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Originally Posted by
jerryc
West Teak artisans use traditional wood joinery in the creation of our product line. Mortise and Tenon joints (a rectangular peg fitted tightly into a precisely cut rectangular hole) are used extensively throughout our line. This joint, when properly constructed, allows a larger gluing surface, and a very strong mechanical bond between two pieces of wood. We do not use screws to hold our furniture together, most joints are glued and dowelled. Glued dowels are stronger than screws, since there is a greater bearing surface for the glue to bind to. Additionally, we have found that wood and metal expand and contract at different rates with changes in temperature, therefore metal parts can loosen. That is why the finest interior furniture is doweled instead of screwed. It is a hallmark of fine cabinetry and furniture construction.
Other traditional wood joinery techniques such as dovetails and splined joints are used to ensure precise joints that start out tight stay tight. Our furniture is shipped fully assembled. It does not arrive in a flat box with a bag of strange bolts. Our joinery methods of mortise and tenons combined with dowels and two-part epoxy glue make for a much stronger joint than bolts can provide, but don't plan on taking it apart without a chainsaw!
So, when you are evaluating teak furniture, we urge you to look very closely at the fit and finish of the joinery. Crawl underneath the table, check out the parts that don't show obviously - they give you an indication of the overall level of quality throughout the entire piece, the entire product line. Look at the thickness of the wood used in its construction (All our tables are a full 1 ¼ inch thick). If there are moving parts, try them - see how smoothly the furniture operates. Look for uniformity in the color and grain patterns. On curved pieces, look at the grain to see if the curved piece was cut as a curve, or was steam bent into a curve. (Steam bent curves want to straighten out over time; they can be identified by grain that follows the curve around). Caress the wood, make sure it is as smooth as silk. As you educate yourself, you will quickly see that West Teak offers the highest quality for the greatest value.
this all follows with what your doing