Oak has all the characteristics necessary to make the finest furniture, and it is this that has led to its immense popularity for hundreds of years, and it is today too. Oak trees are hardwoods, which means they are strong and tough, yet easy to work with, making them very useful for construction and furniture making. There aren’t many other hardwoods that can compete with the flexibility it has, and once dry and weathered it has the ability to be used for everything from interior paneling and railroad ties to building whiskey barrels and boats.

A dense wood with a thick and heavy grain, as it ages it slowly darkens to a rich honey brown. These characteristics make it not only suitable for furniture, but also a preferred material for the construction of fine pieces that will be appreciated for years to come.

American white oak and red oak, and English oak of the European variety are the most common types used in furniture making, as their properties allow it to be flexible and molded into all kinds of shapes required in furniture design. .

The best thing about this type of wood is that it can be manipulated into shapes and forms very easily, which means that it is immensely popular with designers and can be found in all types of furniture. Makes premium quality legs and shafts for straight-backed dining chairs and wooden rocking chairs; It can also be bent with steam, which is when steam is applied to allow it to slowly bend into the required curved shape often used for oak casks and casks, among other things.

Compared to other types of wood, oak is highly resistant to dents and marks and requires some force to damage, and even if it receives some due to general wear and tear, it just improves the look! In hardwood, it can be difficult to drive nails into it, which is why you will find that most solid oak furniture is secured with nails and glue, wood dowels, or pocket wood screws, which are actually stronger than nails.

Once it has been cured, dried, and smoothed, oak becomes an exceptionally strong material that would require a lot of effort to damage, break, and score unless a lot of force is used. Because of this, it is a fashion preference to turn it into a series of objects and items, from ornaments and accent pieces to sideboards and sideboards. It can also tolerate a heavy load without bending or bending, which makes it perfect not only for furniture, but also for bookshelves, and stair treads and hardwood floors in particular, as it can cope with a large amount of foot traffic.

Watch how the piece is assembled, a good quality solid oak cabinet made by a skilled craftsman will have dovetail joints in the drawers and will be made of solid wood all over. If you see a piece that you like, please review it carefully before making a purchase, make sure the back of the unit and the bottom of the drawers are also solid, as these are the places where manufacturers could try to save money by putting oak veneers in place. in these areas.

Pull out the drawers and they should slide smoothly, make sure there are no gaps at the joints, and sets such as multi-part dining room furniture should be stained the same color and matched, once you start looking at a few pieces, we will identify the quality soon.

It can cost a lot of money to buy high-quality 100% solid oak furniture, but the look it can give a home is well worth it. Add to your collection one item at a time, for example sideboards and buffet sideboard, as quality is important and they make great family heirlooms, so you want something that is admired and beautiful to look at. If you can afford it, think about getting a bespoke piece, take your time to brainstorm before getting estimates.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *