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Even if you are planning to make something
larger like a table or a dresser you may find the cost of
finding and shipping the raw materials surprisingly high. In our
culture of “throw away” goods and cheap imported look–a-likes, (
I have to be brutally honest, here) the hand – made option is
not necessarily going to work out cheaper, certainly when you
include your own labour as a cost. There, I’ve said it – but
there are many very good reasons for making your own furniture,
and that’s what this website is about !
Local timber merchants are fine if the available cross-sections,
species and quality are what you are looking for; but remember,
the moisture content of their stock is very important, your
house probably has central heating. Timber from the timber yard
that is above 11% moisture content is liable to shrink and/or
twist and that is more prevalent with softwoods than hardwoods,
they will not have a moisture meter in the yard. ( well, I’ve
never seen one in public in a timber yard ) The best approach is
to assume the wood is above 11% and take it home, cut it up into
sizes bigger than you need and stack it up with thin sticks
between each layer in a warm, not too warm, place in the house
to dry out. This is a very old –fashioned way of making sure the
wood is acclimatised to the conditions in your house, but it
works. Draw a line across a broad section (wood shrinks across
the grain) and take regular measurements at that point to see if
they are changing, and wait till they have stabilised before
using the wood.
Can wood be too dry ? Yes, it gets brittle and difficult to work
with but that is unlikely to happen using this method unless you
leave it drying for months and months – 2 months should be
maximum. Although wood from timber yards is described as Kiln
Dried and may have “KD” in the description on the bill – if you
ask what that means you may find that their accepted moisture
content is 16%. This may be all right for structural timbers for
a house but is not dry enough for furniture.
The procedure I have described above ensures that you don’t have
cracking and twisting in your carefully made piece of furniture
- I have heard many stories about this – and that is why I am
bringing it up now, and recommending extreme caution.
When you are selecting the timber in the yard ( by the way,
don’t take anything that is stacked outside ) look out for
“shakes” or natural cracks, bad or frequent knots, blue stains (
common in red pine ) and be wary of boards which are “shrink
wrapped” together – making it difficult to inspect them
properly. It’s best if you can look carefully along the length
of each board to spot (and avoid) bends and twists. Wany edges
(the irregular surface just under the bark ) and heart wood can
be a nuisance especially in pine. The heart of the tree ( the
pith ) often has associated cracks when it dries out and the
pith can look unsightly. Another hint – if a section has only a
few boards left in it, it may be best to leave them as these
have been selected out by the previous customers.
So, they are going to be pleased to see the back of you. By the
way it’s sometimes best to have a cross-cut saw with you (and
your cutting list) to cut the boards into more convenient
lengths.
There is an important environmental aspect to all this too – if
you ask the man in the yard he will probably direct you to the
office and they may have a handout of their company’s
environmental policy or can tell you where to get a copy. I deal
with Timbmet a large timber distributer whose website
www.timbmet.co.uk gives you all the information you need about
their aims and certification. As a member of the UK FTN ( a
partnership between WWF and businesses involved in timber or
paper products ) Timbmet’s performance is assessed by WWF and
subject, on a random sample basis, to an independent audit.
Timbmet was last audited in 2006.
On the down side most of our timber comes in from abroad so
there is a huge carbon footprint associated with this activity.
Companies like Timbmet are well aware of this and aim “to become
a carbon – neutral company” ( from their Environmental Policy
Statement)
I believe them, but time is just not on our side according to
the scientific evidence on global warming presented to the
global community at Bali in December 2007.
On a more positive note – timber is moved by ships not planes so
the carbon footprint is less than it would be if it were a
perishable substance.
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