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 about wood

The traditional furniture listed on this website is a collection of hand made hardwood furniture, designed and made by us in northumberland UK. Most of the woods used are from trees between 120 and 180 years old felled and then ring-counted to verify their age.

The beautiful ‘wild’ grain of the woods used in this traditional furniture is unlike the plainer grain of woods that is necessary in commercial furniture production.

The designs are based on function and durability and together with simple proportioning provide a timeless style allowing more appreciation of the age and beauty of the wood.

After several years of natural air drying outdoors each plank of wood was then carefully kiln-dried to achieve a low moisture content suitable for all interiors.
 
Traditional methods of furniture construction are used through out with mortise and tenon and dovetail jointing. All items are finished in a superb and resilient sprayed fine matt lacquer.

The wych elm cabinets are made from an avenue of trees planted around 1750 and wood from such old wych elm trees is rare indeed and few of that age and size remain anywhere in UK or Europe.

The monkey puzzle table is made from two large 130 year old trees, some of the earliest ones to have been planted in the British Isles. The species was once 'native’ in pre-ice age times and fossil remains of such trees at Whitby are now the source of Jet jewellery.

These are extremely solid individual items of furniture  and with normal usage and care when moving should still be in daily use in 100 and more year’s time ……

Wood is a natural material, and especially from trees of this great age and size may show knots shakes splits cracks pin holes and colour and grain variations, all of which contribute to the individual appearance character and beauty of each item.

To compliment the traditional kitchen dining tables, chairs can be made available from established chair makers and other suppliers, and these can be supplied at cost and finished to suit as you wish.

for interest and information on the the tree species and the most commonly woods used please see online encyclopaedias, such as the free Wikipedia.

wych elm (ulmus glabra )    ash (fraxinus excelsior)

sycamore (acer pseudoplatanus)    english oak (quercus robur & quercus petraea)

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