How our cabinets are made.

Making furniture from the type of timbers that we use, ie recycled from old buildings and timbers salvaged from private properties, does present certain challenges not prevalent in timbers sourced from regrowth forests, especially if the item is a cabinet but the end result is that we have created something that is unique and special.

Moisture Content: The first and most important thing in relation to making any furniture is to ensure the timber is dry enough and this is just as important if the timber is recycled and presumably well seasoned. Sometimes we'll dry our timber to a moisture content slightly lower than industry standards to allow for the hot and dry summers experienced in many parts of inland, mainly southern NSW and most of Victoria.

Selecting timber: If you order furniture with us, our craftsmen will spend a considerable amount of time selecting timber for your piece. Firstly, they'll aim to satisfy your preferences with relation to colour, grain structure and natural feature.

While each species of timber carries "typical" characteristics, these can vary considerably based on the climate, soil type and growing region. Spotted gum is an excellent example of this variation, with tones ranging from very light, soft yellows to deep browns and everything in between.

We will ensure that the colour and grain structure of each board is considered with reference to how it will relate to and balance with the whole item once it is finished.

The internals: We don't normally construct the internals of our cabinets and entertainment units from solid timber. If someone would like them built this way, and doesn't mind paying the extra cost involved for the extra labour mostly, then sure, we can do it.

Our preferred material for the internal structure is an ash veneer material that we can stain to match the outside of your cabinet. It is still a quality material in itself, but it does reduce the labour component and hence the overall cost of the item considerably.

An analogy of this is the lining inside a nice jacket, it is different to the material on the outside. The internals of a cabinet done this way allows the main feature, that being the beautiful timber on the outside of the cabinet, to be the main feature. And having the same timber on the inside, depending on the look of the timber, can be over doing it.

The backing: As with the internals of our cabinets, we prefer not to use solid timber for the backing, unless of course, the back of the cabinet will be in full view (as a room divide, for example). We generally use 12mm raw MDF board - an incredibly durable composite material. The board itself is by no means a "cheap" alternative, but it does reduce the labour cost while still adding a great deal of lateral strength and support to the cabinet. Again, this backing board will be stained to tie in with the rest of the unit.

If for any reason, you would like the back of your cabinet to have a solid timber backing piece, please let us know and we'll be more than happy to satisfy your requirements.

Drawers: We use only high-quality, full-extension drawer slides on all our cabinets. You have the option of durable, side-mounted bearing slides, or hidden soft-close slides, read more information in Custom Made section of this website.

Dovetailing: From a technical perspective, dovetail joins in drawers are no longer necessary, thanks to modern drawer slides.

Dovetailing certainly used to be the best method for joining drawers when they would operate as timber drawers on timber slides - in wet weather, the drawers would take in moisture and expand slightly, making them difficult to open. Over a period of time, it wasn't uncommon after a while to pull the fronts or handles off the drawers. Dovetail joins would provide a great deal of strength to prevent this.

With todays high-tech drawer slides, dovetailing is simply an unneccessary addition to labour. We do understand that many people still look for dovetail joins as a sign of quality, so if you would like them, by all means, we can do them - please just let us know. Otherwise be rest assured our drawers are made to last a long time.

If you have any further queries with relation to how we might be able to help you find the perfect cabinet to suit your needs, please contact us.