Posts Tagged ‘American Black Walnut’

Oak Furniture

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

Oak furniture, which is very popular in the british home is generally made from either European oak or American white oak.

European oak is found in Slovenia, France, Yugoslavia and many countries from the Baltic region.  American white oak is found in the east of the USA and South Eastern Canada.

Britain as a nation have fallen in love with oak furniture, and many furnish  several rooms in this wood, including dining rooms, living rooms and bedrooms.

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Buying bedroom furniture that will last

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

You have finally found the vision on how you want your bedroom to look after researching the internet for months.  Now down to the hard work of stripping the walls, filling in the imperfections and finally painting or wallpapering.

Have you done enough research about the quality of your bedroom furniture?  No, then let me lend a hand.

Oak or walnut wooden beds

Try to buy a bed that is solid wood.  Key factors to look for are no small finger pointed laminations on the siderails, head and tail rails.  Look for signs of white sapwood showing towards the outside of the bed.  Whilst this is not crucial to the construction, it shows that the manufacturer has taken time to put the sap face to the inside of the bed with the pure oak tones showing.

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Furnishing your Bedroom

Monday, July 26th, 2010

You bought your house a few years ago now and you have gradually decorated room by room, finally reaching your bedroom.  This room need to feel tranquil and releaxed, so getting the mood right is important.

An important point to remember is you shouldn’t try to cram too much furniture into your bedroom space as this will ruin the look and feel.  The immediate concern will be the bed, followed by storage needs.  In a double bedroom a bedside cabinet either side of the bed is a good idea, particularly if you like to read at night as bedside lamps can be placed on them.  A chest of drawers is a must along with wardrobes.  The furniture can then be added to create the individual mood with bedding, curtains, pictures and accessories, thus adding style and personality.

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Buying wooden bedroom furniture roomsets

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Wooden bedroom furniture roomsets are sold in order to minimize the amount of time it takes to purchase furnishings.  By buying furniture for the bedroom separately (that is, buying each piece individually), not only do you run the risk of breaking the design theme but you also may end up paying more in the long run.  Buying roomsets may help offset cost in the same way that buying anything in bulk ends up cheaper.  Many suppliers , manufacturers and retailers are willing to make deals and lower prices when consumers decide to purchase a package deal that includes all of the bedroom furniture for a specific part of the home.  Doing this for a bedroom makes more sense as bedroom furniture is very functional.  There are decorative pieces available, but it is likely that everything in a set will be used some way or another.

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Advice on bedroom furniture and mattresses

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

AKKA Furniture’s beds and mattresses are often said to be among the finest available. Combining craftsmanship with the best of contemporary design has been our aim since we started the company. AKKA Furniture began as a bed making firm in 2007 and we’ve been designing and making quality bedroom  furniture, including beds,chests, wardrobes, wardrobes and mirrors ever since. A third of your life is spent in bed, so it’s very important that you choose the right bed for you and your partner.


Size?

You need to consider the size of your bedroom when deciding on bed size. You need enough room to walk around the bed, and don’t forget the rest of your bedroom furniture needs to fit in too. Leave plenty of space for bedroom and wardrobe doors to open if space is tight.

Take into account that most sleep experts (including the Sleep Council) agree the bigger the bed, the better the sleep.

The width of the bed is particularly important if you sleep with a partner. A standard double bed (135cm) gives each person just 69cm of space which is much narrower than a single bed. Also, the average person tosses and turns up to 70 times a night, therefore a wider bed ensures you are both more likely to get a good night’s sleep.

The length of the bed is also important. We recommend that your bed should be 10 – 15cm longer than the tallest partner. As a guide if you are over 6ft tall we recommend a kingsize bed to ensure that you don’t end up sleeping diagonally across the bed which is uncomfortable for you and your partner, as well as bad for you back.


Which Mattress?

Choosing the correct mattress is extremely important to ensure comfort. In 1988, sleep expert Dr Chris Idzikowski conducted a study which found that swapping an uncomfortable old bed for a comfortable new one could account for an average of 42 minutes extra sleep per night – four times that achieved by over the counter sleep aids.

We can supply Dreamworks matresses at AKKA Furniture, delivery time is normally two weeks.

Blanket box – Different uses

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Oak and Walnut blanket boxes are not only stylish and a major part of your home decor, but they also serve as a practical and convenient place of home storage. Here are a few of the many uses of the blanket box: (more…)

AKKA Furniture – Timber selection

Monday, April 26th, 2010

AKKA FURNITURE uses the best timber on all of it’s products. This is how we select and choose our American white oak and walnut timbers.

 

The FAS grade, which derives from an original grade “First And Seconds”, will provide the user with long, clear cuttings – best suited for high quality furniture, interior joinery and solid wood mouldings. Minimum board size is 6″ and wider and 8′ and longer. The FAS grade includes a range of boards that yield from 8313% (1012ths) to 100% clear-wood cuttings over the entire surface of the board. The clear cuttings must be a minimum size of 3″ wide by 7′ long or 4″ wide by 5′ long. The number of these cuttings permitted depends on the size of the board with most boards permitting one to two. The minimum width and length will vary, depending on species and whether the board is green or kiln dried. Both faces of the board must meet the minimum requirement for FAS.

 

FAS One Face (F1F)

 

This grade is nearly always shipped with FAS. The better face must meet all FAS requirements while the poor face must meet all the requirements of the Number 1 Common grade, thus ensuring the buyer with at least one FAS face. Often export shipments are assembled with an

80-20 mix, 80% being the percentage of FAS boards and 20% being the percentage of F1F boards.

These percentages are strictly left to individual buyer and seller agreement.

 

Selects

 

This grade is virtually the same as F1F except for the minimum board size required. Selects allow

boards 4″ and wider and 6′ and longer in length. The Selects grade is generally associated with the northern regions of the USA and is also shipped in combination with the FAS grade.

Often export shipments of upper grades are simply referred to as FAS. The conventional

business practice for American hardwoods is to ship these upper grades in some combination.

Working closely with the supplier will enable the buyer to be sure that the expected quality will be received. Whether FAS is combined with F1F (Face And Better) or Selects (Sel And Better) every board in the shipment must have a minimum of one

 

FAS face

 

Prime grade: This grade has evolved from the NHLA grade of FAS for the export market. It is

square edged and virtually wane free. The minimum clear yield will be select and better with

appearance being a major factor. Minimum size of the boards varies, depending on the species, region, and supplier.

Comsel grade: This grade has evolved from the NHLA grades of Number 1 Common and Selects.

For the export market the minimum clear yield should be Number 1 Common or slightly better

with appearance a main factor. Minimum size of the boards varies, depending on the species,

region and supplier.

Note: The terms Prime and Comsels are not standard NHLA definitions and therefore fall outside

the official range of the NHLA grading rules.

8″

12′

10′

8″

12′

5′ 5′

Note: Minimum yield 8313% clear wood cuttings on the poor face of the board.

 

How to make the most of your bedroom

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

With the addition of televisions, desks and exercise equipment to bedrooms, there is a greater constraint on available space in the room.  There are many creative solutions to dealing with a lack of space. When planning your bedroom, it is important to maximize the space you have to deal with. Whether you just have a lot of stuff or your room is small, creative organizing will help to make the most of the room you have.

 

There are many ways to save space simply by the calculated positioning of your bed in the room.  In a limited space, one idea is to shift your bed lengthwise against a wall to create a daybed, thus allowing extra room for more furniture, like a coffee table or some chairs.

 

In a small space, prioritize the pieces of furniture for the room.  By deciding what’s more important, whether it’s a big impressive bed or a lot of space for storage, the room is better able to fit your specific needs.  For example, if you’re a person who has a lot of books or videotapes that you wish to keep in your room, a good solution would be finding a bedside table that also serves as a bookshelf.

 

If extra shelves are not needed, but drawer space is using a small chest of drawers for a bedside table could also be a good solution. Using that specific piece of furniture as a table and either shelves or drawers to store things, the potential of the space is maximized.

 

Storage can also be accomplished by a large chest at the end of the bed for example a blanket box, which could also serve as a place to sit with the simple addition of a cushion. Underneath the bed is also a storage place that should not be overlooked for underbed drawers which could help free up more space within the room for other things.

American Black Walnut

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Uses:
Walunut lumber is used for fine furniture, architectural woodwork, musical instruments, decorative panels, interior trim, and flooring. Large amounts are also used for veneer. Its stability and shock resistance make it the wood of choice for gun stocks. Many customers appreciate its “easy of use” and beautiful colours to use as a craft wood in all their small turning and scrollsaw projects. The fact that it is the only dark North American wood, has added to its reputation.

The Tree: Juglandaceae family
The black walnut’s specific name is J.nigra. The black walnut is sometimes called eastern or American black walnut. There are about twenty species of walnut with six found in the U.S.A. Black walnuts were once abundant in old growth forests with trees reaching 150 feet with six-foot diameter trunks. Today’s trees are generally 80-100 feet tall with trunks of less than three feet.

The black walnut has one “bad habit” however in that it can poison neighbouring trees and shrubs with a substance called juglone in its roots. This is its way of protecting its territory and assuring its access to good sunlight necessary for its growth.

It typically grows in a mixed hardwoods forest, with light coverage.

Wood Description:
The sapwood is creamy white and may be three inches wide. Heartwood is a rich chocolate or purplish brown in colour, with a dull sheen. Black walnut is normally straight grained and is noted for its beautiful grain character, producing more figure variation than any other wood. Over the years the wood develops a lustrous patina. It is the only dark brown domestic species, so it has a large following of devoted woodworkers, that enjoy its rich colour and ease of use..

link to short walnut craft wood panels for sale–>

Weight: approx. 36-38 lbs. per cubic foot

Finishing:
Walnut takes any finish and most complement the lovely satin sheen of the wood. It polishes well. Rarely do you find sap pockets that cause difficulty.

Machining:
Walnut works easily with power or hand tools but may cause some dulling of cutting edges. Planing, turning, shaping, routing and sanding all produce crisp detail. With figured crotch wood it is necessary to watch the direction of feed, in both thickness planers and jointers. Fasteners hold well with little tendency to split. Standard adhesives and stains go on uniformly. Wood is rated tough and hard with good steam bending qualities and little movement in service. Wood and sawdust of black walnut are known to cause irritation of the eyes, nose, skin and lungs, and may stimulate allergies and asthma – precautionary measures are advised… a good dust mask is essential.