Posts Tagged ‘American White Oak’

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.

Oak and walnut wooden chests

The main construction of the chests should feature solid wooden legs all round.  The top should be solid wood also with no man made products.  The drawers should be dovetailed all round and solid in construction and strength.  Are the drawer fronts made out of one piece of wood?  Many manufacturers joint their drawer fronts whereas quality manufacturers use one piece of timber.  The backs of the drawer should be grooved into the back legs and no screws, nails or pins used to hold the back panel in place.

Oak and walnut wooden wardrobes

Wooden legs should be used in all wardrobes, the back panels again should be grooved into the back legs.  The veneered back panel should be veneered both internally and externally.  Whilst this  is not compulsary, it shows the manufacturer puts high emphasis on a consistent finish.  Internally, the hanging rail should not be of cheap metal, it is far better to have a solid turned rail and brackets.  If the wardrobe has drawers, again the drawers should be dovetailed and made of one piece of solid wood.

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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.

Beds are available in two common types, divans or bedsteads.  At AKKA Bedroom Furniture we specialise in solid wooden bedsteads in both American White Oak and American Black Walnut.  Sizes of beds vary depending on your room size.  The key is to ensure you have enough room to walk round your bed comfortably and that you have enough space to open wardrobe doors and and cabinet drawers.

Our wooden chests are variable in size both in width and height.  One tip is to maximise the height for the amount of floor space available.  Wardrobes can be free standing or built in.  Free standing wardrobes may be able to fit into an alcove or small space but it is important to double check dimensions.

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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.

 Wooden bedside cabinets and dressing tables for example, are frequently sold in sets.  This is due to the fact that every bedroom needs them, and they might as well match.  When all of the furniture in a bedroom matches, the appearance is one of uniformity and cohesion.  All of the items will be necessary at some point or another, so why not purchase them all together at once?  Sets guarantee consistent style as each piece of furniture has been designed with all the others in mind.  As the central piece of every bedroom set, the bed should be priority and the starting point to the theme and decor of your bedroom.  For example, should you go with a divan, a four poster bed, or an upholstered bed?  Having the right bed can make all the difference when it comes to deciding how you want the rest of your bedroom decor to look and feel.

 Bedroom furniture sets may seem expensive at first glance, it is important to consider the number of items as well.  If purchased separately, it is almost guaranteed that you will pay more in the end.  Add to this the benefit of possibly receiving every item for your bedroom at once.  It is very likely that the furniture will arrive in one large shipment depending on the retailer.  Roomsets make it possible to immediately have a fully furnished bedroom.  There won’t be excessive waiting for those individual pieces of furniture to complete the look.

 Look no further for your one stop QUALITY bedroom supplier.

 AKKA FURNIURE.

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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.

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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…)

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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 831⁄3% (10⁄12ths) 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 831⁄3% clear wood cuttings on the poor face of the board.

 

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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.

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Information about American White Oak

Friday, November 27th, 2009

American white oak
Latin name
Quercus spp.
Other Common names
Northern white oak, Southern white oak
Distribution
Widespread throughout Eastern USA. The white oak group comprises many species, of which about eight are commercial.
General Description
White oak is similar in colour and appearance to European oak. The sapwood of American white oak is light coloured and the heartwood is light to dark brown. White oak is mostly straight grained with a medium to coarse texture, with longer rays than red oak. White oak therefore has more figure.
Working Properties
White oak machines well, nails and screws well although pre-boring is advised. As it reacts with iron, galvanised nails are recommended. Its adhesive properties are variable, but it stains and polishes to a good finish. The wood dries slowly and care is needed to avoid checking. Due to its high shrinkage, it can be susceptible to movement in performance.
Physical Properties
A hard and heavy wood with medium bending and crushing strength, low in stiffness, but very good in steam bending. Southern white oak is faster grown with wide growth rings, and tends to be harder and heavier.
Durability
The heartwood is resistant to decay, extremely resistant to preservative treatment, and the sapwood is moderately resistant to treatment.
Availability
USA:
Readily available but not as abundant as red oak.

Export:
Very widely available in lumber and veneer, in a full range of qualities and specifications. The most important hardwood export.
Main Uses
Construction, furniture, flooring, architectural joinery, exterior joinery, mouldings, doors, kitchen cabinets, panelling, railway sleepers, timber bridges, barrel staves, coffins and caskets. White oak can vary in colour, texture, characteristics and properties according to the growing region. It is therefore recommended that users and specifiers work closely with their suppliers to make sure the wood they order is suited to their specific needs. Northern and Southern may be sold separately.

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