What Is Lacquered Solid Birch & Birch Veneer?
Birch is an abundant hardwood native to North America. It is widely used in furniture and cabinetry construction because of its strength and attractive grain and color. Birch is prized by both woodworkers and manufacturers alike as a decorative hardwood and an easy-to-machine utility wood. It is available as solid lumber and as a veneer for use in applications where a plywood or particleboard core is more suitable. Does this Spark an idea?
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Birch
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Birch is a cream and light-brown hardwood with a fine texture. It is a straight-grained and dense wood, with good strength, and is a popular lumber with woodworkers because it machines, fastens and finishes well. The closed-pore structure of the wood enables it to accept most finishes. Among the domestic hardwoods, birch remains reasonably priced and in good supply. It is similar in appearance to maple, and is often used as a less expensive substitute.
Lacquered Solid Birch
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On cabinetry and furniture, solid birch is often used in visible components where an engineered product would not be suitable. Cabinets, for example, often use veneered plywood for the carcass sides but use solid lumber for the face frame, where it is most visible. To retain the natural wood tones and keep the grain visible, solid birch may be finished with lacquer, a quick-drying protective film finish.
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Birch Veneer
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Veneer is a thin layer of hardwood that is applied to a plywood or particleboard core to give the appearance of solid lumber without the expense. Veneer offers seasonal stability over broad widths, so it will not expand and contract with the humidity. This benefit makes it an attractive material for cabinets and furniture that must retain maximum stability. The veneer presents an attractive face, but it must be handled properly. Sanding and finishing must be done with care to prevent penetrating the veneer.
Other Uses
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Apart from its application in cabinet and furniture construction, birch is also utilized in numerous utility applications such as the manufacture of toothpicks, tongue depressors and pulp for paper. Birch has unique resonance properties, making it a sought-after material for speaker cabinets because of the superior tones the boxes produce. These same properties are used to great advantage in the creation of drum shells and guitar soundboards.
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References
- Photo Credit birch image by daki from Fotolia.com
