Frequently asked questions about furniture
What does "bespoke" actually mean?
Chambers dictionary defines bespoke as "made according to a particular person's requirements". Whether applied to suits or furniture, there is a sense that although the designer/maker usually knows far more than the customer, this knowledge and creativity is offered as a service to the customer.
What is a Windsor chair as opposed to any other chair?
A Windsor chair has a substantial, shaped wooden seat into which are fixed the backrest and the legs. Unlike many other designs of chair, there are no timbers that extend from below the seat to above the seat; everything is fixed into the seat. For this reason British-made Windsor chairs traditionally have a seat made from elm which is extremely strong and difficult to split. Historically, chair parts for Windsor chairs were made from green wood, in the woodland, by a skilled craftsman known as a bodger using splitting tools and a pole lathe.
What is "green wood"?
Green wood is simply wood that has not been dried. Green oak is oak that has been planked or cut into beams but not deliberately dried before working.
What is green woodworking?
Green woodworking refers to traditional techniques of working with unseasoned timber that do not require power tools, noise or dust and actually result in furniture that is stronger and lighter than furniture made from seasoned timber. The key part of the process is splitting the wood along the grain to give pieces that run parallel with the grain and are therefore stronger than anything cut with a saw from seasoned timber because that process will always cut, at least in part, across the grain of the wood. Subsequent cutting and shaping is also easier because green wood is softer and easier to cut than seasoned timber.
What is "short grain" or "short grained timber"?
Short grain is where a piece of wood has been cut not parallel to the grain of the timber. Often this is not significant, but with thinner timbers or timber for steam bending, the timber will simply break where the grain direction crosses the piece of wood. Short grain is inevitable when cutting curves in a piece of wood so good design will eliminate the consequences, maybe by laminating or other techniques as appropriate.
What is "steam bending"?
Steam bending is a time honoured technique of making wood pliable by holding it in steam for some time and then bending it and holding it bent until cool. It is used in the manufacture of many traditional chair designs to avoid the weakness that comes with cut curves.
What is spalting or spalted beech?
Spalted timber refers to timber that has gained a pattern of colours and black wavey lines as that start of the process of being decayed by fungi. If the timber is dried, the decay process stops but the colouring remains. This is particularly valued in beech.
If your question is not answered here, please feel free to email it to me at info@acorn-furniture.co.uk