There are many kinds of wood in nature that can be used to make furniture, but because of the different environment, soil and geographical location, the texture, texture and water absorption of all kinds of wood are very different. Generally, it can be divided into hardwood and cork according to the characteristics of processing.
1. Hardwood
Hardwood is taken from broad-leaved trees, and its straight trunk is generally short, hard and heavy, with great strength and natural and beautiful texture. It is the main material for furniture frame structure and surface decoration. Common ones are elm, Fraxinus mandshurica, oak and walnut. This kind of wood is generally more expensive, but it also has a long service life.
Hardwood quality is closely related to drying treatment and storage conditions. For example, after some southern tree species are made into furniture and transported to the north, cracks, tenons and other defects generally appear, which are caused by the high moisture content in their production and storage. Similarly, tree species in the north will be distorted in the wet south. Therefore, in the production process of modern furniture, the requirements for wood drying or air drying technology and indicators are generally higher. When choosing furniture, the first thing to consider is whether there is cracking or deformation.
Normal wood moisture content is divided into two standards. In general, the moisture content of dried wood should be 4%- 12%. The moisture content of air-dried wood is 65438 05%. Wood that meets this standard can be used to make quality furniture. Otherwise, cracking and deformation are inevitable.
Step 2: cork
Cork is taken from conifers (or evergreen trees). Generally, the trunk is straight and tall, easy to have large materials, smooth texture, uniform materials, soft wood and easy to process, so it is also called cork. On the surface, the density and expansion-contraction deformation are small, and the corrosion resistance is strong.
Because of its soft texture, cork can't be used as the material of frame structure in furniture, but often used as the auxiliary material of non-structural parts, or processed into various plates and artificial plates. Cork generally does not deform and crack, which is its advantage over hardwood. Commonly used cork is Korean pine, white pine, fir, spruce, teak, eucalyptus and so on.
Cork has different weatherability. Many tree species also have brown hard sacs (knots). This kind of capsule often overflows with viscous liquid. Clean the furniture with turpentine before making it, and seal it with shellac. Before shellac treatment, loose knots should be compacted with white glue.