Our furniture is crafted from the species of wood considered to be the most abundant hardwood in this country suitable for furniture construction. Sourced from FSC certified forests in the Mid-West and North East, you can rest assured that every precaution has been taken to assure that no person, place or thing has been harmed in the harvesting of the planks used our products. We are proud to produce guilt-free heirloom quality furniture, and you can sleep better at night knowing your piece isn’t just beautiful, but smart and sustainable as well. Our white oak is selected from “rift” sawn planks. Oak has what are called medullary ray cells, which radiate from the center of a log like the curved spokes of a wheel. The rift, or comb grain, effect is obtained by cutting at an angle of about 15% off of a quartered position to avoid the flake figure of the medullary rays. This is what gives us the consistent straight grain found in all of our pieces. Some may have more evidence of these rays than others, but we keep all quartering below 45 degrees and well within industry standards.
The color can vary from a pleasing off-white to a rich amber-brown, and in some cases has yielded purple tints in the heart of the figure. The natural beauty of these tones in the Oak spectrum are just one of many ways that makes each Semigood piece unique and individual.
INDONESIAN TEAK
Teak, like Oak, has always been highly valued by the furniture community for its natural characteristics. It’s high oil content and density makes it almost impervious to water, and exactly why we use it for our outdoor products. The premiums on our certified Teak are high, but ultimately make for a product that not only looks and functions well, but one we can feel good about.
Teak can range from yellow-green to rich browns and even black colors.
Most of our products have a rich amber tone with a dark brown, active figure.
AMERICAN BLACK WALNUT
Native to the forests of the Northeast and Upper Midwest, this rich hardwood has been sought after by fine furniture manufacturers for centuries. The color spectrum of our walnut can vary from deep chocolate brown to an iridescent purple in areas. We select our woods on tone and consistency allowing imperfections to be lost in manufacturing but keeping all of the wonderful characteristics of each piece of timber. Used not only for its beautiful rich colors, Black Walnut is an extremely dense hardwood that will stand up to even the toughest of residential and commercial applications. The combination of these characteristics are what make it a logical choice for a Semigood product.
WHITE ASH
This hardwood is the newest addition to the Semigood timber roster and we have selected it for a variety of reasons. Our White Ash comes from Plantations in the North East as well as Canada. Varying in color range from grayish brown heartwood and pale yellow to white sapwood, this tonal range allows us to offer a very blonde hardwood that we feel completes our color spectrum. Used historically for products like tool handles and baseball bats, White Ash is a very durable and long lasting choice for furniture. Because of its naturally straight grain pattern it lends itself well to the angular lines of the Rift, while accentuating the soft curves of the Rian Collection. A real joy to work with, our white ash comes in our standard lacquer finish as well as an old Danish classic, the "soaped" finish. For more information on the soap finish please visit our finishing section.
WE LOVE OUR WOOD
Every piece of timber that comes into our Seattle shop is hand selected for clarity, consistent figure and tone. Because no two pieces of wood are the same, we consider each piece of furniture an individual work of art. The methods used to build all of our products utilize the best practices of current trade technology and traditional methods of construction. We pride ourselves on being a company that manufactures products to be passed down from generation to generation, with solid hardwood construction and mortise and tenon joinery, we can guarantee it. No particle board or paper thin veneers here. Only the sides and backs of some of our larger storage units use A grade plywoods where it is necessary and beneficial to prevent issues of warping, checking and splitting.
The hardware in our outdoor pieces are made of either brass or stainless steel, materials that will not deteriorate under prolonged exposure to the elements.
