Restoring Grills and Teaching Kids a thing or two


 
Willard said:
Jay D, I prefer to buy solid furniture, preferably used. IKEA is trash but for some things and for a couple of years (kids bedrooms) it does the job.

Things these days are just NOT built to last because companies play on the whole renew and redecorate every few years. Don’t get me started on cars.

I used to work for a fancy bank in the 90s and during one of their office moves, kept some solid wood bookcases they were getting rid of. For 25 years, I have bought and disposed many IKEA pieces only to have to trash them. The solid ones are still there.
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Amen. They should not even be allowed to make furniture out of medium density fiberboard (MDF) IMHO. How about at least a step up to OSB or plywood? All of our wood furniture is solid wood and came used except for the bedroom set which is Ethan Alan colonial pine bought for my room by my mom for my bedroom over 40 years ago after the MDF stuff literally fell apart. I was surprised to find some very creative YouTube videos on fixing MDF furniture though.
 
I have a couple dressers and my computer desk that we bought from an ARMY DRMO (Defense Reutilization Management Office) sale on the base we were stationed on in Germany. They were cheap. Like under $50 for all of them. That was 30 years ago. We also have 4 dining table chairs that we are not currently using but still keep because they are so solid and in good shape.
 
Joe Anshien said:
Amen. They should not even be allowed to make furniture out of medium density fiberboard (MDF) IMHO. How about at least a step up to OSB or plywood? All of our wood furniture is solid wood and came used except for the bedroom set which is Ethan Alan colonial pine bought for my room by my mom for my bedroom over 40 years ago after the MDF stuff literally fell apart. I was surprised to find some very creative YouTube videos on fixing MDF furniture though.
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MDF is the "quality " IKEA stuff. Much of their stuff is made from what is called "board on frame". It's a very thin piece of particle board or MDF glued to a cardboard honeycomb...CARDBOARD. IKEA mastered forest depletion and cheap labor(even child labor) long before they were even considered issues. They spend millions marketing themselves as an "enlightened" and altruistic corporate citizen. They are not.
 
That IKEA stuff isn't much better than any of that particle board stuff being sold in every walmart and big box store around the country. I consider it high end junk. But, as stated. If you need a quick and relatively inexpensive piece, it will fit the bill.
Bottom line, if you have to put the furniture together when you get it home, it is not designed to be something you will hand down to your kids one day many years later.
 
I remember my grandmother had an armoire made of solid wood. I saw that my entire youth every time we visited. That thing has been in my family for almost 100 years and still standing. Another wild story, my great uncle, full brother of that same grandma, was a woodmaker and for my parents wedding, he built and gifted them a dining set in OAK with six chairs. That piece is at my sister's house and my parents are about to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. When I got married, they gifted it to me. I had it shipped to New York City. We kept it for a year and (in my stupidity), I sent it to my sister as it was too nice to have around little kids. Now that I think about it, love of solid wood furniture may be in my blood, going back for generations.

Joe Anshien, I've bought some good furniture through the years. There are some good furniture makers around New York and Pennsylvania (Stickley comes to mind). I have driven to Lancaster PA in search of Amish furniture and returned with nice things on my roof rack. Speaking of furniture and for those who like to read when they have time, check out this book on how the Bassett family "Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local - and Helped Save an American Town". A great read.

Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local - and Helped Save an American Town: Macy, Beth: 9780316231435: Amazon.com: Books

Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local - and Helped Save an American Town [Macy, Beth] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local - and Helped Save an American Town
www.amazon.com
 

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We still have our oak dining room set - one refinishing in 37 years. I bought it while in grad school. My wife, Faith, is a good sport, because it was picked out by my ex-girlfriend. We weren't engaged but obviously getting close. Faith just laughs when anybody asks about it. Real oak is definitely head and shoulders above so much fake stuff being offered today.
 
I don't know the statistics, but, just how much "real oak" do we have left? I don't think it is possible for all the millions of people here in the USA only, to buy everything in "real oak". Is it?
 
To much goes to the dump, so I decided to save a couple of old chair.
I do have two old rocking chair to cane sometime.
 

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Joe Anshien said:
I don't know but it is a shame how much real wood furniture goes to the dump, just like everything else.
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Yah, and while real oak is strong and durable, it isn't stainless steel and can be trashed, even to the point it isn't worth rehabbing. Just like someone that could trash a Genesis Silver B in 3-4 years, you can destroy an oak table in the same amount of time.
 
Joan said:
I don't know the statistics, but, just how much "real oak" do we have left? I don't think it is possible for all the millions of people here in the USA only, to buy everything in "real oak". Is it?
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That's a fair point. I guess I would say that all the particle board furniture is just wood that has been ground up.

At least trees can be continuously planted, and expanding forests - even if artificially managed - is a good thing for our atmosphere.
 
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