BusinessHABHigh-quality Wood-work Business Equipment: Whether you’ve been doing woodworking as a hobby in your home.
Or have worked in a more commercial setting.
You probably already own some equipment.
However, if you plan to grow your business by offering new products.
Or getting into a new market, you may need to upgrade your equipment.
Don’t waste time and money rigging your already-existing equipment to make new pieces.
For example, Tom Dolese of Terra Firma Design in Bellingham, WA states that his investment in a horizontal mortise allowed him to do complicated joinery precisely and efficiently.
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Here are High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment
Traditional Wood Classification
1. High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment:Hardwood:
It comes from broad leaved deciduous trees that drop leaves yearly and produce seeds.
Such trees are slow growing which tends to produce dense wood.
Hardwoods are darker in color and have good resistance to fire.
Types of hardwood – Cherry, Chestnut, Lime, Mahogany, Maple, Oak, Rosewood, Teak, Walnut.
2. High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment: Softwood:
It comes from coniferous trees that have needles.
And do not produce seeds but are not weaker than hardwoods.
Softwoods are generally less expensive than hardwoods because coniferous trees grow fast.
When compared with hardwoods, softwoods are less dense and have poor resistance to fire.
Types of softwood – Cedar, Fir, Pine, Redwood, Hemlock, Spruce.
Besides the above-mentioned categorization wood can also be classified as engineered/manufactured or man-made woods and solid woods.
Implying that both hardwood and softwood can belong to the below mentioned categories.
Though both of them offer a similar look, the difference lies in the structural composition.
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Modern Day Classification
3. High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment: Manufactured wood:
Manufactured from three or more layers of high-density fiberboard (HDF) or medium-density fiberboard (MDF).
And an original hardwood veneer(facing layer of wood) top layer joined together under pressure and heat.
A thin coating of melamine is done to protect the surface and prevent scratching, staining or burning of the wood.
It is relatively cheaper and lighter making it affordable and easier to ship.
Engineered wood is more suitable for high moisture areas and areas with frequent temperature changes.
It does not warp or cup during climatic changes.
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Few disadvantages are
(i) difficult to repair
(ii) does not hold screws well
(iii) contains many chemicals
(iv) can swell when exposed to water.
Types of manufactured wood – Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), Oriented Strand Board, Hardboard (HDF), AC Plywood, CDX plywood,
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4. High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment: Solid wood:
Furniture made from single piece of wood, has a greater strength and is quite durable lasting for several decades.
It stands up to machining and modification like sawing legs down etc.
Solid wood furniture might be costlier than the rest.
However, damages are easily repaired and are the most eco-friendly.
Types of solid wood:
(i) solid wood – hardwood: Oak, Ash, Walnut, Cherry, Maple
(ii) solid wood – soft wood: Pine, Poplar, Fir
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5.High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment: Particle Board:
It is made out of large wood chips, sawmill shavings or sawdust adhered together with glue and chemicals.
Lighter and less sturdy than MDF and is mostly covered with not-real-wood.
Advantages are that it is cheap, does not warp, expand or contract until the laminate finish is intact.
Does not dent easily unlike softwood pine and can be painted.
However, there are disadvantages of using particle board like it may fall apart when drilled or sawed.
The exposed particle starts to crumble and on absorbing water expands and is no longer repairable. Particle board furniture lasts up to 3-5 years.
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Other Materials
Other than wood following materials are also used to make furniture.
6. High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment: Steel/ Metal:
Metal furniture is easy to clean and tolerates pest fighting chemicals better than wood.
It is best for any sort of living environment dormitory or housing.
It is highly durable and can withstand heavy usage.
Metal furniture can last for 10-15 years. up-front investment is higher but the replacement cycle is less frequent.
7. High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment: Plastic:
Since its invention in 1862 in London plastic and because of its extraordinary ability to mold into any form it has increasingly become the most popular material to make bespoke furniture.
Plastic furniture is lightweight and unbreakable.
The maintenance cost is negligible and does not wear down in extreme weather conditions.
Basic raw material required is polyethylene terephthalate which is thermoplastic and can be recycled easily.
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8. High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment: Glass
Glass is usable for furniture when it is toughened, also known as toughened glass.
Which is done by heating and rapidly cooling with cold air causing the outer surfaces solidifying.
Before the interior inducing permanent comprehensive stresses into the surfaces of the glass.
Which makes it suitable for furniture as it then can be curved and bent.
Annealed glass is not suitable to be used for furniture making because it’s breakable.
The third type is Laminated glass which consists of two or more layers permanently bonded together by inter-layers of transparent plastic.
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Tools and Machine List
I am mentioning few machines and tools which are very important for any kind of furniture business.
Though these tools are not enough you will require a lot more depending on what quality you are producing and in which furniture niche you are working.
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High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment
9. Circular saw
10. Hand saws, a router, and two router bits.
11. Jigsaw
12. Chain Saw
13. A power drill
14. Chisels and a wooden mallet
15. Hammer and some screwdrivers
16. Sanders
17. Band Saw
18. Double Side Planner
19. Timber Sizer
20. Radial Arm Saw
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21. Spindle Moulder
22. Tenoner
23. The Tape Measure
24. The Utility Knife
25. The Moisture Meter
26. The Chisel
27. The Screwdriver
29. The Nail Set
30. The Sliding Bevel
31. The Layout Square
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Once the furniture gets manufactured you can sell your furniture in two ways i.e B2B and B2C.
One can either sell it directly to consumers or you can make B2B relations for this purpose.
For B2B model one needs to contact the shop owners and online dealers.
For B2C one needs to have a plan, budget, and a good team which we are going to discuss in our next step i.e furniture selling business.
Equip your shop with woodworking hand tools:
Building fine furniture requires a number of hand tools for completing detail work.
They can be expensive, so it’s daunting to think about investing in a lot of different hand tools. Begin by purchasing these essential hand tools for woodworking.
A level-up, low-angle jack plane is a versatile tool to smooth and shape wood.
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High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment
32. A block plan for planning across the end grain of wood.
33. A small 7- or 8-ounce Japanese plane hammer for common finishing tasks like driving in finishing nails.
34. Bevel-edge chisels for chopping mortises by hand.
35. Water stones for sharpening tools.
36. A 3-inch engineer’s square for laying out joinery.
37. A pocket square for frequent measurements like checking thickness.
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38. A 12-inch combination square for a straight edge or for finding a 45-degree angle.
39. A wheel marking gauge for making reference marks.
40. A 6-inch sliding bevel gauge for doing work with angles.
41. A card scraper for sanding tricky areas like curved parts.
42. A mill-bastard file for shaping and sharpening.
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Furniture-making machinery:
Obtain the basic machinery first.
Once you have that on hand, consider any special equipment you need to make your manufacturing process more efficient.
High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment
43. A band saw for cutting angled or curved shapes.
44. A disc sander for sanding the end grain of timber.
45. A drop saw for cutting timber.
46. A finisher for sanding the edges and faces of timber.
47. A mortising machine for drilling out square mortise holes.
48. A pedestal drill for accurate drilling on large materials.
49. A scroll saw for cutting small, thin pieces of timber.
50. A table saw for cutting large pieces of timber or manufactured boards.
51. A thickener for smoothing rough timber and reducing its thickness.
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Upholstery tools and equipment if necessary.
Professional upholstery requires a combination of hand tools and pneumatic tools.
Invest in top quality tools that will make your upholstered pieces look their best.
In addition to professional tools, purchase useful items from the hardware store.
Such as: wire cutters for pulling out staples; a framer’s square for straight cuts on fabric; a 45- or 60-inch ruler; and a utility knife for removing old fabric.
High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment
52. A magnetic tack hammer for easily picking up tacks and attaching them to furniture.
53. A webbing stretcher for pulling webbing close to the frame.
54. A regulator for adjusting cushion filling through fabric.
55. A rubber mallet for installing tack strips without marring the surface.
56. Upholstery shears for cutting fabric.
57. Assorted curved needles for hand sewing.
58. A 10-inch button needle for installing buttons through pillows, cushions and furniture backs.
59. Upholsterer and “T” pins for holding fabric during hand sewing.
60. A hand-held staple gun or a pneumatic upholstery stapler.
61. An upholstery button machine for making buttons.
62. An upholstery foam cutter.
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High-quality Wood-work Business Equipment: Conclusion
It’s not an easy task to choose a perfect location.
Consider a space that fits the needs of the customers.
If you plan to do cabinets look for a large space for a better display.
While catering residential clients a space that accommodates parents, children and strollers are recommended.
It is highly suggested to choose a place that is easily accessible to your suppliers, space where your suppliers can easily reach and drop off the materials required.
Do not fall for a lower rent but for an efficient useful space keeping in mind all the above said things.
Listed are some important things to be kept in mind:
- Advertising using neat billboards informing people about the store location.
- Offer unique accessories complementing the furniture.
- Frequent and new addition in the stock to keep the customer coming back.
- Personalized attention and specialized service for the walk-in customer.
- Well trained sales team, one which knows all about the product and prices, discounts & offers and promotes the product and the brand with confidence.
- Build a relationship of trust and loyalty with the customer by offering high-quality customer service
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