Objective 2.02:Selecting Furniture

Understanding furniture construction will help you choose the highest quality furniture for your money

USING WOOD IN FURNITUREUSING WOOD IN FURNITURE

• A wood grain, or pattern, is formed as a tree grows

• Wood grain influences the construction of furniture.

SOLID WOOD: Whole pieces of the same wood used to make

exposed furniture surfaces.

HARDWOODS

• Deciduous trees lose leaves in the fall: maple, oaks, walnut

• Can be sanded and refinished

• Expensive

SOFTWOODS

• Coniferous trees remain green all year: pines, cedars, firs

• Inexpensive

VENEERS• A thin layer of expensive wood over inexpensive

wood• Allows you to get the look of more expensive

wood at a lower price.

PRESSED WOOD (particle board)

• Wood shavings, chips, and sawdust mixed with glue

• May be used as the base for veneers.

BASIC FURNITURE CONSTRUCTIONBASIC FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION

•Joint – the place where one piece of wood is connected to another

•The joint determines the furniture’s strength.

Mortise-and-Tenon Strongest of all joints Cannot wobble and difficult to pull out Joins legs and rails in chairs and beds Difficult to mark and cut out.

Dowel (can be single double, triple) Quick and easy to make Drilling accurate holes difficult.

Dovetail Very strong joint and resists being pulled apart Good for joining all sides of drawers Difficult to mark and cut out.

Tongue and Groove Easy to measure and cut; invisible Used for table tops and floors Tongues can break easily; cannot be disassembled.

Butt Easiest to make Weakest type of joint.

Corner Blocks

Added to make joints more secure, such as the frames of chairs and tables.

Mitered Aesthetically pleasing

Not very strong.

FURNITURE FINISHESFURNITURE FINISHES

Furniture finishes protect wood, and enhance or change the wood color.

Stain: adds color without covering the grain.

Varnish, lacquer, or polyurethane: clear and adds

protection.

Paint: covers the wood and is the least expensive

UPHOLSTERED FURNITUREUPHOLSTERED FURNITURE

Upholstered Furniture Components

• Hard wood frame secured with a corner block

• Hand-tied springs to prevent sagging

• Padding• Cushions• Fabric.

OTHER FURNITURE MATERIALSOTHER FURNITURE MATERIALS

Plastic• Inexpensive, lightweight, easy to clean.

Metals: wrought iron, steel, aluminum, and chrome

Rattan, Wicker, and Bamboo combine natural wood frames

with woven stems or branches.

Glass should be tempered - break into small pebbles instead of sharp pieces.

Wood

Plastic

Metal

Rattan

Wicker

Bamboo

Glass