08-18-2014, 11:18 AM
Solid wood furniture vs. plywood furniture
Solid wood
To produce a board measuring 1 inch thick, a tree is cut down and sawn to random lengths of 6 to 12 feet.
Since trees are round and boards are rectangular, there is substantial waste.
Imagine a square within a circle and everything outside of the square is trashed.
Next, the board desired is rough-cut from the log, and the saw kerf wastes another centimeter down the length of the log every time it makes a board.
A 1 inch thick board must be rough cut to a little less than 1-1/2 inches thick, then dried, which causes slight warpage.
To make the board flat and smooth, it must be planed, this trashes another 3/8 to 1/2 inch.
In producing a 1 inch thick board already the waste is greater than the yield.
The board is just a random width and length, and the piece of furniture is not even started.
If the simplest stick chair is made, waste is another 25-30%, and if a piece of furniture has any curves or uses a low yield species of wood, like cherry or walnut, the waste factor is another 100% to 200%......or more.
In comparison with solid wood construction of furniture, using plywood is much more efficient as a use of wood.
Furniture grade plywood is manufactured specifically to be used as an exposed, visual, attractive, finished surface.
One type of furniture grade plywood is called ‘Baltic Birch’ plywood.
Baltic Birch plywood is made of 7, or 15, layers of birch, each layer turned 90 degrees from the previous layer. Baltic Birch plywood is made in sheets that are 5’ x 5’.
This yields a piece of plywood that is very stable, visually refined, and without voids in the layers.
Solid wood
To produce a board measuring 1 inch thick, a tree is cut down and sawn to random lengths of 6 to 12 feet.
Since trees are round and boards are rectangular, there is substantial waste.
Imagine a square within a circle and everything outside of the square is trashed.
Next, the board desired is rough-cut from the log, and the saw kerf wastes another centimeter down the length of the log every time it makes a board.
A 1 inch thick board must be rough cut to a little less than 1-1/2 inches thick, then dried, which causes slight warpage.
To make the board flat and smooth, it must be planed, this trashes another 3/8 to 1/2 inch.
In producing a 1 inch thick board already the waste is greater than the yield.
The board is just a random width and length, and the piece of furniture is not even started.
If the simplest stick chair is made, waste is another 25-30%, and if a piece of furniture has any curves or uses a low yield species of wood, like cherry or walnut, the waste factor is another 100% to 200%......or more.
In comparison with solid wood construction of furniture, using plywood is much more efficient as a use of wood.
Furniture grade plywood is manufactured specifically to be used as an exposed, visual, attractive, finished surface.
One type of furniture grade plywood is called ‘Baltic Birch’ plywood.
Baltic Birch plywood is made of 7, or 15, layers of birch, each layer turned 90 degrees from the previous layer. Baltic Birch plywood is made in sheets that are 5’ x 5’.
This yields a piece of plywood that is very stable, visually refined, and without voids in the layers.