What is really the best wood for furniture making? This question is not that easy to answer especially if you are looking for the best furniture for your home. After all, the answer depends on your expected usage and set budget.
Previous article, we already discuss why does furniture creak. Aside from the quality and type of wood used in the piece of furniture, the specific process used for crafting the piece is yet another factor that can greatly affect the level of quality of the wood furniture piece you are eyeing.
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Best type of wood for furniture making
Here are some of the options you can find when looking for the best wood for furniture making, most of which are part of the hardwood family:
- Maple Wood
Maple might be the best wood for furniture making, with all types known for their durability and ability to produce gorgeous furniture pieces.
A beautiful wood, mahogany is traditionally used for furniture making and has a lighter weight compared to other types of wood in this list.
- Oak Wood
Oak is a very durable type of wood often used for kitchen furniture and flooring. It is fairly affordable and looks beautiful at the same time.
- Cherry Wood
The key characteristic of cherry wood is that it turns dark over time that gives it a very rich appearance as it continuously darkens.
Best wood for making outdoor furniture
Even though there are various kinds of wood, not all of them are ideal for making outdoor furniture. Since outdoor furniture is always left outside, exposing it to humidity, rain, and different weather elements, the wood used must be weather-resistant.
Just imagine using up your money to buy expensive furniture set for your patio exquisitely crafted from wood only to notice signs of decay and rot after several days of rain. This is why it is important to check the type of wood used for your outdoor furniture to ensure that it can endure the harsh outdoor conditions.
Here are some options you can consider:
Teak wood is among the most durable type of wood for outdoor furniture although it comes with an expensive price tag. This is perfect for your outdoor furniture pieces because it is rot-resistant and doesn’t decay. Teak wood is also pest and termite-resistant.
- Redwood
Redwood is another ideal option for outdoor furniture that is durable and can last for as long as 25 years provided that you regularly maintain it with the application of preserver, stain, and sealant. It is also termite and rot-resistant.
- Jarrah
If your goal is to have exotic looking pieces for your outdoor furniture, Jarrah will never leave you disappointed. Jarrah doesn’t bend or warp even under extreme moisture or humidity. It can resist termites, rot, and decay.
- White Cedar
This softwood is high in strength but is lightweight and resistant to termites, decay, and insects. This is weather-resistant as well as doesn’t warp that much even when exposed to extreme humidity.
Best wood for making garden furniture
Teak is often considered as the best wood for making garden furniture and this is because of several reasons. For starters, garden furniture made from teak is very durable. This is also termite-resistant and can also resist both rain and direct sunlight.
Teak garden furniture also requires the least amount of cleaning and maintenance, which doesn’t come as a surprise considering that it doesn’t attract dirt. This type of wood is also waterproof by nature and oiling is not a necessity. If you leave it untreated with staining or oil, teak garden furniture can weather to a gorgeous color of silver grey.
But, even if teak is the best and most popular food for garden furniture, you can still choose from other kinds of wood such as:
- Oak wood
- Pine wood
- Jatoba or Brazilian Cherry wood
- Iroko wood or African Teak hardwood
- African species sapele, a mahogany wood alternative
- Tropical hardwood Shorea wood
Best wood for making miniature furniture
Miniature furniture has different requirement than the normal-sized furniture. This is why choosing the right type of wood to be used is important. Here are some common options you can use:
- Scale lumber or craft stripwood
Many suppliers offer scale lumber and craft stripwood. Most stripwood used for making miniature furniture is Tilia or lime wood or basswood, both of which are used for their strength and fine grain.
- Philippine mahogany or luan plywood
Also called lauan, luan plywood is the material often used for cheaper dollhouse kits. This material is easy to work on but needs more finishing work compared to other options.
- Baltic birch
Most dollhouses as well as other kinds of miniature scale buildings are available as completed structures or kits made using Baltic birch plywood.
Best wood for making rustic furniture
Rustic furniture pieces are primarily made from specific wood species such as white and red cedar, aspen log, and hickory wood. These species of wood are picked because of particular reasons. Aside from that, all of these high quality types of woods are known for their unique appealing characteristics that make the rustic furniture made from them a gorgeous addition to every household.
Hickory wood is particularly used because of its exceptional natural look and appearance like that of twig. This is also regarded as a hardwood because of its durability and strength. Beautiful furniture pieces are made by combining finished hickory or any other hardwood with hand-hewn hickory twigs. This combination creates a comfortable durability for that knobbly tree appearance.
Cedar wood is also extremely long lasting and highly rot-resistant. Aspen logs are beautiful and lightweight at the same time and can bring an amazing natural rustic beauty to every type of room. The wood’s lightweight property makes it easier to move the pieces around the room.
Best wood for making log furniture
Hickory is an extremely durable and flexible wood choice for making log furniture. Most kids love hanging from green hickory saplings. The young trees can bend down without breaking or snapping even with lots of weight. You can expect the same level of durability when hickory is used for making log furniture.
Northern white cedar is a type of wood mainly found in Northern Michigan and Canada that can endure seasonal abuse from the different weather elements. It doesn’t rot or easily break down unlike other woods. When used for log furniture, cracks of different sizes will form on the piece which is natural when the wood dries, adding further to its appeal.
Finally, aromatic red cedar is a juniper and doesn’t belong to the cedar family. This wood is pungent-smelling that is naturally heavy and makes it an ideal wood for log furniture. Aside from being heavy, this wood can also resist insects, decay, and rotting.
