Although wood is one of the oldest building materials it was not necessarily the first material used for furniture.
It is believed that rock was first used to make furniture.
It was quickly realized that this was not a viable material and wood quickly replaced rock as the most common material for building furniture.
From this use of wood rose the popularity of oak furniture.
There are many different types of wood that could be used for furniture manufacturing what makes oak so popular? The first craftsmen to attempt to work with oak on a regular basis were Europeans.
Oak was readily available in the dark ages in Europe and so it became a natural choice for furniture making.
It was found out that oak was strong and durable and made a great building material for furniture.
It was the availability of oak that made it very popular with European craftsmen.
It was also realized early on that oak did not attract insects or mold.
This was a serious consideration when building furniture.
No one wants a material that would attract mold or bugs.
Modern technology tells us that oak contains materials in its chemical composition that help to deter mold and insects, these components are known as tannins and can be found in many natural items such as grape skins.
The combination of availability and resistance to insects and mold made oak popular.
The problem with using natural materials is that eventually there availability is limited.
This was the case with oak and as more and more was used for furniture making the less that was available.
Wood needs to be harvested and allowed to grow and as the supply runs low the prices go higher.
Modern technology makes it possible for manmade materials to be used in furniture making.
These materials are not harvested and do not have an eventual shortage of availability.
Therefore plastic and other synthetic materials become a popular choice for making furniture.
These materials are also less expensive to produce than natural materials.
Although man made materials may be cheaper and more readily available they do not have the same appearance as oak and so a desire to have handmade oak furniture still prevails.
People are typically willing to pay a little more for natural materials than to purchase less expensive man made materials.
When making handmade furniture it is common to not use nails or screws.
Craftsmen use the same techniques that have been used for centuries.
One of the most popular methods of making connections between pieces of wood in furniture making includes Dovetailing.
This technique involves connect two pieces together via grooves and knob, much in the way a puzzle goes together.
As long as there are craftsmen who offer handmade furniture there will always be a desire for custom made oak furniture.
Although there are many different styles of wood that are available the most common and popular still tends to be oak.
All of the elements that have made oak a popular choice for centuries still make it a popular choice today.