5 Sep
2009
5 Sep
'09
6:48 a.m.
On Sat, Sep 5, 2009 at 1:01 AM, Chuck Guzis<cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
In a true vintage thread, that's why a fair number
of people buy
antique furniture--or, like Brian, build their own (I enjoy doing
that too). ?There's no shortage of good wood; the furniture makers
would rather deal with a standardized stable manufactured product
than have to deal with the issues that accompany real wood.
So you wind up with a hunk of sawdust and glue with no strength, but
that can be popped out like cookies from a bakery.
I can understand Tony's appreciation for old gear from my own
experience with currently manufactured furniture.
I stopped buying furniture altogether. I needed to make a table to go
under the flat screen to hold the game consoles. I threw it together
in an afternoon from 2x4s. It looks like 2x4 furniture, but works
great. My grandkids will probably be using it 40 years from now.
I'll make something nice later.
If you guys want a quick and easy way to throw furniture together,
like shelves for classic machines or a desk or stand, you should look
into pocket screws. 2x4s (or wider) a miter saw, a drill, and a kreg
pocket hole screw kit is all you need. The screws are really strong,
more than it looks. And it takes practically no skill to make
something durable and functional.
Particle board and MDF (medium density fiberboard) are used in
furniture for one reason. It's cheap. Over the last 50 years, the
price of quality furniture hasn't changed, the value of the dollar
has. So a nice dresser or table costs about what it did 50 years ago.
But people have less money to spend. You can still buy good quality
furniture, but you'll pay a lot for it. Think $2000 for a dresser.
But the average person doesn't know what real furniture should look
like. They want to head over to k-mart or target and pay $75 for a
dresser. That $2000 dresser will be in your family 60 years from now.
But the blue light special wouldn't survive 6 months in my house, and
that's not an exaggeration. It's why I got fed up and started trying
to make my own.
I still go to furniture stores on occasion, but it's not to buy
furniture. I've been ruined. I look at them and the mistakes and
shortcuts just jump out at me. I'd rather have 2x4 furniture than the
"nice" things that many stores try to unload on customers.
brian