Water, Wood and Engineered Woods...
Water is one of wood’s biggest enemies. Modern finishes are designed to "protect" wood by encapsulating it and preventing water from reaching the wood itself. Even the best modern finishes are not waterproof, they still allow water, or water vapor, to seep into the wood albeit at a greatly reduce rate. This is why you will see gaps in wood increase in winter as humidity drops and the wood shrinks. This is also why you should NEVER use water to clean wood, even if it has a finish.
Why not use water to clean wood? Even though the woods finish greatly reduces the amount of water taken into it, it does not stop it. As the water, or water vapor, penetrates the wood it will cause the wood fibers to swell. This happens to the wood fibers that are closest to the surface first, as those fibers become saturated, the fibers below them also begin to take on water and swell.
Water, in any form, seeping into wood causes a huge amount of stress; the top part of the wood or board is swelling while the bottom (or middle) remains static. As the wood swells the force increases and the wood will begin to cup or warp. The side of the wood exposed to the most moisture will crown towards the moisture source.
Another danger is that as the wood cycles, especially if it does so often (like repeatedly using a wet rag to clean a table top), the wood finish itself will develop tiny cracks that will allow still more water into the wood, hastening the damage to the cabinet or furniture.
This is why most wood cleaners contain a wax; it helps to fill in these minute cracks and repels water and water vapor and does not cause wood fibers to swell.
How modern furniture and cabinets cope with these issues
Craftsmen of old were well aware of wood movement and how to best to cope with it, even with the limited materials they had at hand. Raised panel doors are a fantastic example of this and the method is still used today.
Why raised panels? The panel, which in more expensive cabinets is solid wood, will grow and shrink as the wood takes on water vapor. This growth can actually be quite astounding and craftsmen had to learn how to work with it. They found that while the wood would expand it would expand in far more in width, not length.
This is why raised panel doors have the wood grain oriented parallel to the longest dimension of the panel. Since there is no way to stop wood movement, craftsmen had to design these doors to allow the panels to move, but not destroy themselves. To do this they milled deep kerfs
(cuts or slits) into the rails and styles (the frame) of the door which
allow to door to swell and shrink.
Water is one of wood’s biggest enemies. Modern finishes are designed to "protect" wood by encapsulating it and preventing water from reaching the wood itself. Even the best modern finishes are not waterproof, they still allow water, or water vapor, to seep into the wood albeit at a greatly reduce rate. This is why you will see gaps in wood increase in winter as humidity drops and the wood shrinks. This is also why you should NEVER use water to clean wood, even if it has a finish.
Why not use water to clean wood? Even though the woods finish greatly reduces the amount of water taken into it, it does not stop it. As the water, or water vapor, penetrates the wood it will cause the wood fibers to swell. This happens to the wood fibers that are closest to the surface first, as those fibers become saturated, the fibers below them also begin to take on water and swell.
Water, in any form, seeping into wood causes a huge amount of stress; the top part of the wood or board is swelling while the bottom (or middle) remains static. As the wood swells the force increases and the wood will begin to cup or warp. The side of the wood exposed to the most moisture will crown towards the moisture source.
Another danger is that as the wood cycles, especially if it does so often (like repeatedly using a wet rag to clean a table top), the wood finish itself will develop tiny cracks that will allow still more water into the wood, hastening the damage to the cabinet or furniture.
This is why most wood cleaners contain a wax; it helps to fill in these minute cracks and repels water and water vapor and does not cause wood fibers to swell.
How modern furniture and cabinets cope with these issues
Craftsmen of old were well aware of wood movement and how to best to cope with it, even with the limited materials they had at hand. Raised panel doors are a fantastic example of this and the method is still used today.
Why raised panels? The panel, which in more expensive cabinets is solid wood, will grow and shrink as the wood takes on water vapor. This growth can actually be quite astounding and craftsmen had to learn how to work with it. They found that while the wood would expand it would expand in far more in width, not length.
This is why raised panel doors have the wood grain oriented parallel to the longest dimension of the panel. Since there is no way to stop wood movement, craftsmen had to design these doors to allow the panels to move, but not destroy themselves. To do this they milled deep kerfs
(cuts or slits) into the rails and styles (the frame) of the door which
allow to door to swell and shrink.
Additionally craftsmen had to work with the wood cupping
or warping. There is an old saying by woodworkers that
goes “the wood wants to flatten out”. One way craftsmen of
old coped with this was to use “quarter sawn” wood.
The wood was cut at right angles to the wood rings; this essentially stopped wood from cupping and is best seen in craftsman style of furniture.
Today’s craftsmen have a distinct advantage over their predecessors, and that advantage is engineered wood products. Engineered wood products such as plywood, MDF (medium density fiberboard), veneers and particle board are wonderful products in spite of the reputation that has been bestowed upon them.
Engineered wood products
Engineered wood products are stronger, much more stable, economically friendly and less expensive than solid wood. It has been said that had Thomas Chippendale had access to these products, he would have used them. And why not, not only did Chippendale focus on building beautiful cabinetry, he wanted it to be durable. His firm made pieces for many of the largest mansions in England where they still remain today.
Engineered woods are stable and durable and make a perfect choice for high use areas such as kitchens and commercial millwork. These engineered woods are extremely stable due to how the woods fibers are oriented. In plywood thin strips or veneers are glued together at right angles and fused together to provide a product that, pound for pound, is stronger than steel. MDF and particle board have the wood fibers intertwined and glued together under pressure creating a very stable substrate.
These products all have their place in the making of cabinets and furniture. At JP Custom Woodworks we use these products in such a manner to maximize the quality of our products and reduce the costs to our clients.
Because of these products we now can create furniture and cabinets that our forefathers could only dream of. They are not only beautiful, but strong durable. A prime example of this is contemporary furniture and cabinets, creating such work would be all but impossible with solid wood.
