Cracks in solid wood desktop?

regarding the cracking of solid wood furniture, many people's first reaction is "quality problem". But if the problem is fed back to the merchants, many merchants may reply that it is a "normal phenomenon".

In fact, although the risk of cracking of solid wood furniture can't be completely eliminated, it is the most important thing for manufacturers to "minimize the cracking probability", instead of always taking "normal phenomena" as an example.

let's analyze why solid wood cracks. I hope everyone can rationally face the matter of "cracking of solid wood furniture", not being fooled by merchants, but also taking better care of furniture.

reasons for the cracking of solid wood furniture

the cracking of solid wood furniture and the cracking of solid wood are two levels of problems, the former involves the problems of technology and design, and the latter relates to the performance characteristics of wood itself. If there is a crack, the corresponding solution is different.

1. Wood naturally cracks

Wood contains water, and it can absorb and release water indefinitely and repeatedly whether it is scientifically dried or not. Thereby causing the expansion and contraction of wood, thus causing the change of size.

then why is it cracked? For example, if a piece of wood is placed in dry air, it will continuously evaporate water through the exposed end face. When the end face is dry, it will shrink, but the inside of the wood is still wet and can't shrink with it, so the two forces begin to compete, and finally the end face cracks to reach a balance.

this is caused by dryness, and it can also cause cracking when the air is wet, which is called swelling and cracking.

The wider and thicker a piece of wood is, the more exposed the end face is, and the faster the moisture changes, the more likely it is to crack. Therefore, when we make furniture, we have to face the following choices:

Wide board or narrow board: the pattern of wide board is complete and beautiful, but the probability of cracking will increase a lot, and narrow board is highly safe, but we have to sacrifice some face values.

short or long end face: a rectangular imposition. If the short side is the end face, the water loss is slow and the cracking probability is low; On the contrary, if the end face is long, the water loss is fast and the cracking probability is high.

2. Limited expansion and contraction cracking

Because wood has the nature of shrinkage and expansion, we should not nail it firmly in the process of making, but also give it enough room for expansion and contraction.

Frame tenon support crack

For example, traditional Chinese furniture will be made by assembling frames, and then a 3-5mm gap will be left between the core plate and the frame groove. This gap is a reserved expansion joint, which can never be omitted.

if this gap is not wide enough to limit its expansion, the outer frame tenon will eventually be pushed open by the core plate and cracks will appear.

3. Cracking at the patchwork

Glue is needed when solid wood is patchwork. If the patchwork is unscientific, the glue is not good or the operation is not standardized, it is easy to cause insufficient adhesive strength between boards, which will lead to cracking.

There are many kinds of splicing methods for solid wood. Besides flat splicing, there are also inclined splicing, cut splicing, concave-convex splicing and so on. Generally speaking, flat splicing is the simplest, while cut splicing and concave-convex splicing are more complicated, but the gluing area is larger and firmer.

4. Cracking of paint film

Sometimes the wood of furniture is not cracked, and the wood has reasonable expansion space inside, but the paint film on their surfaces is not elastic and will not expand and contract with it, so the paint film on the surface will break under the pulling and squeezing of expansion or contraction, resulting in cracking. This is especially obvious when the paint film is white.

because the normal technological process is cutting, assembling, polishing and painting, the paint film is like a piece of skin on the surface of furniture, and they will not keep pace with the wood inside.

it is also unrealistic to change the process flow to cutting, grinding, painting and assembly, because the paint film will be damaged and assembly will be affected in the later assembly process.

how to avoid cracking of solid wood furniture?

Because it can absorb and release water indefinitely, it is necessary for manufacturers and furniture users to work together to prevent the solid wood furniture from cracking.

1. For manufacturers:

1. Choose the right materials.

① selected timber manufacturers.

why is good wood expensive? Not only are the plates less defective and wider, but also because they will be painted on the end face before leaving the factory; The water content is relatively stable (generally 8-12%); Both transportation and storage are protected ...

These measures are all aimed at reducing the risk of wood cracking.

② selected wood.

if one end of the wood has cracked, it is impossible to cut off only the cracked part, and the risk of cracking can only be reduced by cutting off more parts inside. Therefore, the cost of selecting materials for furniture is very high.

2. Choose a good glue and a good splicing method.

generally speaking, the more complicated splicing method is more difficult and costly, but the risk of cracking is less.

Then good glue, combined with correct and scientific gluing technology, can also ensure the adhesion strength between plates to meet the requirements. If you cut corners, the risk of cracking will be greatly increased.

3. protect the end in the manufacturing process.

It will take a long time in the factory from the cutting to the final polishing and painting, and the temperature and humidity will change greatly in different workshops, so try to protect the ends with tape and paint after cutting to avoid moisture from entering and leaving.

4. Choose good paint/paraffin oil.

Good materials can effectively prevent moisture from entering and leaving, thus avoiding shrinkage and expansion of wood, and it is not easy to crack.

For example, for the open surface of Fangyifei, OSMO wood wax oil imported from Germany will be selected to protect the wood and restore the feel, touch and texture of the wood to the maximum extent.

if customers choose painting technology, they will choose high-end water-based wood paint to prevent moisture from entering and leaving.

5. Use good technology/structure.

Take a table as an example. If the table top is directly spliced and fixed with nails, it will probably cause cracking or arching in the future use.

piercing tenon

It's much more scientific to install the plate with saving frame or piercing tenon, which is the experience of working people for thousands of years.

fangyifei hedgehog rosewood closet

like this, it is also a good technology and method to hide the end as much as possible.

if the manufacturer completes the above steps, the chances of cracking of solid wood furniture will be greatly reduced, whether in the south or in the north.

Second, for consumers:

1. Keep the humidity at 4-7%;

In fact, furniture is most prone to crack, especially in the north. Because the weather in autumn and winter in the north is dry and cold, and the air humidity is low, it is particularly easy for furniture to crack when the doors and windows are opened ...

If the smell is scattered in a dry environment, try to turn on the humidifier.

2. Do not leave oil stains and water stains on the furniture for a long time;

stay away from humid environment and never leave water stains.

3. Avoid direct sunlight;

Fang Yifei ash wood side cabinet

Fang Yifei ash wood TV cabinet

Even ash wood with stable performance and suitable for dry climate should be taken good care of to avoid wind, rain and sun.

4. Keep away from the air outlet of heating or air conditioning;

5. Try to avoid outdoor use;

6. Avoid violent use of furniture, dragging furniture, resulting in loose structure, which in turn leads to broken paint film;

7, don't use rough linen, loofah balls, steel wire balls and other objects to wipe the furniture surface, so as not to cause rubbing, thus damaging the surface and causing damage.

8, open surface treatment, regular maintenance, plus wood wax oil/hot wax, especially the end face.

the above maintenance measures are aimed at all wood, and there is no solid wood that is not afraid of sun, heat and dryness.

well, that's enough about the cracking of solid wood. I hope everyone can take care of their own solid wood furniture in the future.

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