Summary of Furniture Features

 Features Summary:

  • Solid wood (no MDF or plywood)
    • Made from kiln dried rough wood (bois brut)
    • Softwood … pine, Spanish cedar, western red cedar
    • Hardwood – walnut, maple, poplar, cherry, oak, ash, birch, etc.

Note: Hardwoods are not used for outdoor furniture.  Outdoor furniture is made from cedar or pine.  Teak and acacia are also possible but more expensive. 

  • Edge to edge lamination
    • Ratio of 4 : 1 width to thickness
    • Alternating grain orientation
    •  to minimize warping due to heat and humidity fluctuations
  • Mortise & tenon joinery … for greater strength
    • Screws are not used on major stress points
  • Floating Panels
    •  … to avoid cracking due to seasonal wood expansion and contraction
  • Drawers
    • floating drawer bottoms
    • dovetail, lap joinery
    • wood drawer slides or optional modern metal slides for high usage pieces
  • Classic edge profiling … by hand or router
    • Chamfer, ogee, rounding, beading, etc.
    • French style edge carving or sculpture is optional
  • Finishing
    • For indoor pieces I use alcohol, water or oil based stains (depending on colour) and can apply your choice of oil, sealer & lacquer (sprayed), shellac, varnish or wax to seal the surface which is important to prevent moisture absorption which can lead to warping and cracking. Also many folks like the look of milk paint on pine which can also be “distressed” to give it an aged character.
    • For outdoor pieces I use exterior grade glue (pre-treating the cedar with acetone) and a durable penetrating finish – notwithstanding, any outdoor piece will require maintenance if left in the elements.