Is Ethan Allen high-quality furniture?

[Bohemian's Antiques]

This may earn me some flames, but I see no real problem with even
the "highest quality" furniture using plywoods. Just as the highest
quality products now use modern adhesives and fastening techniques,
why should the material itself be assumed better when solid than
manufactured?

This is not a flame. One problem with plywood is that if the veneer
gets damaged its much harder to mend than solid wood. I can see that
for mass production, manufacturing tolerances, the stability of large
surfaces dictates use of modern sheet goods. Of these, I suppose
plywood is best. However, I would much prefer that my surface of my
kitchen or dining table was solid wood.

Why do you suppose that plywood would be the best substrate? Manufacturers of
cabinets and furniture stopped using plywood long ago in favor of particle
board and medium density fiber board. Both of those substrates are much more
stable than plywood. For the purposes of laying down a veneer, they can be
machined to be much smoother than plywood ever could be. Veneers telegraph all
the lumps and imperfections that are found in the substrate (it's like
wallpapering over a poorly prepared plaster wall).
Why is veneer harder to repair? Either you patch in a new piece, or work with
what you have. With a little artwork, the history of your damage is rewritten.
Most people lose sight of the fact that veneer is THIN WOOD. Even the paper
thin (1/64") veneers can be repaired and refinished (it is true that there is
a much greater chance of sanding through to your substrate if you are trying
to correct wear and tear). As a legitimate process that has more than 3000
years of history to it, it ought to command much more respect than it does.
There is a canard that one must set up a dichotomy between veneering and solid
wood construction. The two are apples and oranges. They are often used
together in most modern furniture. Many veneers are even put on over a solid
wood core, not because the manufacturer has something to hide. This is done
because you can do decorative things with veneer (marquetry, fancy inlay,
repeating grain patterns, diamonds, reverse diamonds, edgebanding, etc.) much
better than you can with thicker "solid" pieces of the same wood.
--
Daniel
To send an e-mail, write me at "shafner at webspan dot net", taking out the
quotation marks and inserting the appropriate symbols.
/ `-' ) ,,,
| IU U||||||||[:::]
\_.-.( '''

I think the used furniture available by Ethan Allen is a great option...

[CPM Systems]

Post by Bohemian's Antiques

This may earn me some flames, but I see no real problem with even
the "highest quality" furniture using plywoods. Just as the highest
quality products now use modern adhesives and fastening techniques,
why should the material itself be assumed better when solid than
manufactured?

This is not a flame. One problem with plywood is that if the veneer
gets damaged its much harder to mend than solid wood. I can see that
for mass production, manufacturing tolerances, the stability of large
surfaces dictates use of modern sheet goods. Of these, I suppose
plywood is best. However, I would much prefer that my surface of my
kitchen or dining table was solid wood.

Why do you suppose that plywood would be the best substrate? Manufacturers of
cabinets and furniture stopped using plywood long ago in favor of particle
board and medium density fiber board. Both of those substrates are much more
stable than plywood. For the purposes of laying down a veneer, they can be
machined to be much smoother than plywood ever could be. Veneers telegraph all
the lumps and imperfections that are found in the substrate (it's like
wallpapering over a poorly prepared plaster wall).
Why is veneer harder to repair? Either you patch in a new piece, or work with
what you have. With a little artwork, the history of your damage is rewritten.
Most people lose sight of the fact that veneer is THIN WOOD. Even the paper
thin (1/64") veneers can be repaired and refinished (it is true that there is
a much greater chance of sanding through to your substrate if you are trying
to correct wear and tear). As a legitimate process that has more than 3000
years of history to it, it ought to command much more respect than it does.
There is a canard that one must set up a dichotomy between veneering and solid
wood construction. The two are apples and oranges. They are often used
together in most modern furniture. Many veneers are even put on over a solid
wood core, not because the manufacturer has something to hide. This is done
because you can do decorative things with veneer (marquetry, fancy inlay,
repeating grain patterns, diamonds, reverse diamonds, edgebanding, etc.) much
better than you can with thicker "solid" pieces of the same wood.
--
Daniel
To send an e-mail, write me at "shafner at webspan dot net", taking out the
quotation marks and inserting the appropriate symbols.
/ `-' ) ,,,
| IU U||||||||[:::]
\_.-.( '''

I think the used furniture available by Ethan Allen is a great option... http://youtu.be/RBr7iawXvCg

With digital transformation taking over many aspects of the workplace, the traditional working environment as we know it is changing as well. A new generation of employees is demanding a more comfortable and modern working environment. In response to this, some companies have even started investing in light and energy-saving furniture to occupy their workers for a longer period of time.
https://sites.google.com/view/furnituremanufacturers/