How to create a cabinet, Part Two
So, the following events are developing in the workshop. Three parallel processes take place here: harvesting and a set of veneers, harvesting of an array, procurement of sheet material. Defective places are cut out of the veneer, cut out, pick up a pattern and staple the sheets. Such sheets on professional slang are called “shirts”. The main typesetter of veneer is Viktor Mikhailovich, one of our leading specialists.
The most interesting thing at this stage is the craft secrets. Viktor Mikhailovich is ready to share some of them, for example: “You need to cut the veneer in the direction of the annual layers. And if you cut the veneer across the fibers or at an angle, first make an on-cut incision with scissors 10-15 mm long, this will avoid breaking the veneer when pressed with a knife. ” A set of veneers is simple and curly. In the first case, strips are selected that are close in texture and color, the fibers are arranged longitudinally, the texture is symmetrical to the axis of the set. In the second case (with a curly set), various kinds of patterns are collected from veneer sections: “in height”, “with contrasting stripes”, “in a cross”, “in a hat”, “in a Christmas tree”, etc. An important detail in a figured set - the direction of the veneer fibers should not coincide with the direction of the fibers on the surface that they are facing. Otherwise, the overlaid veneer will crack when the wood dries.
For our walnut cabinet, we used a simple set of veneers. A junction of two sheets.
When harvesting an array, especially exotic wood species, with which we work, it is important to take into account a number of nuances. One of the most significant is the level of humidity and the correct geometry. The maximum permissible humidity for furniture production is considered to be 6-8%. This is important to avoid cracking the tree. Correct geometry prevents deformation of wood; it implies the absence of internal stresses and the curvature of the massif.
Finally, the preparation of sheet material. We use several types of it: plywood, MDF / LDVP (Medium Density Fiberboard) Chipboard (chipboard). MDF sheets are cut on such a format-cutting machine. For an American walnut cabinet, we used MDF. This dense and easy-to-process material is obtained due to the special gluing (under high pressure and at high temperatures) of several sheets of hardboard. The hardboard, in turn, is obtained by hot pressing wood chips and sawdust with binders. In the next part, we will talk about different types of pressing, machining and dry assembly.