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Wood Furniture Construction: |
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The interior construction of a piece of wood furniture will determine its longevity more than its decorative exterior. Two pieces may look the same externally, but the more expensive one is likely to be better quality. Today the most common construction methods utilize a combination of solid hardwoods, plywood and pressed wood commonly referred to as particle board or chip core. Solid hardwoods are cut and shaped into pieces that provide the structural integrity of the furniture. These pieces include the legs, frame and posts that support the weight of the table, chair, or cabinet. Frame pieces are joined in various ways and given additional strength with bonding glues. to check if a piece of furniture is joined properly, lift it by one corner. The entire piece should remain rigid and retain its shape with little or no wracking or twisting. The use of non-solid wood products is probably the most misunderstood aspect of furniture construction. Solid wood has a tendency to expand and contract as the humidity changes, as wood is porous by nature, Solid wood does not offer the necessary stability when constructing the large flat panels that make up the tops of tables or the sides of cabinets. Plywood and products manufactured of ground up wood (particle board) are significantly more stable and less apt to warp or split. These panels will often be framed in solid wood and covered by veneers to recreate the look of one large piece of wood. The beautiful grain you see on the top of a dining table or dresser is most often a wood veneer (a thin slice of wood selected for its outstanding character). Commonly used in the 17th Century (see Interior Views Spring/Summer 1999) the use of veneers is found at every price level of wood furniture. Often more expensive woods which would be too costly or fragile to use as structural parts are used as veneers. Most of the fine furniture sold today goes through a finishing process involving many steps. After the piece is thoroughly sanded, a stain is either sprayed or wiped on. Sometimes the grain is highlighted using steel wool or distressing. Flyspecking can be added. A sanding sealer is then applied through a final sanding and top coat (usually lacquer for beauty, water resistance and durability). Some surfaces that look like wood on a piece of furniture may not be. Due to the high costs of veneering, another method called engraving has been developed, a process that reproduces the grain of wood photographically. The grain will be perfect with no variations as one would expect from nature. This process is primarily used on the inside backs of cabinets. a drawback of engraved surfaces is that they are generally not repairable and the grain effect may diminish if contacted by a solvent. Courtesy of DOTI Designs Of The Interior |