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West Bros Furniture at Furnitureland South, Fall 2010
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West Bros Furniture
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The West Bros. tradition has always been to bring each unique design into a solid 3-dimensional reality - consistently producing one of the highest quality products in the world. We believe that by educating consumers about distinct characteristics of solid hardwood the better they will appreciate and enjoy the unmistakable warmth and distinction that it brings to their décor.
A Living Material
Unlike non-living material such as steel or plastic, our hardwoods –such as cherry, ash and maple are very much alive when they arrive at the West Bros. factory. Every piece of wood tells us its life story through its grain. Changes in climate, or exposure to water, animals & weather creates a uniqueness and character in each piece.
The selection process begins early and continues throughout the manufacturing process. Our skilled craftsmen carefully match the wood for the colour, pattern and variation that will become the finished piece and bear the renowned West Bros.’ name.
One of the natural features of owning solid wood furniture is the appreciation that all wood changes and develops grain colour over a period of time. As the years pass, your appreciation for solid wood furniture will grow as each piece continues to tell a story about its life - always maintaining its strength and beauty. When our customers invest in West Bros. furniture, they are investing in quality, meticulous craftsmanship and unmistakable beauty for generations.
A Controlled Environment
Each type of wood has its own inherent characteristics which are strongly affected by various factors such as temperature and humidity changes.
From the raw wood state, as much as one-third of the total lumber weight is moisture. That is why it takes great skill and expertise during the curing process to ensure the very best final product.
If extra time is not taken when the wood first arrives to control moisture levels the wood may shrink, expand, split or even change shape. In fact, these effects occur in many unpredictable directions to various degrees depending on where each piece of wood was cut from the tree, requiring careful consideration before each piece enters production.
Fortunately, our commitment to quality and consistency stands firm from the outset of the manufacturing process. We continue lead the industry by taking the extra strides necessary in reducing the problems which can occur when working with solid wood. This commitment to quality and dedication to our craft is another reason why West Bros. is one of the finest furniture makers, and why our products are renowned around the world.
Virtues of Solid Wood
If you were to rip a piece of paper (which happens to be a product of wood) and hold the torn edge up to the light, you will see small hair-like fibers standing all along that edge. Each one of these visible fibers is actually a cell of wood. Under a microscope these cells would resemble a bundle of soda straws with the ends cut at an angle. In a tree, these cells line up end to end, allowing fluids to run up and down the tree.
The natural expansion and contraction of solid wood happens continuously throughout the life of the wood, and occurs regardless of the age of piece of furniture. However the solid wood boards used for furniture still maintain this cellular structure, unlike the ‘dead’ materials such as pressboard, laminates, metal or plastic.
If each cell (or straw in our example) were full of moisture they would get plumper with more moisture, and get thinner as they lost moisture. However, with the gain and loss of moisture, the cells never become longer. In other words, wood expands and contracts across the grain, never along the grain. The tendency of many manufacturers is to compromise the quality and/or type of the wood, rather than understand how to control these characteristics and maintain the quality, beauty and durability of solid wood furniture. West Bros uses a technique called floating panel construction to address these issues.
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