Are you a homeowner who is planning to buy some wooden furniture in the form of dining chairs, dining tables, and wooden couches; or you are working on a wooden furniture making project, you need to make sure that the wood raw materials used have been properly dried.
Using solid wood that has been dried or oven-dried should be your top priority. With dry wood can guarantee that the product will last for years.
Wood drying is a process to remove the moisture content in wood by heating at a certain temperature and humidity. This process is very important to maintain the durability of the wood, because if the moisture content in the wood is too high or if the wood is too moist, it can cause rot, shrinkage of the wood or other damage.
Wet wood or high moisture content becomes a ‘food source’ for termites. And high humidity makes the wood softer and easier to rot.
Easier to Work
Dry wood will be easier to process and process with machines or manual equipment. The knife or drill bit will be more durable because the cutting process becomes lighter. In addition, the force required to process is also less than that of wet wood.
With the minimal water content in the wood, it also facilitates the process of staining or finishing wood. Finishing materials which are usually oil-based are easier to seep into the pores so that the finishing layer can dry faster than finishing on wood with high humidity.
Wood glue can also absorb better into dry wood, thus providing maximum connection strength.
Stable Dimensions, More Consistent Quality
Wood drying ensures that the moisture content in the wood reaches its equilibrium point between 8-12%, or also known as Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC). In these conditions, the wood is no longer deformed or the percentage of wood shrinkage is very small.
Because the moisture content is maintained, the wood can last longer and avoid attacks by fungi or wood-eating insects.
Wood Drying Kills Insects Wood
insects are very fond of moist / wet wood, because it is a source of food and makes it a nesting place. Insects can even lay their eggs in wood which can then attack the wood when the eggs hatch.
Hot air or steam up to 68 °Celcius which is channeled into the drying chamber is able to kill insects that are still in the wet wood. So that at the same time apart from removing the moisture content in the wood, the drying process is also able to avoid insect attacks.
Wood Grain and Color More Prominent
Water content tends to affect the color of the wood to be darker in certain types of wood. In dry conditions the wood grain will stand out more and the color of the wood will look true to the original. In Acacia wood, for example, the color of dry wood will look lighter and brighter.
The lines of wood grain can be seen in more detail, so it will look more beautiful for the type of finishing that is light or transparent in color.
Saves You Money
Having quality wood furniture will last longer and be stronger, meaning you don’t have to make additional expenses. Furniture made of dry wood is not easily damaged or weathered.
In addition to reducing your frequency of replacing it with new furniture, the cost of maintaining furniture that uses dry wood is also relatively small. There’s no problem changing chair legs for example, or no longer having to look for a replacement for a curved wooden door.
As mentioned above, that dried wood can help get rid of unwanted wood insects and eggs. By using wooden furniture that has been properly dried, you also indirectly avoid your home from the risk of wood-eating insects.