Antique Adjustable Oak Drafting Desk with Multi-Drawer Storage

A turn-of-the-century oak draftsman's desk built for real working shops-where blueprints, tracings, and layout sheets were pushed hard across a sloped top day after day. This early example blends a compact footprint with serious storage capacity: seven small-format drawers run down the left side, each with faceted pulls and brass key escutcheons, while the opposite side remains open for seated or stool-height use. The solid oak work surface lifts from flat to a steep drafting pitch via a steel support rod operated at the rear. Once raised, a wing nut clamps the rod in place, locking the top at its desired angle through simple, foolproof compression-the same utilitarian logic seen in machinist and engineer's furniture of the period. Frame construction shows raised panel sides, square legs, and brass-tipped feet, all original to the piece. The interior of the drawers still carries remnants like the black-and-white check liner, a period touch typical of small-shop organizational habits.