Why is rubberwood furniture considered good quality?
Actually, rubberwood is not considered “good quality” in the Western markets - ironically so, because , in fact, it really is!Let me explain.If you plan using rubberwood - or better say, Hevea - in Europe, you wouldn’t sell anything. This happens because of its name and its perceived qualities. “Rubber” suggests flexibility. And this is not something that people associate with furniture, which must be felt as durable. So, the big buying groups of Central Europe - like Germany - have always shunned the buying of rubberwood furniture, preferring instead other wood essences.This has represented a huge problem, especially in South East Asia, which furniture exports towards the Western world have suffered greatly from this fact. One of the things they have done has been to rebrand Rubberwood into Hevea. The other is to use veneer - thin sheets of other more noble wood species applied on the visible parts of furniture, while using a rubberwood core.As others have pointed out, it is strong and nice, and grows rapidly, but is also a bit “dull”. It has no personality. So, it is not very suitable for high-end products which are made to show the patterns of the wood.As you see on the image on top, one of the ways to make it more interesting is like this - by combining several pieces so to form a patterned - and more interesting - panel: this is called “blockwood”, and it is one of the four main “man-made” woods used in the industry. If you are interested in wood use for furniture making, I am giving a deeper explanation here: What are the types of wood used in furniture?That said, rubberwood is a wonderful and inexpensive material which is well suited to production of sturdy and cheap furniture. Its only fault, if it has one, is its name.EDIT: Thank you all for your views! As a note, if you are interested in this field, I write mostly about design and furniture - so check out my other answers and/or follow me. And an upvote is always welcome!If you seriously feel my answers are worthwhile, please nominate them here: Publish This: Quora's Publishing Nominations Blog
How do I remove the blades from this wood chipper to sharpen or replace them?
I have a Cougar Power product wood chipper/shredder/vacuum model # 26CSV-5 that I purchased 10+ yrs. ago which I use occasionally and still runs good but I am in the process of removing the blades(2) to sharpen and I have hit a snag. I can remove 2 of the 3 bolts holding each blade but the third bolt is restricted by the frame of the machine. The wheel the blades are bolted to seem welded to the shaft and look difficult to remove. I bought the machine at a store auction and did not get an owners manual. I also tried searching on google but can't find anything on this model or the company. I know this was a popular item a few years ago, also noticed someone selling it in a local newspaper. I also thought of cutting the third bolts off and replacing them with a shorter one but don't know where to find a cutting tool on a long stem that will fit on a drill to reach the bolt, or if it will even go back in. Suggestions from someone familiar with this product will be appreciated.