Tuliptree wood any good?

[Woodworks]

i thought that doing it this way i would be making something more stable than mdf or ply as they can expand or separate and then the veneer would peel off at the edges.

 

in the end the two sides and a shelf were created using this method, the shelf was a solid bit of tulip rather than staves and none of it has budged an inch.

 

have i just been lucky?

 

No I would not expect you to have many problems with that piece. Yes there is some potential for movement between the shelf and the back but it is not going to cause any major problems if it does move a bit. I presume you have some screws in the back and these can normally cope with a bit of movement. If you had veneered onto Ply you could have still had problems as the shelf is solid. The worst problems happen when the grain directions meet at 90 degrees. You are right about the bond between the veneer and the wood being better than if fixed to ply or MDF as you could see in the box making link but this was caused by the veneer simply being too wet/wide when it was bonded too the ply. When done right there should be no problem as decent ply itself proves.

 

Don't forget you Granddads generation did not have modern centrally heated home to contend with. Lots of quality old furniture is fine until it gets cooked in a dry hot house and then all the potential problems rear their ugly heads. My parents have an old oak table that belonged to my Grandmother and it was fine until she had central heating fitted and it has never been the same since. I will take a picture some time as it a fine example of the problems.

 

There are always exceptions. Sometimes joinery breaks all the rules of expansion and shrinkage and it holds up but more often than not it wont.

 

Nice corner shelf by the way or is it going to be cupboard?

[se7enthdevil]

good point about the central heating...

 

 

it's a corner unit. the drawer pivots out...

[devon TWiG]

Unfortunately all those lovely colours in the tulip tree will not remain once it is dried and been turned in to bowls , furniture etc that is common with quite a few woods that can start looking lovely but just fade to a dull brown over time, some quicker than others , Have a look at any old yew furniture and compare to fresh cut stuff for example ! Shame really !!

[Gardenmac]

Quality work Steve:thumbup1:

[mark stamper]

Sorry to hijack this thread but is damson any good for burning. Got one in the garden what blew over the other week?

[se7enthdevil]

damson is good for turning as is any fruit wood but if the tree is of a decent size i suggest you contact alec as he is looking for prunus to fit out his bedroom furniture with.

 

here's his profile page.

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/members/agg221.html

[richardwale]

good point about the central heating...

 

 

it's a corner unit. the drawer pivots out...

 

That looks the nuts. Did it take long to make?

[se7enthdevil]

it did take a while but i was learning new techniques at the time and being a college course you do tend to dawdle a bit. if i had the plans, tools and materials i could make it in a day or two...

 

if you want to see more then see the thread on my other projects.

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/woodcraft-forum/60100-all-my-woodwork-so-far.html

[nepia]

Sorry to hijack this thread but is damson any good for burning. Got one in the garden what blew over the other week?

 

 

 

Good for turning (as above) and burning (dense wood)!

[mark stamper]

Thanks for the replies. It's only a small amount so looms like it will be good to sell :-)