must say they are the finest modern made furniture I have ever seen. If you ever get a chance, take a tour through their factory in Mebane to see how well they make it.

 

[DaveO]

This probably isn't applicable in your case but Cockbeading was often used to camoflauge the edges of a veneered drawer front, or one that was laminated to be curved.
Dave

 

[McRabbet]

Craftique uses genuine Mahogany for the majority of their furniture (they also use some Walnut and other accent woods). Their drawer boxes are constructed of mahogany, too and they hand polish the drawer interiors to 1500 grit with pumice and rottenstone. The runners, glue blocks and even the drawer bottoms are mahogany. Like I said, it is well made stuff (we bought all of ours before I retired and paid less than 1/2 price at their factory outlet sales following the High Point shows).

 

[Travis Porter]

I have done cockbeading on solid mahogany and cherry veneer plywood and all of the joints have held up well. Rob's points sound correct, but it does make you wonder as much as you hear about expansion and contraction.