Furniture design and building typically
involve hardwoods of various species. The most common for cabinetry is
Oak, followed closely by Cherry and of course others. Hickory is also an
excellent choice simply because of the beauty and variance of the grain.
Wood choice changes and narrows when we speak of upholstered furniture.
The Traditional Wood Choice
When it comes to upholstered furniture, the
choices are very narrow. While most hardwoods are suitable for use in
upholstered furniture. There are specific reasons for the choices that I
make. Typically, I use Ash for most of my framing. Ash is used throughout
the furniture industry in making frames. Ash is strong and fairly close
grained. So my choice for most framing is Ash unless I am spanning
distances of over 84".
On the occasion when I am spanning distances
of more than 84", I use maple. Maple is an extremely dense wood whose
strength is arguably questionable. I have seen some frames constructed of
Cherry but I can't imagine why anyone would want to use it.
My other wood choice is for frame turnings.
My choice there is poplar. Why? Poplar can be turned (carved) on a lathe
easier than most. Its a very forgiving wood and shapes quite nicely.
Upholstered
Furniture Framing New Technology Wood
You've all heard of engineered lumber. There
are laminated beams, I beam trusses, and various others that have made
their way into the building industry. Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is
another example of engineered lumber. Engineered lumber has now made its
way to the upholstered furniture framing industry.
Technology buffs will appreciate the newest
developments in wood choices related to upholstered furniture. The APA has
developed 7/8" and 1" thick hardwood veneer plywood for use in furniture
framing. Some manufacturers are using it almost exclusively. If you are a
fan of engineered lumber, you will appreciate the fact that engineered
lumber is as strong, if not stronger than dimensional lumber. Engineered
lumber has been proven to be a suitable replacement for hardwoods that are
used to manufacture furniture framing. Engineered lumber can be cut to fit
most any design shape. The future use of OSB and other engineered lumber
in the furniture framing industry looks very bright!
If I were designing a couch today, I would
strongly consider the use of engineered wood which leads my design
creativity to wonder whether or not one could use short height I-Beam
Engineered Joists for long length furniture. The possibilities for
engineered lumber use seem endless.
Upholstered
Furniture Joinery
You have a few options here, but not many if
you want a strong frame assembly. When upholstered furniture frames fail,
generally speaking, the frame isn't what fails. The failure lies in the
joint more times than not so your choice of joinery is somewhat limited
and critical. Frame joints need to be tight so precision fits are the
order of the day. While most of the frames that I have seen on
manufactured upholstered furniture have joints that are doweled, I see
some problems there. One problem is with the cross sectional area of the
dowel or dowels. As you know dowels are round and furniture framing is
either square or rectangular. The use of dowels in furniture framing isn't
in my opinion the best choice. It's almost like putting a round peg (the
dowel) into a square or rectangular hole (the framing). It just leaves too
much area of the joint unsupported. The other problem that I have with
dowels in manufactured framing is that its not uncommon to see softwood
dowels used. Talk about an accident waiting to happen? Oh my!
My solution and my preferred joint for
hardwood furniture framing is the tried and true mortise and tenon joint.
Why? Surface contact area, pure and simple. Mortise and Tenon joints have
been around for a very long time. Its strength and holding power
unquestioned. Its simply the best joint for framing assembly.
Wood choice and the joinery used to connect
pieces when designing and assembling upholstered furniture frames may be
limited but the right choice can keep the furniture that you design and
build around for years of use!
