What is a joint stool?

A joint stool is an early form of domestic seating made by specialist joiners using pegged mortise and tenon joints. Unlike chairs, which were restricted to household heads, these sturdy items were common everyday seats for the wider household.

How were joint stools used?

These versatile pieces functioned primarily as dining seats around trestle tables or as portable platforms for reaching high shelves. People also utilised them as small side tables to hold lighting or books in seventeenth-century interiors.

How do I date a joint stool?

Dating relies on examining the timber species, tool marks left by hand saws and adzes, and the wear patterns on the feet. Later revival pieces from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries often display machine-cut marks and standardised peg placement.