MATERIALS

So what do we work with? Well, it may be easier to say what we won’t work with, because the pallet is so large. The use of particle board with the nylon coating and picture of wood grain (melamine photo board) is somewhat dated now although it was the hottest thing then. We don’t like to use MDF (medium density fiberboard) which is so popular because it’s cheap and paintable, but it is really more of a paper product than a woodworking medium. It’s most often used by BCP (big catalog people) to make FSO (furniture shaped objects) to sell you at about 75 % of the cost of making it with wood products that would last for generations.

Shouldn’t it be a little suspect, when the armoire from page 37 arrives in a box the same size that your new rubber boots were shipped in? These FSO’s are literally made from paper with a piece of wood skin that is 1/64 of an inch thick. Look at the cross section of it before you begin your assembly and look at the paper to wood ratio. MDF is not only extremely heavy and has a fine dust that’s horrible if you breathe any in (inevitable in a wood shop), is not real green to produce and has little to no structural integrity. A 3/4″ piece that’s 3″ wide can easily broken across your thigh with almost no effort. Try that with a piece the same size in veneer core, maple, or even clear pine.

We much prefer to work with a veneer core ply when the project calls for sheet goods, which is made from solid woods (not particle board), and no added formaldehyde glue. We only use North American ply and refuse to use any of the sheet goods manufactured in China for a number of reasons.

Being part of a small town local economy is important to us so, you can be assured that NO materials or hardware, come from one of the big box stores. Our shop is located next to a local lumberyard, which supplies us with most of what we need. Paying the extra for American made products from local purveyors is always worth the money and we firmly believe that.

It sure would be nice to find a supplier for American made wood screws and metal fasteners, but these are almost always made in the Far East these days. The hardware that we use, in my opinion, is the best that there is. Blum hardware is a German firm, but does assemble a lot of its products in the USA. There are a lot of knock-offs of their products but I don’t believe that it’s worth taking the chance. Think of how many times your doors and drawers open and close each day and multiply that over weeks and years. Your silverware drawer alone can operate well over 20,000 times in just a five-year period!

All of the hinges and drawer slides in our cabinetry have the soft close feature which keeps them from snapping shut unless you prefer otherwise. Drawer boxes are almost always dovetail construction with the slides completely concealed, again, unless you prefer otherwise. Other options are available to reduce cost.

Some materials are reclaimed and have become quite popular. We really enjoy projects that re-purpose old windows, doors, re-claimed lumber, roofing slate, trees, barb wire, ceiling tins, birch bark, hornets nest (yes, hornet’s nest). This is yet another way of achieving the one of a kind look, while always remaining tasteful and keeping things in context. Not every project calls for barbed wire and hornet’s nest. Classic lines and style are always fashionable and we are certainly well versed in both.