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How much of a treeās wood typically ends up in solid-wood furniture?
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Furniture
Card table, mahogany (primary wood) with original gold patina and gold stenciling, maker unknown, c. 1828; in the Indianapolis Museum of Art. 70.48 Ć 91.74 Ć 91.44 cm.
When manufacturing solid-wood furniture, the process is highly inefficient, with hardly more than 25 percent of a treeās original natural substance actually ending up in the final product.1
Significant wood loss occurs at two primary stages:
* Conversion: When the tree trunk is processed into lumber, material is lost to sawdust, the removal of outer slab portions, and sapwood.1
* Workshop Processing: Further waste is generated while bringing the lumber to a usable size, including offcuts, sawdust from shaping and turning, planing, joint cutting, and final cleaning.1
Because of this inherent waste, the furniture industry places a high premium on the economical use of wood.1