Unless you are sitting on a rocking chair or some new age computer chairs that are supposed to promote movement, there is absolutely no reason for a chair to be wobbly. To us craftsmen, a wobbly chair represents a failure in design, craftsmanship, and deep understanding of the relationship between the chair and its user. The worst of all, it is a waste of a valuable resource which is timber because we all know what wobbly chairs end up as most of the time : firewood. That's not sustainable at all, is it?
For this article, I will just stick to wooden dining and reading chairs because metal chairs and plastic chairs normally do not have this problem.
So how do we exactly shop for a wooden chair that will endure the test of time ?
So how do we exactly shop for a wooden chair that will endure the test of time ?
Out of all kinds of furniture, chairs take the most abuse because they interact with humans the most. So the durability is key. Durability comes from the joints ( wherever two pieces of wood meet ) . There are three main factors regarding joints that will determine the strength.
1. Type of joint
Mortise and tenon joints ( sa-yway in Burmese ) have existed since the beginning of woodworking. If you go around historical places in Myanmar, wherever there are wooden structures, you will see mortise and tenon joints in furniture, doors, and wooden columns. These are tried and true ways of connecting timber and still the best joints for furniture makers around the world. The glue goes on the tenon surface and then bonds the tenon with the mortise. Rule of thumb is the longer the tenon the better because the glue surface area increases significantly. As you can see in the third picture above to the right, the tenon goes all the way thru and that's the best ! They are a lot of variations of mortise and tenon, but you get the point.
 | The big no-no when it comes to joints are screw joints. Screw joints are the symbol of mass production furniture. They look good and feel strong as you look at them in the store but in a few months, they deteriorate really fast. Then, before you know it, your favorite chair has come apart. I'm not saying that there isn't a place for screws in woodworking at all, but joining two pieces of wood merely by screws is definitely not a good idea. For example, screw joints are very common in upholstery frames where springs, foams, and fabric ease up the stress placed on the joints. |
So next time, whether you are shopping for import furniture or local handcrafted furniture in Myanmar, just flip the chair upside down and check inside the seat to see what kind of joints are used.
2. Type of glue
This is tricky because once the glue has dried and all the excess has been removed, there is no way to telling what kind of glue was used. The most superior type of glue is Polyurethane ( PU ) glue and it is one of the most expensive as well. You can see it in the picture above. Every piece at SIRBONI furnishings is built using PU glue. It is a moisture-resistant glue designed to withstand heavy abuse. Myanmar is a very humid place so that makes PU glue very suitable for furniture in Yangon. There is also epoxy glue which has similar qualities but it is an overkill for woodworking for the price. So next time, just ask the furniture showroom owner to see what kind of glue is used. If it says polyurethane on the bottle, you are in good hands!
3. Reinforcements
Corner brace or corner brackets are pretty much self-explanatory. They will turn a weak chair or table into something you can cherish for a lifetime. They come in different materials and forms but essentially they all do the same job pretty well. Surprisingly, in Yangon, only high quality producers put these in although they cost very little and can really kick quality up a notch. A lot of small shops don't use them for some unknown reason. I guess some don't know any better.
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Another kind of reinforcements are leg rails and armrests. The leftmost picture is a very simple minimal chair. Just a seat , four legs, and a backrest and it is the weakest. The ones in the middle have leg rails that secure the legs. The one on the right has both leg rails and the armrests and it is the strongest of all three. The armrests connect the seat to the back rest for extra durability. However, since armrests are also a functional element, sometimes they are not desired, especially in tight spaces like restaurants where one needs to be able to move around easily.
With this post, I hope to save as many chairs as I can before they become a pile of rubbish. If you have already bought chairs unknowingly, you can definitely ask local furniture store or SIRBONI furnishings to put in corner brackets and leg rails so that they will last for many years. Also, please spread the knowledge so as many people as possible can make educated buying decisions at stores and showrooms.
Photo credit - google images.
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