| Before the advent of mass production, most | | | | finish, so can be subject to rusting or other corrosion |
| furniture was largely handcrafted by artisans. Of | | | | at quite an early stage.Another less obvious problem |
| course, time has moved on and construction | | | | with tables in particular, is swelling of the wood. As |
| techniques, mechanical tools, and methods have | | | | wood generally expands at a different rate in its |
| advanced significantly. But in choosing outdoor | | | | longitudinal and tangential planes, this means that as |
| furniture, it's very important to take note on how | | | | the timber gets wet or dries out, unsightly gaps can |
| the particular item is assembled, how the joints are | | | | occur at joints, or in the worst cases, the timber |
| made, what fixings are used, the strength of the | | | | twists out of shape, if the maker has not taken |
| individual components and the quality of the finish.For | | | | sufficient care at the design stage. You need to take |
| commercial outdoor furniture, which needs to | | | | care for example with some wooden table tops, if |
| withstand not only the weather but also | | | | the middle of the table is a more complex design |
| mistreatment and neglect, the centuries old joining | | | | with elements running both straight and perpendicular. |
| method of mortice and tenon is still generally | | | | Most manufacturers will leave small expansion gaps at |
| preferred. A well-made item of furniture, with mortice | | | | the end of the longitudinal wood sections to allow for |
| and tenon joints will be solid, with tight joints and will | | | | some expansion and contraction. With some more |
| last for years. But of course the extra time and care | | | | stable wood species such as teak, this is typically not |
| taken in this method of construction means the price | | | | a problem, but with some other species, expansion in |
| will inevitably be higher of the furniture item.To speed | | | | both directions can be significantly different and |
| up construction and keep costs down, allot of | | | | problems can arise.Take note also of the finish of the |
| furniture is now constructed using a dowelled joints. | | | | piece. With certain wood species, the grain of the |
| Whilst not as strong as traditional mortice and tenon | | | | timber can be rather coarse, so unless the edges of |
| joints, a dowelled joint can give many years of good | | | | the piece are sanded well, it's possible to get splinters. |
| service. In fact a lot of furniture may use mortice | | | | Take particular note of the end grain. Many |
| and tenon joints for the main structural elements but | | | | manufacturers apply a special oil coating or wax to |
| dowels for the more decorative elements in the | | | | the end grain to prevent the ingress of water and |
| design - a perfectly acceptable compromise. Of | | | | help to prolong the life of the furniture. Most |
| course any adhesives used should be water resistant, | | | | manufacturers will apply some type of initial |
| something that is not really possible to check, but | | | | protective coating, although this is generally a rather |
| generally this does not seem to be a problem in | | | | basic coating which tends to enhance the colour of |
| practice, except maybe in really low cost outdoor | | | | the wood rather than contributing to any particular |
| furniture.For added strength, some makers will | | | | preservative properties. To ensure a longer life, it is |
| combine brass fittings with dowelled joints to ensure | | | | thus recommended that you give your furniture a |
| the dowelled joints are pulled together and kept as | | | | further coating with a good quality decking or |
| tight as possible.The cheapest method of | | | | furniture oil very shortly after you purchase the item, |
| construction uses metal fixings only. Often these are | | | | and certainly within the first six months of its use.And |
| used with kit-set or knock-down self assembly | | | | so, in conclusion, when looking at purchasing outdoor |
| furniture, as it allows the homeowner to save more | | | | furniture, the important points to consider (apart |
| money by assembling the product themselves. The | | | | from the durability of the wood species) are the |
| downside is that such furniture is generally not as | | | | type of joints, the thickness of timber used, the |
| strong and involves regular tightening of the fittings, | | | | quality of any metal fixings and the actual design |
| as they tend to bed into the wood with continual use | | | | aspects of the particular piece.Malcolm Kay is the |
| of the furniture. Also inferior quality fittings may be | | | | CEO of Intex Pacific Pty. Ltd. an international supplier |
| used which are neither made of corrosion resistant | | | | of landscape materials including modular decking tiles. |
| metals such as brass, nor have a high quality plated | | | | |