Posts Tagged ‘American White Oak’

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.

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.