A Lane Cedar Chests is one of my favorite refinishing projects because they can be so versatile-they’re meant for storage, but they also make good coffee or occasional tables anywhere! And when you think of cedar chests, Lane seems the obvious brand. When purchasing furniture, one of the first things I do is look for a maker’s mark and, if one exists, investigate the manufacturer. Throughout the years, I have learned a few things about Lane cedar chests, which I found quite interesting. I am sharing them with you in this article and hope you will too!
History of Lane Furniture Company
Another of Lane’s offerings that gets its due share of fame is cedar chests. When World War I ended, they transformed their assembly capacity to support the production of pine ammunition boxes for the U.S. government. After the war had ended, they used this new capacity to produce even more cedar chests and enhance sales. They named it Lane Furniture Company in 1922, began to include Lane Cedar Chests into their production line, and continued until 2001. In the 1950s, the company moved into other furniture categories and continued to produce under the Lane name until 2022.
Lane poured a lot into marketing during the 1920s. One of their most successful ad campaigns was the Girl Graduate Plan, by which it gave miniature cedar chests to girls at graduation from high school. These chests were to be picked up at a Lane dealership, where they would be offered a discount on a full-sized version to use as a hope chest to start saving things for marriage.
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What does the Lane serial number mean?
To know when the cedar chest was made, one simply needs to consult the serial number. The 6 or 7 digits in this number, read backwards from right to left, give the specific date of manufacture of the chest; when it is a 7 digit number, then the last digit is the plant number where the chest was produced. With this example, the serial number 658101 translates to 10/18/56 or October 18, 1956. If the number had seven digits and began with a 4, it signified that the chest was manufactured in plant 4.
Lane cedar chest safety recall
There are plenty of wonderful vintage Lane cedar chests around. However, what most people do not know is that the latching mechanism was recalled in 1996 because of entrapment hazard. The chests lock instantly when they close. Already, a number of children have died from being trapped inside of these chests. Critical detail to note: if you are selling these chests you have to remove the original locking mechanism so that it is not usable. Until 2022, you could reach out to Lane to directly get a lock. Well, that’s no longer the case, and I either of two things when I am refinishing and selling a Lane cedar chest:
- I will take off the whole lock and fill that hole in with Bondo to paint if it’s significantly in bad shape or doesn’t match other hardware on the chest.
- Leave the lock on the chest itself and yank the hook mechanism out of the lid. Now there is absolutely nothing for the lock to latch onto. Perfect if you like the look of the lock or just want to use the finish wood for the interior.
Conclusion
Lane cedar chests have a great history and and some of my favorite pieces of vintage furniture to refinish. And if there’s one thing you’ll remember, it’s the need to remove those locks!
