Cherry and oak trees can require 90-100 years to reach harvest size, walnut and maple trees 150 years. Factor in electricity and fuel for processing, fuel for shipping, and landfill deposit of waste and packaging, and the environmental impact of new furniture is not insignificant. The concept of "disposable furniture" is inconsistent with environmental sustainability.
When furniture is needed for just a few years, used items at consignment and re-sale shops and yard sales offer better value and lower environmental impact.
When buying new, furniture that can be used and enjoyed for at least fifteen years offers better economic value and environmental stewardship than replacing pieces more frequently. Emotional attachment, which increases or decreases with time, may be the primary determinant of how long a ` piece is kept. It depends in large part on the attractiveness of the piece of furniture to the owner, how well the piece "works" in its setting, and how well the piece stands up to use.
is an introduction for people who use wooden bowls,
or collect wooden bowls, and for everyone who is naturally curious.
Please let me know if you find the Wooden Bowl Overview helpful.
Factors impacting attractiveness and durability are presented in the "Best Traditional Woodworking Practices" and "Trees and Lumber" sections below. Reading the topics in these sections may provide background useful to understand and predict emotional attachment to furniture.
Veneering Notes
Compilation from numerous sources, primarily the forum run by Darryl Keil at
Vacuum Pressing Systems www.vacupress.com. Last updated 7-16-11, 30 pages, 207 KB.
Using TurboCad Pro V11.2 to Design and Draw a Hall Table
6.7 MB pdf file, 67 pages,3/5/2006. Second draft of design and detailed drawing tutorial using
TurboCad Pro V11.2. Intended to show how a novice CAD user used a full-featured CAD program
to draw a hall table. Suggestions from experienced CAD users to improve efficiency would be
greatly appreciated.
Using TurboCad Pro V11.2 to Create a Full Sized Drawing of a Scanned Scale Drawing
1.7MB pdf file, 25 pages, 5/28/2006. First draft of scale drawing tutorial using TurboCad Pro V11.2
Intended to look at how a novice CAD user used a full-featured CAD program to create a full sized
drawing based on a scanned image. Suggestions from experienced CAD users to improve efficiency would be
greatly appreciated.
Draft TurboCad Door Tutorial V 0.1
4.16 KB zipped PDF file, 56 pages, minor revisions 8/2/05
Draft tutorial showing how a novice CAD user used a full-featured CAD program to draw a frame and
panel door. Suggestions from experienced CAD users to improve efficiency would be
greatly appreciated.
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