custard
Established Member
This cropped up in another thread and I thought it might be of wider interest. Some while ago I ran some tests on the effectiveness of various UV barrier finishes. I won't go into that except to say that even though some finishes hold promise none really provides a silver bullet solution for furniture makers.
More significant is the huge effect sunlight has on timber. I'm not talking about external woodwork, ultimately all woods just go silvery grey when left outside. But indoors is a different story, some darken, some fade, some change colour significantly.
From the top left and working clockwise these are Oak, English Rippled Sycamore, American Black Walnut, and American Cherry. The right hand side of each sample was treated with a UV inhibiting finish, the bottom half was shielded from the light, the top half had two months in a south facing window. I've got other photos with different woods, different finishes, and different time periods. But they all demonstrate that the furniture that leaves your workshop may look radically different in a fairly short space of time, especially if it's placed in a south facing room.
Probably the worst timber in a bright room is steamed American Black Walnut (and the vast majority of ABW sold in this country is steamed). In direct sunlight it just fades to a nondescript muddy brown. Unsteamed Black Walnut and English Walnut also fade, but they retain more vitality and subtle colour differences in the grain.
Probably the best timbers for a bright room are American Cherry, Mahogany, and most of the fruitwoods. They darken rather than fade, lose any blotchiness, and generally patinate very quickly and attractively. Oak and Sweet Chestnut are fairly stable in colour terms. Holly holds up better in terms of whiteness retention than Sycamore, which after a year or so can end up turning almost orange. The problem there is really good quality Holly is becoming very hard to find.
It's sobering because the combination of ABW and Sycamore has been a basic staple of furniture making for a good few years now. They deliver a dramatic combination fresh from the workshop, but I wonder how many once magnificent pieces are now looking really flat? Maybe the trend towards bigger windows and bi-fold doors means we should rethink timber choices?
Another point to consider is how you store your timbers whilst making furniture. If your workshop has bright, natural light and workpieces are left overlapping they could quickly get "bikini lines". I now usually chuck a blanket over dimensioned components to shield them from the sun in the workshop.
Just some thoughts.
More significant is the huge effect sunlight has on timber. I'm not talking about external woodwork, ultimately all woods just go silvery grey when left outside. But indoors is a different story, some darken, some fade, some change colour significantly.
From the top left and working clockwise these are Oak, English Rippled Sycamore, American Black Walnut, and American Cherry. The right hand side of each sample was treated with a UV inhibiting finish, the bottom half was shielded from the light, the top half had two months in a south facing window. I've got other photos with different woods, different finishes, and different time periods. But they all demonstrate that the furniture that leaves your workshop may look radically different in a fairly short space of time, especially if it's placed in a south facing room.
Probably the worst timber in a bright room is steamed American Black Walnut (and the vast majority of ABW sold in this country is steamed). In direct sunlight it just fades to a nondescript muddy brown. Unsteamed Black Walnut and English Walnut also fade, but they retain more vitality and subtle colour differences in the grain.
Probably the best timbers for a bright room are American Cherry, Mahogany, and most of the fruitwoods. They darken rather than fade, lose any blotchiness, and generally patinate very quickly and attractively. Oak and Sweet Chestnut are fairly stable in colour terms. Holly holds up better in terms of whiteness retention than Sycamore, which after a year or so can end up turning almost orange. The problem there is really good quality Holly is becoming very hard to find.
It's sobering because the combination of ABW and Sycamore has been a basic staple of furniture making for a good few years now. They deliver a dramatic combination fresh from the workshop, but I wonder how many once magnificent pieces are now looking really flat? Maybe the trend towards bigger windows and bi-fold doors means we should rethink timber choices?
Another point to consider is how you store your timbers whilst making furniture. If your workshop has bright, natural light and workpieces are left overlapping they could quickly get "bikini lines". I now usually chuck a blanket over dimensioned components to shield them from the sun in the workshop.
Just some thoughts.
