Annie Banke - Furniture Design and Construction: A Woodworkers Guide to Furniture Making

Although almost any type of wood can be used to make furniture, certain woods have long been prized for their beauty, durability, and workability. Before 1900, the most prevalent woods used in furniture were walnut, oak, mahogany, rosewood, fruitwoods, and rare wood veneers and inlays. Maple, oak, walnut, birch, and cherry, as well as pine, were used to make American Colonial furniture, depending on local availability. Because the chosen furniture woods were widely available, lesser-appealing or more durable woods were reserved for hidden portions within a piece. As a result, furniture from before 1900 is virtually always worth refurbishing. Furniture has been manufactured with more available woods since these chosen woods haveThe majority of furniture is composed of ash, pine, gum, and poplar; hidden components are made of pine, fir, and other inexpensive woods. Rare woods are exclusively utilized for high-end furniture, and theyre frequently combined with less expensive woods.
Knowing what kind of wood was used to make your furniture will help you assess its true worth. When youre not sure if an item is worth restoring or should be discarded, wood identification can be the deciding factor. A beaten-up antique dresser, for example, may have been constructed with what is now regarded a rare wood. Well show you how to create a variety of furniture in this book, step by step!