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Somemakers use both types of construction in building custom furniture and customcabinets. Now lets look at these two options and their strong and weak points.
Solidwood furniture, this means all exposed parts are made of the same species ofall natural wood, with materials included, such as plywood or particle board.noother
Advantagesof Solid Wood:
Practical.The durability of is high on the list. Scratches, dings,dents, water marks, stains can all be repaired. Obviously, the worse the damagethe more expensive, but it is certainly easier and less expensive than veneerfurniture.
Disadvantages of Solid Wood:
Split. When exposed to extreme atmospheric conditions,solid wood furniture will expand or contract, and may split along the grain ofthe wood. Some makers use a "floating case system" in which table andcase-piece surfaces are attached using a bracket method or elongated holes forscrews to slide. This enables furniture to respond to environmental changeswithout damage. As a rule, though, avoid exposing pieces to strong sunlight ordirect heat sources.
Good quality veneer furniture will have a solid core and the legs, posts, doorsor drawer fronts will be straight-grain solid wood.
Advantages of Veneer:
Beautiful. The best, most interesting logs are cut into veneer.This is largely an economic decision--sellers and veneer makers can make moremoney from a high quality log sliced into veneer than they can from sawing itinto boards. And certain cuts, such as burls, are structurally unsound in 'thesolid'. These beautiful woods can rarely be utilized unless they're sliced intoveneer
Environmentallykind. Saw timber is typically sawninto 1" thick boards. The saw cuts a kerf between boards 1/4" thickthat winds up as sawdust. Veneer is not cut from the log but sliced with aknife (like lunch meat) into 1/32" leaves or sheets. That produces 32veneer surfaces for every 1 that is gotten from a board and with no wood wastedas sawdust another 8 sheets where the saw blade would have gone. That's 40surfaces of wood veneer for every 1 of solid wood.
Creates new design possibilities. Since veneer is so thin and is gluedto a stable
Stable. Since veneer is glued to a stable substrate it produces surfacesnot prone to warp or splitting or seasonal movement.
Substrates. Plywood and medium density fiberboard, the substratesused for some furniture, are made from low quality trees. This means a marketis provided the landowner for these trees. This leads to better forests overtime since the trees remaining grow better and faster with less competition forresources. Its like weeding your garden only a lot bigger.
DisadvantagesVeneer:
Thin.This is more of a problem for the builder than the buyer. Sand-through inpreparation for finishing is 'touching the third rail' of woodworking. Suchpieces are almost impossible to repair and frequently involve 're-design' (asin cutting off the sanded through area) or making a speculative, difficult repairwhich can be difficult to hide. Once the piece is completed thickness of theveneer is of no concern.
We at believe thatthere are good in both kinds. It all depends on who These pores, nicks andscuffs are the signature of nature and proves to the buyer that yes, this is aslice of that is veneered over this top.is the manufacturer and howit is built. When buying your piece of furniture, always ask if it is real woodveneers or laminated imitation of wood. If the surface of table top or any woodcase top looks Perfect and unreal, then it is most probably not a wood veneer.Pores, scuffs and wood knots can be easily found even on wood if theveneer comes from wood.