All woods fall under two general categories: hard woods and soft woods. Some common hard woods that are frequently used in furniture are ash, cherry, maple, oak, teak, mahogany, and poplar. Some common soft woods are pine, cedar, cypress, fir, and redwood.
Solid woods seem to have the best reputation for quality and endurance, but this is not entirely true. In the furniture industry, the term "solid wood" means that all of the exposed parts of a piece are made from one type of wood, while the interior frame may be composed of another type. Often, several types of woods are used in the construction of one piece of furniture.
Solid wood construction is not immune to environmental conditions. Even when cut, solid wood absorbs and loses moisture, which can cause drying, cracking, and warping in a piece. This was mostly the case in older furniture, when modern drying techniques were not available. Today a combination of air- and kiln-drying helps prevent this problem. Kiln-drying reduces the moisture content of wood to between 6% and 8%, which minimizes expansion, thereby improving dimensional stability. Modern use of air conditioners and humidifiers also prevents woods from warping and cracking. Solid wood furniture also tends to be more expensive, not because it is the premium method, but because more wood is consumed in the process of selecting useable pieces.
Veneering is a centuries-old process from which some of the finest and most expensive furniture in the world is made. Veneer is a
thin sheet of wood that is glued and positioned by hand onto a solid board. It is used to create patterns and decorative effects. Veneers allow the use of more rare woods, such as burls, that in solid form are not very stable, but as veneers can enhance and beautify a surface. Veneers can also cover large expanses, such as dining room tables, and allow for a consistency in grain and pattern.
In the past, glues that were used to adhere the thin sheets of wood to the core tended to dry out and cause chipping and cracking. Today's synthetic glues are not as susceptible to drying out, and the boards that they are fastened to are actually harder than solid woods, making them far more durable. Veneers conserve our natural resources because more of the tree can be used.
Mixing wood particles, chips, or flakes with synthetic resins and binding agents combined with extreme heat and pressure forms chipboard, particleboard, fiberboard, or engineered wood panels. Engineered wood is most commonly used on the backs of case pieces and doors, or as cores for veneered pieces. Engineered wood is incredibly strong and resistant to warping. |
