Thread: Timber for furniture

There is furniture made from all sorts of wood and it depends what exactly you are aiming for. For example decking boards can make a good barbie table but perhaps not a dining room table. You have a better chance of success with good wood to start with. Decking is milled with the grain any old way where furniture grade wood is quarter sawn or close to it making it less likely to move and twist. Decking is usually reeded on one side and rounded edges so a lot of waste and work prepping it.
Regards
John

I have used Jarrah stair treads.
They weren’t cheap, from memory but excellent quality.
They were even wrapped in plastic.
H.

Originally Posted by Luketh

...
I’m always on the lookout for timber, and have seen a lot of decking and steptreads for sale. I’m wondering if things like step treads are good to use in making furniture ....

First, welcome to the Forum, Luke.

As John says, it depends on what sort of stuff that you want to make, and also on what sort of timber the deck and treads are made of.

Many years ago I worked in a fairly senior position in PNG and we had a firm policy of sourcing locally wherever possible, and encouraging local initiatives. Most of our office furniture had been commissioned from the local Technical College and it was a really big deal when, after assessments, the students carried their furniture up to our offices and installed it. They were extremely proud of their work, and most of it was between very good and exceptional.

You got a massive variety of timbers and styles depending on whose office it was intended for and which kids were involved.

• Marketing managers office, including wall panelling, was done in highly polished red cedar. An extrovert in love with bling! But it was stunning.
• Another chose pencil cedar; very quiet and restrained, almost meditative.
• Another was kamarere - similar to Tas oak.
• Others had hoop pine, cliinki pine, Niugini rosewood, Niugini oak, Niugini wallnut, some ebony, and a host of other timbers.
• Some was styled Shaker/Scandinavian in its simplicity, others were elaborately sculpted by PNG master carvers.
• My office suit was made from kwila to a very high standard by the tech. students. The suit included a very large desk, five wheel swivelling chair, coffee table, visitors chairs, book cases, lamps, etc. The kwila was very heavy and quite a dark red colour with a very deep burnish. [Kwila is more commonly called merbau now, but it seems to lack that deep red lustre.]

When I left PNG I was offered my office suit as a farewell gift, but I declined. "The kids will love to make us replacements..." said the Chairman. Forty years later, I increasingly regret my rashness.


As I said, it all depends ....