Specialty Wood

Published January 21, 2022

Reclaimed wood tables are getting a lot of buzz lately. And why not?  Repurposing woods will not only give mother nature a break. It will also save you a lot of money. Plus, reclaimed woods have that sort of charm in them that just gives personality to a room.

Like most woodworking projects, there are no hard and fast rules for designing reclaimed wood tables. Your imagination is the limit. If you’re wanting of inspiration, here are some reclaimed wood table ideas you should check out:

1. Blue River Dining Table

by: WoodworksbyJared

Who isn’t dreaming of dining by the riverside while the water gushes forth and you hear the birds’ song in the air? It would be wonderful, wouldn’t it? Well with this innovative reclaimed wood dining table idea, you can always dine while looking at the river – or at least a replica of it.

Made of reclaimed walnut and resin, the gorgeous Maui blue pigment poured at the center creates a watery illusion. The whole look is wrapped up with U-shaped steel legs painted with modern vintage gold.

2. Cogwheels Coffee Table Nest

by: Eloise Odetta

This pair of reclaimed wood coffee table might be small in size but it can draw all eyes in the room with its rustic charm.

As the name suggests, these coffee tables take inspiration from (you guessed it) cogwheels! Talk about vintage, right? Assembled from different pieces of reclaimed wood, the table’s rugged appearance further cemented its retro vibe. This is perfect for repurposing wood scraps of varying sizes.

3. Bohemian Coffee Table

by: WoodcraftedbyAnton

One of the great things about reclaimed woods is that it can be full of surprises. Some of them are sourced from exquisite buildings of bygone eras. And sometimes, the carvings and paintings still remain.

If you happen to chance upon these types of ancient woods, why not turn it into something like this bohemian coffee table? You’ll not only preserve a piece of history, but you’ll also have a coffee table that will surely be the envy of every guest.

4. English Windsor Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

by: Hudson Furniture

If you want a conference table that can also double as an art display, this piece won’t disappoint. The haphazard and eclectic use of different pieces for sitting adds to the vintage rustic charm of the split log that serves as the long table. Pair it with a vintage-style chandelier and you can have your very own medieval banquet every single day.

Published July 30th, 2020

The foundation of any building could literally make or break it. After all, this is the primary building block of any structure. The foundation is the lowest part of a building that comes into direct contact with the soil surrounding it. This contact is essential, as this is where the structure transfers its load to the ground around it.

Permanent wood foundations (PWF) refer to wood treated to bear heavy loads and high pressures. When engineered correctly, these foundations have proven to be extremely durable and long-lasting. But why do many people still doubt its benefits?

Several people remain reluctant to wood foundations, believing that they do not fair as well as masonry ones. That isn’t quite the case, though. Permanent wood foundations have undergone extensive research and testing by many reputable organizations within the field. Let’s discuss the findings of those studies and the accounts of experts.

Wood foundations are long-lasting.

One reason most people are reluctant toward wood foundation is rotting and degradation. “Foundation-grade” wood undergoes a deep chemical treatment that fortifies it against different things. It’s treated to protect against moisture-related problems and wood-eating pests. With the right drainage system in suitable environments, wood foundations can last for years without rotting.

Wood foundations are durable.

When constructed with the right engineering, PWF can be just as structurally sound as concrete. If you simply follow guidelines and manuals laid out by the experts, you won’t have any durability issues.

Published July 17th, 2020

Is rubberwood good for furniture? With thousands of Google searches for that question every single month, you’re not the only one that wonders about the viability of using rubberwood for furniture.  The short answer is, it depends.

While most people think that rubberwood is some type of elastic wood hybrid, it isn’t quite that. Rubberwood is actually a medium-density hardwood that is produced by harvesting the Pará rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). Most of these trees grow in parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. Pará rubber trees are cultivated for their latex, and at the end of their useful life are harvested to become rubberwood lumber. Because of that, rubberwood is referred to as an “environmentally friendly” wood.

But how does it fare against other types of wood as the material for furniture? Is it worth spending good money on rubberwood items? Let’s look at the pros and cons of using rubberwood for furniture. 

Pros:

Sustainability

 According to WWF, approximately 10% of the world’s forests get cut down yearly to become fast-wood forests. Cutting down more trees than the rate they’re growing can have a severely negative impact on the environment. It can lead to soil erosions, landslides, and floods. Additionally, it can also hasten the effects of global warming. Harvesting rubberwood can reduce those effects since you’re using trees that would have otherwise been burned.

Durable

 Contrary to most Western beliefs, rubberwood is not as flexible as you think. It’s quite a durable hardwood, belonging to the maple family. It has a strength of about 9500 psi, stiffness of 1.3 million psi, and hardness of 500 pounds.

Cost-effective

 Since rubberwood is often thought of as a byproduct, it sells for lower prices than most wood. There’s this notion that rubberwood is not a durable product, so most people opt for other timber like oak, maple, or cherry.

Published May 11th, 2020

Most people often admire things made of wood. Whether it’s furniture, decoration for your living room, or even the floors and ceilings for your beautiful home, you can never go wrong when you choose to use wood. It gives a unique and classy outcome; hence, it never goes out of style.

But you might have wondered why some things that are made of wood are quite costly while some are not. Well, it’s because there are different types of wood, and the value of wood depends on several factors.

The price of a wood depends on its durability, resistance, how complicated it is to work with, and, most importantly, how rare the wood is. The more unusual the tree, the higher the price will be.

If you’re fond of luxurious things, here are the most expensive woods in the world and why it fetches such hefty prices.

African Blackwood

African Blackwood is one of the hardest and densest wood in the world and is mostly used for musical instruments. It is considered as the most expensive wood in the world because not only it is challenging to work with hand or machine tools, its trees are already near-threatened.

But as expensive as it may seem, African Blackwood is worth the price. It is more stable and resistant to warping and is rated as very durable when it comes to decay resistance.

Sandalwood

Sandalwood is the second-most expensive wood in the world and is widely used in the cosmetic industry, especially in perfumes. Sandalwood oil is sought after because of its soft, creamy, and long-lasting scent that it produces.

Unfortunately, the production of Sandalwood has decreased while the demand continues to increase. It is on its way to becoming extinct, and that’s what makes Sandalwood so expensive.

Pink Ivory

Pink Ivory, also known as Red Ivory, is an African wood that grows in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, South Africa. Most pink ivory woods are used to make billiard cues, knife handles, and sometimes for medicinal purposes. Because of its incredibly high wood density, it is very durable and highly resistant to decay.

While Pink Ivory is relatively common in some parts of South Africa, some people claim that it is “rarer than diamonds,” which is one of the reasons why it is expensive.