Furniture design has come a long ways since the dawn of the Age of Man. Once, sitting down on a flat log was considered to be innovative. Big box furniture is expensive, ugly, unreliable, and often unreliable. All of this is on top of the fact that they expect you to construct it yourself. Every goober now has a Skilsaw and a cordless drill. She thinks she can build better wood furniture. You can, you know what? You can.
What else might you need besides an electric drill and saw?
A speed square or carpenter’s square is a great tool to make sure that factory edges, cut edges and assembled joints are square (90 degrees). The speed square is essential if you intend to use angled cuts or joints. Countersink bits or countersink pilot bits can be used to improve the appearance of basic fasteners like exposed black drywall screws. You will need fasteners if you don’t plan to assemble every joint using dowels, or carve furniture from one log.
We are not forgetting the importance of a tape measure and a good old-fashioned ruler. You can make your own measuring sticks, but you need a tool to accurately measure and mark the dimensions. This leads to the need for a tool to mark, whether it is a pencil, marker pen, or carpenter’s pencil. We will discuss finishing options at the end.
You may be interested in the following: *electric router to apply tongue and groove applications and custom edges and *biscuit joiner to miters *clamps to set joints to glue overnight *jointers for straight edges and *handplaner for flat surfaces and *table saw for multiple, precise clean rips
TipKeep all your ideas in one sketchbook for furniture design. After you have created some designs, you can add notes.
Why should I use electric tools?
They are not required you, but the substitution of hand tools makes simple projects more difficult and requires high levels of skill. If this is what you want, then go for it! You will become a better carpenter with time. Electric saws are better for amateurs and hobbyists because they make straighter, cleaner cuts. A specialized handsaw can only cut a groove at a specific depth. However, a circular saw allows you to set the depth and just go. I prefer to use scraps and avoid using saws.
Drilling with a tap-and-die set is absurd. However, you still use a tool to drill straight holes into wood. Hand-made furniture can be difficult to put together with nails. Even though heavy duty nails grip well, they can split wood pieces that aren’t used for furniture. Finish nails are not strong enough to grip well and are designed for concealing fasteners on finishing touches. Finish nails are usually longer and thinner than standard gauge casing nails. However, if you’re a skilled hammer swinger, it is possible to use nails.
Rule of Furniture Design #1 – Gravity and the Horizon
Everything about how humans interact with space and objects is determined by gravity. The vertical line is where gravity is expressed, without which we would not have the horizontal line to express the horizon. Good furniture design creates a functional plane for rest. Gravity and horizon can work together when it is well designed. This is the origin of the right angle. It wasn’t something we discovered, it was always there.
What is vertical expression in furniture? Legs pull the forces towards the center of earth. We design furniture according to the image of Man. Sometimes gravity isn’t so obvious. The sides of a bookcase express gravity. However, you can usually not see the vertical lines if you look at the piece from the side. The lines that carry the load to the ground can be seen from the front. Imagine a wooden pot rack atop a stove. Verticality is expressed only in the cables and hooks reaching the ceiling for support.
Take care when designing handmade furniture. Consider all the possible expressions of the vertical support force. Although straight, thin vertical lines are the strongest, this is not the only way. Contrastively, horizontal lines can hide vertical forces. A large object that appears to be floating above the ground is one of the most effective design applications.
You can introduce angles by reducing the angle to 10 degrees from the vertical. This will add subtle flair to your design. If a line is more than 15 degrees off the vertical, it loses its power as the horizontal approaches. As loud, flashy designs become more popular, angles of 30 to 45 degrees are in and out. You may discover that styles have no meaning if you start to think about your personal feelings and how design affects you. You can express yourself freely and without relying on others’ opinions or tastes.
RFD #2 – Dynamic Resistance keeps it all together
It is not necessary to consider resistance when designing by gravity. You can assemble a coffee-table by simply stacking plywood squares to the desired height. (You don’t have to put your feet underneath the table). Although you have used gravity to design, the lines are only horizontal. It’s almost unfurniture, a simple stack of wood. The stack will move, twist and deform if horizontal pressure is applied on the ‘table’.
Bracing is a means of resisting horizontal forces. You can provide bracing by using paneling, interlocking joints or traditional angle bracing (at corners or across planes), as well as heavy glue and fasteners.
If each layer was glued or nailed to its neighbor, resistance requirements would be met. An attached panel to the two sides adjacent would resist lateral pressure in all directions, as would four vertical strips wrapped around the edges of one side. Each layer could have a hole cut through it to allow for a single vertical key that would hold them together and preserve horizontal expression. Similar to the previous example, 2 through-bolts could be recessed into both the top and bottom layers. This would give you a lot of stability.
What other methods could you think of to stabilize the stack table? There are many variations on resistance. Bracing is often overlooked when building DIY bookshelves. It takes only a slight push to transform a rectangular box with shelves suspended on the sides into a parallelogram. The shelves will flatten completely if you push hard enough, no matter how strong the fasteners. To resist lateral force, a common method is to place a sheet of backing over the entire bookshelf. This also prevents objects from falling between the bookshelf’s wall and the shelf. Imagine if you could see through the shelves to access the contents from both sides. You could attach little right triangles to each corner, or larger triangles to the four corners.
Special resistances are required as design attempts to solve more complicated problems. A small table must resist both vertical and lateral toppling forces. The surface of a rest can be cantilevered from its vertical support, putting the joints under unusual stress that could lead to failure. Such a design must resist torque. To prevent tipping, a rocking chair should be balanced. Furniture that has hinges or other moving parts must be balanced to withstand the unique forces of nature. It is important to consider weather, insects, and other forces when designing furniture for outdoor use. This may seem oddly related to static and dynamic forces. But what about the resistance to expansion, contraction, freezing and thawing?
Rule #3 – Design for Building
You can use common sense when assembling furniture. Start with a rough layout. In most cases, the framework must be built first. Bracing is done after the structure has been assembled but before it becomes too rigid to adjust. Finishing touches and cosmetic ideas are often applied late in the fabrication process. Nearly always, finishes are applied last. These ideas should also be used in the design process.
Do not just put screws in a piece furniture. After you’ve spent time designing the furniture, consider the location of fasteners. Fasteners are an integral part of your design, especially if they have to be visible. For balance and elegance, align them to form vertical or horizontal lines. You can also cluster them to make chunky corners, or spread them out as thinly as you like.
Although I have already discussed the selection of fasteners, if you use large-headed screws you might want to conceal them as much as possible. You may be able to use hidden screws for most of your structure. If not, you could use finish nails on surfaces that have been finished to keep it clean. To ensure that the screws don’t crack, pilot holes should be drilled into any outside surfaces. I prefer the pilot and a deeper countersink. Pilot should have a loose fitting hole. The threads don’t need to grip any outside material. The head of the screw tightens the wood pieces when the threads are gripping the deeper material.
Attention to detail
You can make smart decisions about the wood you use and where to place it. Wood grain should be aligned with your design. However, a skilled carpenter may do the opposite, if you have specific intent. Although your results may not be perfect initially, if you spend time designing with wood grain in view you will develop an intuitive way of working with wood.
You can paint, stain, or leave wood nude. These choices are not practical for indoor furniture. However, there is a lot of opposition to chemical finishes that produce off-gassing. These chemicals can release harmful gases and particles into the atmosphere throughout the furniture’s life. I prefer to design for wood grain and leave the nude. Natural wax products like Butcher’s Wax are used to protect the wood. There are times when wood is not appealing to you. Contact paper, glazes, and textures can all be used as vibrant alternatives to painting or staining.
You have the ability to design and build your furniture
Be patient. Be patient. The greatest woodworkers on the planet apprenticed for years before they were able to master their craft. There will be challenges, but they will teach you. Although your first pieces might not look great, you should make sure they are functional and sturdy. It is possible that you will find that your style isn’t quite what you want. Draw and write about the process. Your strongest critic is you. These exercises will help you think and have the ability to create new ideas and thoughts that will propel you forward on Flintec.
Contact me for information or to share your experience.