The truth behind the demise of cabinet made furniture pt1
The truth behind the demise of cabinet made furniture which Heirloom Beds retains in the hand manufacture of our Mahogany Wooden Sleigh Beds Four Poster Beds and Canopy Beds.
Progress always dictates change and is introduced to bring additional benefits, but for who’s benefit is the question. In modern day manufacturing solid timber has been largely left behind Pine Birch and Poplar are the remaining favoured timber of choice but in the main, chipboard at its worst MDF and ply predominantly lie beneath paint and veneers on the sleigh beds in our high street.
When you look closely at sleigh beds in the department stores check for the largest piece of solid timber, birch, pine, alder, is dominant but unlikely to be used in large areas as these beds do not incorporate traditional cabinet methods of construction to accommodate them. Instead you will find screws wood glue shamefully staples (you read correctly!) and brackets but few joints. And bear in mind wood glue can dry out.
The one joint you do find is the infamous dovetail but when you look you will find precision machine cut joints in draw fronts and no where else neither are you likely to find any other joints most importantly the cornerstone of cabinet chassis joints the mortise and tenon. Why is this??
Because sadly high street retailers and mass manufacturers know that it’s the most well known joint and know that people will often look for it as a sign of quality manufacture.
Why is MDF and ply so popular in the manufacture of modern day ‘wooden’ furniture?
Put very simply its cheap and it does not move and this is a very key point it can be supplied to factories in pre cut sizes, removing a cut and a process when mass manufacturing translates as large cost savings.
MDF and ply as it does not move can be used in a very different way when manufacturing, it does not require the time consuming cabinet methods of furniture construction that often involve a hand made process and even if automated takes many more processes.
Real timber particularly in large pieces will move you can not stop it, put simply you can not stop nature think of an external wood door have you ever owned or walked through one or more and found after many years without movement you find the door sticking?
As mentioned you can not stop it but you can minimise it and accommodate it. The first step is seasoning timber allowing a slow process of drying naturally this is an area where many get the wrong impression of seasoned timber.
Just because timber is seasoned does not prevent movement and remember seasoned timber will only dry to the moisture levels of the environment it is in. Often people have a romantic notion of large planks drying naturally in a barn for years and that this timber is the best to use for manufacture of furniture this is a common mistake. Timber such as this will still need kiln drying, your home will have lower moisture content than that barn! Our timber is seasoned and kiln dried down to 8%.
The next step is to utilise traditional cabinet furniture making techniques from opposing grain directions to floating panels to mitred tenon mortise dovetail joints amongst other methods. These are all techniques you will find in our four poster beds sleigh beds and furniture in addition to fine carving.
These methods are used for strength and longevity integrating timber together bear in mind this is how furniture was made many years ago and all the antiques will incorporate these methods. They last!
Ask your self this simple question can you see that sleigh bed or wardrobe from the so called posh high street stores being a future antique?
The only environmentally friendly message associated with MDF is that the bark and whole of the tree is used and that FSC timbers are the main ingredient. However energy expended and chemicals used to manufacture MDF make quite a mockery of this MDF and PLY leave a huge carbon footprint.
MDF – Medium Density Fibreboard is a hard board made from wood fibres normally pine birch and larch broken down through wood pulping shredding techniques and further so to fibre level through several steam pressure processes. Glues and urea formaldehyde is used in conjunction with heat and pressure processes are used to manufacture the final product. Bare MDF will release Urea Formaldehyde slowly so do make sure that it is sealed completely beneath paint or lacquer wax will not work you should not be able to see any bare MDF.