Not infrequently, recently, in stores of decorative and interior elements, sellers began to use a laconic definition - “solid”, which most often comes in combination with other words, creating vocabulary links that are already familiar to our ears - solid wood or solid wood furniture, and many others. But most people don’t have the slightest idea what lies behind these words, so within the framework of this material we will analyze what solid wood means, why it is needed and in what industries and where it is used
Admit it, not infrequently, when you came to a store, you came across a situation where the seller, describing the furniture and trying to emphasize its advantages, issued the following phrase: “This bed is made of solid wood (pine, birch, oak, beech) and is absolutely environmentally friendly clean." And very often a situation arises that, using such terminology, the sales consultant does not pay the slightest attention to the fact whether the client understands what he is actually being told. But as statistics show, most clients do not attach any meaning to the terms thrown at them and continue to listen, not understanding what is being said.
Therefore, today you will learn the answers to the following questions: “What does solid wood mean? What types of solid wood are there? Why is solid wood natural? How is solid wood different from other materials?
Having delved into the essence of this material, you can easily understand the very essence of the seller’s words and what he is trying to convey to you. Therefore, you can make the right choice when buying a bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers, table, bedroom or nightstand made of solid wood.
Solid wood is. Definition, characteristics, application
Things made from wood are recognized as among the highest quality and environmentally friendly.
But besides this, solid wood is a rather expensive material that requires some maintenance. Furniture made from it can dry out in the heat or swell if the air is too humidified. Solid wood products differ from other alternative materials in their weight, which is significantly greater. Furniture made from it is known for its high strength and durability, because, in fact, it is natural wood. In this article we will look at the main methods of using this material, photos of solid wood and its properties.
Guide: Valheim - where to find quality wood and other useful resources
In the world of Valheim there is a huge amount of useful resources that are scattered across different locations. And if with the same ore everything is relatively clear, because metal deposits differ in appearance and you can always understand what is in front of you - tin or copper, then with wood and some resources the situation is a little different.
In this guide, I will tell you how and where to find solid, high-quality and ancient wood, as well as other useful ingredients for construction. You can read about where to find iron and other Valheim ores in this article.
Where to get solid and high-quality wood
If ordinary wood is obtained from all types of trees in the game, then with higher quality wood the situation is as follows:
- High-quality wood in Valheim comes from Oaks and Birches. These trees can be found in the Grasslands and Plains biomes. You can chop birch and oak trees with any ax, starting with a bronze one. Although a bronze ax is inferior to an iron ax in terms of resource extraction speed, it will still work for the first time.
- Solid wood can only be harvested from pine trees in the Black Forest biome. You can even chop pine trees with a stone axe.
- Also, for some buildings you may need ancient bark. It can be collected with any ax from old trees in the Swamp biome. For example, Drakkar or certain types of weapons are made from ancient bark, so it is better to always have several stacks of this resource in stock.
When cutting down forests, a wheelbarrow can be very useful, because with its help you can not be limited by your own inventory and you won’t have to constantly run to the base to unload your character.
Also, harvesting wood is very convenient with the help of the Ancient buff. After killing the second boss of the game - the huge Ent Ancient One, you will receive the ability to speed up the cutting down of trees. If you play with friends, then this buff can be maintained almost constantly by using the Ancient’s ability in turn. The buff works not only on the player himself, but also on the Vikings around him.
Useful resources in Valheim
When building and crafting tools in Valheim, you may need materials other than wood and ore. Finding them is not difficult; below I will list the most common resources needed for crafting.
- Resin - can be collected by cutting down trees, also drops from Gradedwarfs after killing them;
- Chitin - can be mined with a pickaxe. Chitin grows on the backs of floating “turtle islands.” These pieces of land drift in the ocean and may become submerged during collection;
- Ymir's Flesh - Can be purchased from a traveling merchant. You can find out how to find a merchant from this guide;
- Chain - drops from Ghosts in the Swamp biome;
- Slime - also found in the Swamps. It can be obtained from green growths on trees;
- Flax - can be found on the Plains in goblin settlements;
- Serpent Scale - Dropped by the Sea Serpent. Kill the monster in shallow water, because the drops it drops quickly go under water.
Also on our portal you can find a detailed guide to surviving in the harsh lands of Valheim. And that’s all for me, if you have any questions, write in the comments.
History of the discovery of the material
This material first began to be used during the Middle Ages. For Japanese archers in the 12th century, solid wood was primarily an excellent way to strengthen bows. They strengthened them by gluing bamboo and wood pieces together. This made the bow tighter, thereby increasing the lethal range of this weapon.
Today, production from solid wood allows the consumer to obtain excellent, beautiful, high-quality furniture. An interesting fact is that it has not gone out of fashion since its first appearance. Until now, in an effort to make the interior of their home more refined, people resort to furniture made from imitations of living wood or natural solids.
Features of solid larch furniture
Furniture made from larch stands somewhat apart both in its aesthetic and in its performance qualities.
Its advantages:
- High strength, here it is not inferior to oak, but costs much less.
- Larch is not susceptible to mold and rot
- It is not afraid of changes in temperature and humidity, larch was used in shipbuilding, and now it is the most suitable wood for baths and saunas.
- High density makes it resistant to shock and mechanical stress
- Unlike other types of wood, larch is fire resistant.
- The aesthetic appeal will delight you with its appearance for a long time.
Larch furniture is the embodiment of elegance, luxury and good taste. If the processing technology has not been compromised, then it will serve you for many years without requiring careful maintenance. The resin content and light pine smell create a special microclimate in the room.
To be fair, we must also mention the disadvantages: larch is difficult to process, does not dry evenly, and all this is reflected in the cost.
What it is?
Solid wood is a material consisting entirely of natural wood. Unprocessed, it can be timber, wood sheets or boards, from which the product will subsequently be produced.
Today there are a number of different technologies for producing such material, but one condition is the same in them. It is made only from pieces of natural solid wood. Manufacturers do not use any waste, such as shavings or sawdust. This feature is the main feature that distinguishes solid wood from MDF and chipboard. In addition, furniture made from such material is elite and therefore has both good quality and a high price.
Solid wood
The beauty of natural wood products is directly influenced by the texture of the surface itself. Knots, cavities and other formations, in turn, give a negative aesthetic effect. Therefore, during production, material on which such flaws are found is rejected.
For the manufacture of furniture, only perfectly clean wood is used, which is considered the most valuable and high quality. Products made from solid wood are elite. Having furniture made from such material is considered very prestigious and expensive. It is noteworthy that the price is determined not only by the cost of the natural base, but also by the high-quality fittings with which such products are equipped.
Solid wood is a material for those people who have a certain level of income. If a person wants to have furniture made from natural solid wood in his home, but is not ready to pay large sums for it, he should pay attention to an alternative material - laminated wood.
Glued solid wood
When processing freshly cut trees, a large amount of wood chips of various sizes is obtained. Such pieces are not suitable for making boards, and it would be wasteful to use them for sawdust. This can also be said about bars that have knots, cracks and other defects that do not allow them to be used in furniture production. They are used to produce laminated wood, which is also called furniture.
This material has a laminated wood structure. These layers are called lamella. They are secured to each other with a special adhesive. The key feature of gluing is the alternation of transverse and longitudinal directions of wood fibers.
The prestige of products made from laminated wood is lower than from solid wood, but much higher than that of products from MDF and chipboard. This is due to the fact that although the wood is laminated, it is still a natural solid, and not sawdust like, for example, MDF.
Laminated solid wood is an attempt by manufacturers to reduce the cost of products made from real wood. As a rule, this is done to attract more buyers. Thus, when choosing products made from natural wood, you should not chase the obviously low price. Often purchased solid wood furniture is such, but the fact remains unclear what material it was made from, solid timber or laminated lamellas.
Advantages of solid birch furniture
Birch wood is very plastic, pliable, and easy to process. At the same time, it is solid, that is, such furniture will serve you for decades without loss of strength. Karelian birch has a completely unique pattern.
Tree rings resemble waves with dark inclusions. Birch furniture has a pleasant golden hue.
In addition to the above advantages, it also has the following:
- Withstands high mechanical loads.
- Its environmental friendliness and hypoallergenic properties create a pleasant aura in the room, which has a beneficial effect on health. Place birch furniture in the nursery.
- The homogeneous structure of the tree gives it high strength.
Flaws:
- Very afraid of moisture. Birch furniture cannot be used in rooms with high humidity: baths, bathrooms, and kitchens.
- Susceptible to pest attacks.
Furniture of the middle price segment and medium hardness is ash, beech, maple, larch. What properties does this wood have?
Solid wood in the interior
Every day the idea of being close to nature is becoming more and more popular in modern society. Many people find different solutions in order to give the interior of their home a bit of natural charm.
Of course, in addition to selecting the colors that will be present in the design of the rooms, you also need to decide on the choice of furniture. What material will it be made of, what quality and shade should it be in order to fit perfectly into the interior. Of course, when creating a truly environmentally friendly and close to nature atmosphere, you should first of all think about furniture made from natural components.
Today, there are many different types of wooden decoration, but natural wood is still considered truly natural. The production of arrays is gaining momentum every day, and it is becoming more and more popular. This is due to the fact that it has a number of advantages over alternative materials, both aesthetic and practical.
Characteristics of furniture by wood species
Wooden furniture is very diverse. Depending on the type of wood from which it is made, it differs in properties and cost.
Let's start with the most expensive wood. These are hardwoods: oak, mahogany, hornbeam, Karelian birch. Let's consider their advantages and disadvantages.
Solid wood
Furniture made from solid natural wood has always been valued for its unique appearance, quality and environmental friendliness. And it is not surprising that its price is higher than its artificial counterparts. In particular, this is due to the fact that the process of producing furniture from solid wood takes longer and requires certain costs. There are now few real specialists who competently work with solid wood, so their services are quite expensive. After all, all stages are important for high-quality wooden furniture: from proper drying of solid wood to the final processing of furniture (impregnation, varnishing, tinting).
With all the advantages, it is necessary to note the special sensitivity that solid wood has to air humidity and pressure changes - in such conditions it will quickly collapse. It is because of this that in houses with solid wood furniture, heated floors cannot be installed.
Not everyone probably knows that solid wood furniture is furniture always made from wooden panels. Solid wood furniture panels are:
The quality of the wood itself can only be determined at the stage of the production process: it is influenced by the density of annual rings, the presence of knots and the presence of interlayers. Without a doubt, the more knots, the lower the quality of the solid wood.
How can you distinguish spliced solid furniture panels from solid ones? Of course, you can also find good examples among furniture made from laminated wood, but such furniture should cost an order of magnitude lower than furniture made from solid wood. Finger-joined solid wood furniture panels are produced by gluing thin wood plates to each other. You need to take a closer look at the fibers. The fibers of natural solid wood may not have a strictly linear color, their thickness varies, but they are never interrupted abruptly, but gradually fade away. And with laminated wood, you can see how the boundaries of the fibers are sharply defined.
More than forty tree species are used in modern furniture production. Among them, hard and soft wood are distinguished.
Species with soft wood are, for example, pine, alder, cedar, cherry, aspen, poplar. This wood is more suitable for furniture that will not experience heavy loads.
Hardwood trees include oak, maple, ash, beech, apple and others. Trees with very hard wood include dogwood, white acacia, boxwood, and pistachio tree. There is a pattern: the more hard a tree is, the more difficult it is to produce, therefore, furniture made from it will be more expensive.
How to make solid wood
Theoretically, it is very simple - you need to cut the necessary trees into pieces. But in the process you will face a number of difficulties. First, you need Black Forest Pines. This biome is found immediately after the starting location, you will definitely end up in it, even when you are just chasing wild boars and deer in search of leather scraps and trophies for the first boss.
In the Black Forest you will meet much more dangerous opponents - improved “stumps” and even skeletons with bows, swords and shields. We do not recommend engaging them in battle without preparation and a set of good weapons, so be careful, always save at least a third of your stamina bar, look around often, and in case of danger, simply run away.
Secondly, pine trees take longer to cut down than ordinary trees. Although even a regular stone ax will be enough for you to harvest solid wood, we still advise you to get a flint or even a bronze one - here is a guide that will help you. These tools, which are also considered good weapons, will wear out longer, cut down trees faster, and allow you to effectively fight off enemies if they take you by surprise.
Thirdly, the wood is very heavy. For large buildings you need a lot of materials, so don't rely solely on the capacity of your inventory. It’s better to build a cart and drag it into the Black Forest, harvesting several hundred units of wood in one trip. Keep the guide in which we talked about crafting a cart and the features of its use. Pay special attention to information regarding the specifics of moving in wooded areas. Do not forget also that the cart can break - protect it from enemies and constantly repair it.
