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Main » 2013 » November » 19 » Outdoor Wood Furniture -Check The Method Of Construction Before Buying
6:53 AM Outdoor Wood Furniture -Check The Method Of Construction Before Buying |
| Outdoor Wood Furniture -Check The Method Of Construction Before Buying Before
the advent of mass production, most furniture was largely handcrafted by
artisans. Of course, time has moved on and construction techniques, mechanical
tools, and methods have advanced significantly. But in choosing outdoor
furniture, it's very important to take note on how the particular item is
assembled, how the joints are made, what fixings are used, the strength of the
individual components and the quality of the finish.For commercial outdoor
furniture, which needs to withstand not only the weather but also mistreatment
and neglect, the centuries old joining method of mortice and tenon is still
generally preferred. A well-made item of furniture, with mortice and tenon
joints will be solid, with tight joints and will last for years. But of course
the extra time and care taken in this method of construction means the price
will inevitably be higher of the furniture item.To speed up construction and
keep costs down, allot of furniture is now constructed using a dowelled joints.
Whilst not as strong as traditional mortice and tenon joints, a dowelled joint
can give many years of good service. In fact a lot of furniture may use mortice
and tenon joints for the main structural elements but dowels for the more
decorative elements in the design - a perfectly acceptable compromise. Of course
any adhesives used should be water resistant, something that is not really
possible to check, but generally this does not seem to be a problem in practice,
except maybe in really low cost outdoor furniture. For added strength, some
makers will combine brass fittings with dowelled joints to ensure the dowelled
joints are pulled together and kept as tight as possible.The cheapest method of
construction uses metal fixings only. Often these are used with kit-set or
knock-down self assembly furniture, as it allows the homeowner to save more
money by assembling the product themselves post by haiyan701. The downside is
that such furniture is generally not as strong and involves regular tightening
of the fittings, as they tend to bed into the wood with continual use of the
furniture. Also inferior quality fittings may be used which are neither made of
corrosion resistant metals such as brass, nor have a high quality plated finish,
so can be subject to rusting or other corrosion at quite an early stage.Another
less obvious problem with tables in particular, is swelling of the wood. As wood
generally expands at a different rate in its longitudinal and tangential planes,
this means that as the timber gets wet or dries out, unsightly gaps can occur at
joints, or in the worst cases, the timber twists out of shape, if the maker has
not taken sufficient care at the design stage. You need to take care for example
with some wooden table tops, if the middle of the table is a more complex design
with elements running both straight and perpendicular. Most manufacturers will
leave small expansion gaps at the end of the longitudinal wood sections to allow
for some expansion and contraction Charlotte Olympia.
With some more stable wood species such as teak, this is typically not a
problem, but with some other species, expansion in both directions can be
significantly different and problems can arise.Take note also of the finish of
the piece. With certain wood species, the grain of the timber can be rather
coarse, so unless the edges of the piece are sanded well, it's possible to get
splinters. Take particular note of the end grain Charlotte Olympia. Many
manufacturers apply a special oil coating or wax to the end grain to prevent the
ingress of water and help to prolong the life of the furniture. Most
manufacturers will apply some type of initial protective coating, although this
is generally a rather basic coating which tends to enhance the colour of the
wood rather than contributing to any particular preservative properties. To
ensure a longer life, it is thus recommended that you give your furniture a
further coating with a good quality decking or furniture oil very shortly after
you purchase the item, and certainly within the first six months of its use. And
so, in conclusion, when looking at purchasing outdoor furniture, the important
points to consider (apart from the durability of the wood species) are the type
of joints, the thickness of timber used, the quality of any metal fixings and
the actual design aspects of the particular piece.
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