On Sunday, I went to lunch with a friend in Fairfield, CT.  On my way back to the car, in front of a shop along the strip, there was what I’m calling an antique wine press.

If not antique, then rather well distressed.

Looks pretty old to me.

I found the joinery to be quite interesting.  It looks like all the dadoes are hand cut to fit the metal parts and the long rails, and everything is reinforced or secured with through bolts.

Accented stopped chamfers for a bit of flair on an industrial setup.

Also, each of the cross-supports on the top of the frame appear to be mortise-and-tenon joined into the long rails, and then also cinched with long through bolts.  I didn’t get a good shot from underneath, so I’m not quite sure how the lower shelf is secured.

You can really see the hand-cut joints from this angle

Does anyone know anything about these?  I should have checked for a patent number on the metal part, but I was too focused on the wood joinery.

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