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  1. #1
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    Default How to break down furniture

    I want to buy some cheap furniture for the purposes of recycling the timber. Has anyone experience with this? Is it generally recommended? Any advice on the technique? What to look for when inspecting furniture to break down? What are the pitfalls?

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  3. #2
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    Check the whole thing, including the drawer sides and back is actually solid wood (if that’s what your after) ! A pitfall might be that you end up with a lot unusable bits to get rid of. Are you after quality wood or just any old cheap wood ?

  4. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sam View Post
    Check the whole thing, including the drawer sides and back is actually solid wood (if that’s what your after) ! A pitfall might be that you end up with a lot unusable bits to get rid of. Are you after quality wood or just any old cheap wood ?
    I'm looking for quality wood, especially rarer stuff that's not eucalyptus, as that's the rough sawn stuff I can get at the lumberyard. I'm looking for imported stuff like walnut, mahogany, rosewood, tassie stuff etc. I'm good at telling real wood from fake. I'm also aware that smaller pieces are not as usable, boards warp from use, and pieces get thinner after milling.

    I'm wondering about things like how to break down glue joints, or how to get maximum efficiency from breaking it down

  5. #4
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    Have you had a look at the restoration forum?

    https://www.woodworkforums.com/f173

    I believe heat and/or boiling water will be your friend when breaking down old glue joints.

  6. #5
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    ...... "walnut, mahogany, rosewood, tassie stuff".......

    That sounds a bit scary, yoboseyo - anything made of woods like those that has survived this long is liable to be reasonably well-made furniture and might be better left intact for someone to enjoy for a few more generations.

    However, I guess there are exceptions. Years ago, when I started out, there was a place in Brisbane that sold decommissioned government furniture, and a lot of it was made from Qld. Maple. There were very plain old tables & desks that yielded good-sized, useable pieces of wood. They were also glued with hide-glue, which is relatively easy to get aprt with a bit of warm water & persistence (vinegar injected into M&T joints also denatures the glue & allows easy disassembly).

    But I imagine such things have long since disappeared - govt. surplus items these days would be mostly laminated particle-board. And synthetic glues are largely irreversible, so with most solid-wood pieces made after about the early 60s you would have to carefully saw he pieces apart to get what you want. But I would echo Sam & point out that you always end up with less wood than you start with by going that route, and many pieces won't be fit for original purpose, e.g., if you have to saw legs off to get it apart, the bits will most likely not be long enough for legs any more.

    Sometimes, what seems like an economical approach doesn't turn out to be so - you end up spending as much on recycled stuff to eventually get what you need as you would buying the stock from a reputable yard. There must be someone in Canberra who sells decent lumber. I've found over the years that quite often, buying just what you need for a job turns out to be the most economical, plus you don't end up with so many scrap bits that you have to store & wonder what to do with!

    Cheers,
    IW

  7. #6
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    I have a couple of times recycled old furniture if the wood is worthwhile. One piece was a mahogany display cabinet that was chucked out on the street the glass was broken and it had seen better days but yealded 1'' mahogany boards and 3/4'' hoop pine shelves. That was a lucky find however and most stuff out there will be laminated rubbish. If you keep an eye open you may strike a win now and then. Charity shops perhaps or street dumping. Another thing to keep in mind is what you can build with the wood will be smaller than the doner piece due to remilling.
    Regards
    John

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by IanW View Post
    ...... "walnut, mahogany, rosewood, tassie stuff".......

    That sounds a bit scary, yoboseyo - anything made of woods like those that has survived this long is liable to be reasonably well-made furniture and might be better left intact for someone to enjoy for a few more generations.
    One of the pitfalls I've found with pieces "rescued" from op-shops, etc. for recycling is that the better made ones, which often appear to have more salvageable timber, generally do not! Probably because the timber is expensive, the makers have used solids where they can't avoid it (eg. areas that are carved, or spiral turned, or whatever) but the boards in-between are veneered..

    Often cunningly so, with the end-grain being concealed so there's no obvious visual cues as to veneering. One pretty, but battered, little table I rescued that I swore was solid turned out to be a well executed veneer that even had end-grain edge banding, confound it! In hindisght it would've been far better restored than dismantled.

    This is typical of any commercial furniture, especially the well made pieces... after all, they're building them to make profit!

    Of course, "home-made" pieces are a different story. (By home-made I simply mean pieces that are not made for commercial sale.) They're usually mostly solids but they're generally not as common to find as commercial stuff. Funny thing, that!


    I no longer bother recycling complete pieces, although I may restore them. Instead I look for kerb-side leavings that are already partially disassembled so I can visually inspect the "hidden" parts and have a better idea of whether it's worth my time to go home, hook up a trailer, etc. and return.

    Far fewer pieces follow me home nowadays... but at least my kindling pile looks a lot less industrial!
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  9. #8
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    Heh. I meant to mention that for many pieces, rather than trying to break the joints I'll instead use a fine kerf japanese pull-saw to cut through the tenons. After all, the M&T section is normally deemed under-sized or waste when it comes to salvaging boards anyway.

    Watch out for hidden nails, etc. though!

    I have a battered Ryoba (a double edged saw) rattling around in the back of the ute for just this sort of break-down. It has quite a few missing teeth due to concealed pins in joints from attempted repairs, etc. but it still cuts well enough that I can break down an item on-site and disappear before the nosy neighbours can set up their deck-chairs and eskies.
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  10. #9
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    Can I throw a curve ball in to this thread? As others have suggested, if you're about to break down a 100+ year old piece of furniture to reclaim timber (unless it's truly beyond repair), please consider the history and craftsmanship that's also being destroyed with that action.

    Your profile indicates you're in Canberra, and you have Thor's Hammer in your backyard to supply you with many species of timber: https://www.thors.com.au/products/

    If you're after more general joinery timbers, from what I understand, these folks might be able to help (it's certainly worth a phone call): 403 Forbidden

    And finally, though this doesn't sound up your alley, there's a sheet goods supplier in case you need one: https://timberwood.com.au/

    Now - the only note I must make here is that I've pulled these from my "Timber suppliers" bookmark list, which covers much of Australia, despite that I'm in the hunter Valley - and that means I haven't done business with these merchants yet, though they've been mentioned here in the past (and obviously not negatively). That said, Thor's Hammer is definitely on my bucket list - I wish I will have the chance to get down there one day (trailer is NOT optional)!

    I'd go further to suggest there will be more than just these three in your area, and searching about will usually yield more results.

  11. #10
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    I have been down to Thor's Hammer. Great place for rough sawn species like jarrah and blackbutt, as they mostly reclaim building materials. They are lacking in species like blackwood, myrtle, etc.

    I am not planning on destroying antique furniture. I am mainly looking to reclaim buffets, wall units, etc. Stuff that had a lot of wood, but is passe now so are sold for low prices

    edit: not planning on destroying antiques

  12. #11
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    I have a large Lifeline near me that is “up market” ie. High prices as they seem to cater for up market clientele based on the vehicles in their carpark

    They often have the more expensive furniture delivered from other lifeline stores,

    Every now and then they will get a piece that they cant sell because it has problems or it’s sat there for a long time with multiple pricing reductions . They basically break it down and throw the bits in a skip.

    The guys that break it down really smash it, so there is not much useful stuff left but occasionally I get some nice pieces for a small donation. I got there once just as they were about to lay into it and asked if I could dismantle it and take some timber but they wanted to charge me near ticket price so I just wait for the scraps.

  13. #12
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    My daughter and her friends make the trek up your way for clothes at your local op shops.
    In Canberra there used to be a branch of Adams timber plus there’s a great recycling mob at Mittagong and a demo yard in Goulburn where I’ve picked up WA She Oak in passing.
    Having helped with 4 woodies clear outs in the past few years I have more timber than I know what to do with. The last one we really struggled to dispose of a few cubes of Mahogany.
    H.
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

  14. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by clear out View Post
    The last one we really struggled to dispose of a few cubes of Mahogany.
    H.
    Out of curiosity, what made it difficult? Was it genuine mahogany?

  15. #14
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    In the last year or so I picked up a free oval dining table -blackwood 1920s -only made 1 box and 4 tall candlesticks (legs) still have some parts left, but with the damage (both as a table and screw holes etc. there was little more to get out of it) Best bet is FREE is probably good & cheap with good usable sections are also probably good (typing this from the top of a caffe style hardwood table -about 900 x 1200 $5 from auction -never thought about it as other than materials) Be prepared to write off large sections. Though I do regret not taking up a free carved 1800s organ(oak) would have made a lovely small desk.

    - - - Updated - - -

    In the last year or so I picked up a free oval dining table -blackwood 1920s -only made 1 box and 4 tall candlesticks (legs) still have some parts left, but with the damage (both as a table and screw holes etc. there was little more to get out of it) Best bet is FREE is probably good & cheap with good usable sections are also probably good (typing this from the top of a caffe style hardwood table -about 900 x 1200 $5 from auction -never thought about it as other than materials) Be prepared to write off large sections. Though I do regret not taking up a free carved 1800s organ(oak) would have made a lovely small desk.

  16. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alkahestic View Post
    Out of curiosity, what made it difficult? Was it genuine mahogany?
    Who uses genuine mahogany nowadays in the real world?
    We had contacted the well known merchants here in Sydney, I spoke to one at the WWWS and he said that anyone still using mahogany was happy with Figian.
    He also said the department sent out secret shoppers occasionally and then followed up with an inspector wanting to see paperwork re import dates etc. He said it was all too much hassle for the small demand.
    A mate who is a guitar maker/wood supplier moved some for us and one of the inner city merchants finally took the rest.
    H.
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

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