About Wooden Furniture
Today, wooden furniture is made with the wood that is most available. With a depreciation in resources, namely the more favored woods like dark oak, furnishings of the common type are manufactured by machine.
The old beauties of traditional furniture have become exceedingly rare---and very expensive. To own a table from the Victorian or Colonial times is every antiquarian's dream. We can still learn to identify which of the available wooden furnishings are more durable, and possibly which ones might be considered lavish for our time.
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History
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The early 1900s saw wooden furnishings made from oak and fruit wood. Other types of wood included, walnut and rosewood. When we think of the history of furniture, we can imagine the Colonial or Victorian times. No history of furniture like that of the Colonial days was closer to the environment.
Early colonists made use of what was nearby. Even pine wood and maple, or oak, was used. Nothing local was spared, and for good reason. Earlier times demanded that people made use of what they had available. Finer wood was preferred, though even the ficklest wood was appreciated for its easy replacement.
Thus, the less attractive material was fitted to parts of the furniture hidden from view.
Today, even this old furniture is maintained by collectors, and the ability to repair it is possible because of the replaceable parts that are hidden out of sight, but portions of which that are supportive to the whole.
Considerations
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Don't throw away old wood furniture until you've at least inspected the type of wood it is made of. Restoration can save furniture. If the wood is rare enough, it might be worth something to refinish the furniture and auction it off. You may even desire to keep it after you've restored it. Gaining a knowledge of the rigidness and grain of various woods can help you determine whether or not to restore the furniture.
If you plan to have wooden furniture of high grade for any length of time, it is a good idea to know something about the kind of maintenance it requires for a particular type of wood, such as using an oil varnish for a hard finish on the wood. Just remember to dust the wood before you polish it.
A hard finish will dissolve denatured alcohol visibly. However, a soft finish on wood will naturally be oil based. This is easily tested by apply a tiny drop of linseed or other oils on the wood of your furniture. The oil will be absorbed into the wood if it is a soft finish. A hard finish will reject the oil visibly, most likely in the form of bubbling up on the surface of the wood. Ask a furniture store for the correct type of polish/ finish. A good polish is needed every quarter of a year at the most. Over polishing will leave a murky surface finish.
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Types
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Oak, mahogany, rosewood, and walnut are your woods for luxury furniture. However, these woods are combined with less impressive woods, including ash, fir, gum, and pine. The less expensive woods are made into components or parts that are hidden from view in expensive furniture. Most expensive furniture has at least some of the cheaper woods, because the cheaper woods make restoration easier.
Potential
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Wooden furniture has the potential to last the ages: literally hundreds of years. To reach this potential, aside from polishing the furniture, the wood should be protected when not in use.
For very expensive furniture it may be necessary to modulate the humidity in the room depending on the climate you live in. This is easily done with a humidifier in the room. In contrast some climates may require a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture.
Dust and other debris can build up over time. Place a curtain over the furniture to protect it. Sunlight may damage wood that is overexposed. Sheer curtains work best to block sunlight.
When in use, wooden tables should have place mats and coasters. Chairs may require cushions or cloth to protect the wood.
Significance
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The age of furniture is significant if you plan to auction it off. Although you're unlikely to find any furniture with Roman nails from 3000 B.C., the types of nails in very old furniture are significant enough to tell a buyer or seller what approximate age the furniture is. The late 1800s, for instance, saw nails that were headless---a signature of the carpenters of that time period. Nails with a rose bud head date as far back as the late 1700s, and square nails are even older.
Another clue to look for is a signature. For instance, furniture that was made before the 19th century was completely done by hand, and is likely to have the craftsman's signature somewhere on the furniture, possibly at the base of the furniture. A signature can be browsed on the internet, and most antiquarian furniture collectors/ sellers can tell you something about your furniture by reading the signature for you.
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