When choosing to produce wooden furniture, in addition to purchasing the right woodworking tools, we should consider many factors, such as the cost, quality, material, color, etc. of the raw materials. The material may be the most important factor besides the processing tools because it determines the durability of the furniture. There are many kinds of raw materials for wooden furniture, including solid wood boards, plywood, MDF, laminate, melamine, veneer, particle board, etc.
In this article, we will briefly introduce several of the most common raw materials for wooden furniture. You can refer to our article to choose the raw materials you need before starting a woodworking project.
Solid Wood Board
Many people may think that solid wood boards are boards made of a whole piece of logs. However, solid wood boards are the name relative to non-solid wood boards, which are made of materials such as logs processing tailings, crop straw, rice husks, peanut shells, etc.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Anyone who has solid wooden furniture or likes to deal with solid wood boards knows that it looks better than particle boards, with smooth surfaces, beautiful lines and colors, high utilization, and in line with the principle of ecological utilization of raw materials. The biggest advantage is that this kind of boards use less glue. Therefore, when processing this type of boards, we need to use higher quality woodworking tools, such as carbide or PCD tools, which can ensure the durability of the tool while achieving perfect cutting.
However, although this boards are environmentally friendly, they are not perfect. They still have disadvantages. First of all, they are expensive, which can be seen from the appearance. Secondly, they are easy to deform. They are easy to deform when dry, wet, overheated, or overcooled. Moreover, if you use solid wood boards to make furniture, the paint film of this kind of board will lose its luster if scratched, so you need to pay more attention to maintenance.
Plywood
Like other engineering boards such as medium-density fiberboard (MDF), particleboard (chipboard) and oriented strand board (OSB) , plywood is also a member of the artificial wood-based panel family. Plywood consists of resin and several layers of thin wood fibers, mostly three or more layers. Since plywood is made up of several layers of wood types, if you don’t choose the right woodworking tools, there is a high probability that the edges will break or burr when processing. So please consult a professional before choosing your woodworking tools.
Advantages & Disadvantages
As one of the most popular woodworking raw material, plywood has many advantages. Due to its cross-laminated structure, plywood can resist high impact and has enhanced stability even under temperature and humidity changes. In some aspects, it performs better than solid wood, also its cost is much lower than solid wood.
However, plywood is not impeccable, and its production is more troublesome. After the manufacturer needs to peel the logs into thin chips, these chips will be cut into the required size. Then, they are dried, glued and pressed, and small surface defects need to be repaired and the surface smoothed to obtain an aesthetic appearance.
MDF
Medium density fiberboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product made from residues (mainly sawdust and shavings). It is mainly composed of wood fibers, resins and waxes combined to form panels. Generally, there are three types of MDF: ultra-light MDF, moisture-proof board and flame-retardant MDF. MDF and plywood have the same problems. If we don’t have the right woodworking tools, there will be many problems.
Advantages & Disadvantages
MDF surface is very smooth and completely flat without knots or kinks. Due to its perfect smoothness, MDF is an ideal veneer substrate; it is also very suitable for painting.
MDF has high density and hardness, and is resistant to warping. Compared with solid logs, MDF expands and contracts less. In addition, MDF is easy to cut or drill without any splinters or tears.
However, compared with solid logs, MDF is not very strong and tends to break under great pressure. And it is easier to dull the blade than solid logs. It is recommended to use tungsten carbide saw blades.
And because MDF is made of small pieces of wood, it doesn’t hold nails or screws well. In addition, MDF is not suitable for woodworking projects that require staining because it has no wood grain and the surface effect will be poor.
Whether you are buying furniture or making furniture yourself, you need to understand the difference between different boards. There are many factors to consider when you are hesitating between various materials. It is important to do enough research before making a decision. Of course, I hope you can get the information you need from this article.
If you have decided on the raw material you need, the next step is to choose the woodworking tools that are suitable for this material. DH has been specializing in woodworking cutting tools for more than 24 years and has a wide variety of woodworking tools and manufacturers’ prices. If you have any needs, please feel free to contact us.
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