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Wood: Birch Furniture
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Birch is very tough hardwood. It has a color very similar to that of
maple. Birch has light yellow sapwood and reddish brown heartwood. The
advantage of birch over maple is that it has several grain types that
maple doesn't, namely curly, straight and wavy. Once stained, the color
differences are less pronounced. It has straight, close grain and a
fine, even texture. |
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One advantage of birch is its hardness, for after the acid treatment it
needs only waxing and rubbing to give it the final finish. The main
advantage of birch fibbers is that they are small and light. They can
thus form a denser network and yield a more consistent surface on the
finished paper. The good qualities of birch, treated in this way and
used for interior woodwork, are very little known, because it is the
wood which has been used more than any other to imitate mahogany, which
is by no means to be confused with the rare old Spanish mahogany of the
eighteenth century. |
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The wood of the birch is soft and not very durable but being cheap and
the tree being able to thrive in any situation or soil; it is grown all
over Europe and used for a wide variety of purposes. In using the acid
on birch it is necessary to have a stronger solution than is required in
the case of cypress; one part of acid to three parts of water should
give it about the required strength. Birch is quite accepting of stain.
Birch has become popular with those who want a darker look with a more
interesting grain pattern than typically seen in the dark hardwoods. |
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Of the several varieties, red birch is best for interior woodwork. It is
easily obtained all over the East, the Middle West and the South and
costs considerably less than the other woods we have mentioned. Various
parts of the tree have also been applied to medicinal uses. For
instance, the young shoots and leaves of the birch secrete a resinous
substance having acidic properties, which when combined with alkalis is
said to be a tonic laxative. |
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The grain of birch is very similar to that of the more expensive wood,
and when it has been given a red water stain and finished with shellac
and varnish it bears a close resemblance to mahogany finished in the
modern way. |
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Birch can be sorted several types. Such as water birch, river birch,
yellow birch, paper birch, gray birch, shade birch. Birch is known as a
spring, summer perennial. Blooms in mid spring with yellow flowers,
brown fruit/seeds and a spring-spring fruit/seed season. Red birch makes
really beautiful interior woodwork, as the acid deepens its natural
color and gives it a mellowness that is as fine in its way as the
mellowness produced in oak or chestnut by fuming. |
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In considering the woods that are most desirable for woodwork in rooms
where light colors and dainty furnishings are used, birch comes first on
the list, as it is nearest in character to the open textured woods. |
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Wood Elm
Wood Walnut
Wood Ash
Wood Birch
05/06/08 |
