SE1650024A1

SE1650024A1 - A furniture piece and a method of manufacturing such furniture piece

Info

Publication number: SE1650024A1
Application number: SE1650024A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Andersson Lars; Mårtensson Rickard
Original assignee: Ikea Supply Ag
Priority date: 2016-01-11
Filing date: 2016-01-11
Publication date: 2017-07-12
Also published as: EP3402639A1; WO2017123143A1; CN108698248A; CN108698248B; SE542002C2; EP3402639A4

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a furniture piece (152), such as a furniture leg, is provided. The method comprises the steps of providing (140) at least one piece of veneer (lOOa-d) in the form of a veneer sheet (110); and rolling (143) the veneer sheet. (110) into a veneer unit (120).To be published with Fig. 2c.

Description

A FURNITURE PIECE AND A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SUCHFURNITURE PIECE TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to a furniture piece and a method for manufacturing such furniture piece. Preferably, the furniture piece is a furniture leg.

BACKGROUND Elongated furniture pieces, such as furniture legs, are norrnally made of solidwood being sufficiently strong and resistant to support the load of the furniture. Use ofsolid wood allows for fast and accurate manufacturing, as well as an attractive looks andappearance of the resulting furniture piece.

A natural wood surface is generally considered a highly desirable characteristicof quality furniture. However, quality solid hardwood comes to a high cost and themarket for solid wood fumiture is limited.

It would thus be desirable to provide an altemative fumiture piece, such as a fumiture leg, to the traditional solid wood pieces available today.

SUMMARY An object of the present invention is to provide an improved manufacturingprocess for a fumiture piece, such as a fumiture leg, being based on a veneer product.

According to a first aspect, a method for manufacturing a fumiture piece isprovided as set forth by the independent claim. The method of manufacturing afumiture piece allows for a unique and inexpensive type of fumiture piece.

According to a second aspect, a fumiture piece is provided. The fumiture pieceis manufactured by the method as described above. The fumiture piece has the beneﬁtof being economical and easy to assemble while still having sufficiently strength.

The following description focuses on an embodiment of the present inventionapplicable to fumiture pieces, such as a fumiture leg. However, it will be appreciatedthat the invention is not limited to this application but may be applied to other kinds of load-bearing structures.

Further advantageous embodiments are disclosed in the appended and dependent patent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the invention will be described in the following; referencebeing made it the appended drawings which illustrate non-limiting examples of how theinventive concept can be reduced into practice.

Figs. la-c are schematic top views of a plurality of veneers making up a veneer sheet; Figs. 2a-c are views of a veneer sheet in different steps of the manufacturingprocess; Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a rolling device; Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a rolling device; Fig. 5 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a rolling device; Fig. 6 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a rolling device; Figs. 7a-c are schematic isometric views of embodiments of a furniture piece;and Fig. 8 is a block-scheme of a method of manufacturing a veneer fumiture leg.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS The following description focuses on embodiments of the present inventionapplicable to fumiture pieces, in particular such fumiture pieces which may be used aslegs for various fumiture such as chairs, tables, etc. However, it will be appreciated thatthe invention is not limited to this application but may be applied to other kinds of load-bearing structures as well.

Figs. la-c are top views showing pieces of veneer l00a-d that are joined toform a veneer sheet, preferably by means of splicing. The resulting veneer sheet is thenrolled into a cylindrical veneer unit as will be described further below.

The separate pieces of veneer l00a-d as shown in Fig. la-c are of a ﬂatrectangular shape. However, as should be understood the veneer may also be of any other suitable shape.

The terrn “veneer” as used herein is intended to mean any ﬂat sheet or thinlayer of wood, or engineered wood product that may be manipulated into a three-dimensional shape for example, shaping by wrapping or rolling the veneer, without theveneer undergoing breakage. Examples of a suitable “veneer” are MDF (mediumdensity fibreboard), particle board (chipboard), plywood, hemp, hemp ﬁber board, hempfibres, and cellulose-based products such as paperboard, and cardboard.

The veneer may be between 0.l mm and 6 mm thick but is preferably between0.l mm and 3 mm thick and even more preferably between 0.4 mm and 0.8 mm thick.For example, the veneer sheets are 0.6 mm thick. The length and width of eachindividual veneer sheet may vary and may e. g. be around 50-1000 mm. The lengths andwidths of the veneer are not intended to be particularly limited. The dimensionsdisclosed above are for example only. The length of the veneer should correspond to thelength of the final fumiture piece, and the width of the veneer should correspond to thecircumference and the thickness of the final fumiture piece. The veneer may be cut intoany desired shape prior to being joined together.

In Fig. la, four pieces of veneer l00a-d are shown. The individual pieces ofveneer are intended to be joined together as indicated by the plus-sign +, as will bediscussed further below. Here the veneers l00a-d are of equal length and width. In oneembodiment it is preferred to place the veneers so that the fiber direction of the veneervaries with respect to the adj acent veneer(s) once the plurality of veneers are j oined sideby side to form an elongated sheet. As indicated by the arrows in Fig. la the pieces ofveneer l00a, l00c have a longitudinal fiber direction and the pieces of veneer l00b,l00d have a transversal fiber direction.

In Fig. la the veneers l00a-c comprise a first veneer material, whereas theveneer sheet l00d comprises a second veneer material, as indicated with dotted fillingin Fig. la-c. The piece of veneer l00d comprising the second veneer material isprovided so that it, after being rolled, forms the outer surface of the cylindrical veneerunit. Optionally, the second veneer material may also form inner layers adjacent to theouter surface, depending on the size of the veneer and the dimensions of the resultingfumiture piece.

It should be noted that even though there in Fig. la is only one piece of veneer l00d comprising the second veneer material it could be any number of veneer pieces.

For example, the sheet may be constructed by thirty pieces of veneer comprising thefirst veneer material and ten pieces of veneer comprising the second veneer material.The number of veneer pieces comprising the second veneer material depends on thediameter of the final cylindrical veneer unit, since the veneer pieces making up the outerside of the cylindrical veneer unit preferably are formed by the second veneer material.

The first veneer material may be a cheaper less-appealing veneer and thesecond material may be a more high-end better looking veneer. This may be beneficialin order to save production cost, where the sheets l00a-c that will form the inner layerof the cylindrical veneer unit comprises the first veneer material and the veneer sheetthat forms the outer visible layer l00d comprises the second veneer material.

In one embodiment the first veneer material may be selected from thegroup consisting of medium density fibreboard, particle board, plywood, hemp, hempfiber board, hemp fibres, and cellulose-based products, preferably paperboard andcardboard.

The second material may be wood veneer such as oak, maple, walnut, cheery,mahogany, teak, ash, pine, birch, rosewood veneer or the like.

In Fig. lb, two separate pieces of veneer l00a, l00b are provided which areintended to be joined side by side to form a veneer sheet. Here the first veneer l00a is ofgreater length than the second veneer l00b, but with the same width. The first veneerl00a and the second veneer l00b are provided so that they have different fiber directionand the first veneer l00a comprises a first veneer material and the second veneer l00bcomprises a second veneer material.

In Fig. lc, yet another embodiment of veneers are shown. Here the veneersl00a, l00b have the same fiber direction.

The basic idea of the manufacturing method of a fumiture piece from a veneersheet is shown in Figs. 2a-c. Fig. 2a shows the first step, where a plurality of separateveneers l00a-d are joined side by side to form an elongated veneer sheet ll0. Theelongated veneer sheet ll0 thus comprises a number of separate pieces of veneer l00a-d disposed in a joined together edge-to-edge relationship, so that there will be no spacesor gaps between the veneers l00a-d making up the sheet ll0. The joint surfaces of theveneer l00a-d consist of plane surfaces perpendicular to the adjoining surfaces, and the joined veneers forms an elongated geometrical continuation.

Several means are known to the prior art for joining a plurality of separateveneer 100a-d into a veneer sheet 110. For example, some woodworking joinerytechniques employ splicing, fasteners, bindings, adhesives and/or sewing techniques. Inone embodiment the ends of the veneer 100a-d may be j oined by stapling the adj acentedges of the individual veneer together. In another embodiment the veneer 100a-d maybe joined to form a sheet 110 by adding adhesively bonding to the adjacent edges of theindividual piece of veneer 100a-d.

In yet another embodiment a butt joint is used to join two pieces of veneer100a-d together. Butt joint is a technique where the end of a piece of veneer is buttedagainst another piece of veneer using an appropriate type of glue. The butt joint may bereinforced using methods of nailed butt joint, dowel reinforced butt joint, biscuitreinforced butt joint, screwed butt joint or knock-down fasteners.

In a further embodiment two pieces of veneer 100a-d are joined together usingstitch and glue. The two veneer 100a-d may be stitched together using a wire or othersuitable device, such as cable ties or duct tape and staples. Once the veneers areclamped together, the next step is to perrnanently weld or fuse the sheets together usingepoxy and ﬁberglass tape joints. Once the veneers are solidly joined together forrning asheet 110, the stitches or other clamping structures used may be removed.

In yet another embodiment the veneer 100a-d are j oined together to form aveneer sheet 110 by sewing. This could be done by using an appropriate sewingmachine whereby the abutting edges of the veneer 100a-d are sewn together with asuitable stitch.

In Fig. 2b the veneer sheet 110 is rolled onto a cylindrical axis 130. The rollingprocess continues until the whole sheet 110 is rolled up so that a cylindrical veneer unit120 is formed. Here the rolling process of the sheet 110 is started with the piece ofveneer 100a which comprises the first veneer material. Hence, the veneer making up thesheet having the second veneer material is rolled up last, thus forrning the outer layer(s)of the cylindrical veneer unit 120. The number of layers being rolled may varydepending on the intended use of the final product, but may range approximatelybetween four to f1fteen layers and more preferably around eight layers. The process of rolling the sheet 110 will be described further with reference to Figs. 3-6.

It should be noted that the cylindrical axis 130, used in the above-mentionedexample as Well as in the following examples, could be replaced by another axis havinga shape being different from cylindrical. For example, the veneer sheet 110 may berolled onto an axis having a triangular, rectangular, oval, elliptic octagonal, or othershaped cross-section. Further to this, the axis 130 onto Which the veneer sheet is rolledonto could be non-uniforrn along its longitudinal (i.e. rotational axis). The rotationalaxis 130 could thus be tapered such that the resulting veneer product Will have the shapeof a cone. These possible modifications of the rotational axis 130 are applicable to allexamples given Within this specif1cation.

As can be seen in Fig. 2c, the cross-section of the cylindrical veneer unit 120comprises several layers of veneer sheets 110, Where the outer layer is formed from theveneer comprising the second veneer material.

The process of rolling the veneer sheet 110 onto a cylindrical, or in other Waysshaped axis 130 may be achieved in several Ways. One embodiment of a rolling device200 is shown in Fig. 3. The rolling device 200 comprises a cylindrical shaft 230, afeeding unit 210, a roller 220 and a housing unit 240.

The cylindrical shaft 230 has the diameter of the inner diameter of the intendedﬁnal cylindrical veneer unit 120. The shaft 230 may be constructed from metal, solidWood or the like. The cylindrical shaft 230 is rotatable around its oWn axis, preferably inthe same direction as the feeding direction of the sheet 110. The feeding unit 210 feedsthe sheet 110 into the cylindrical shaft 230. The feeding unit 210 may be a conveyorbelt Which transports the veneer sheet 110 in one direction. The roller 220 rotatesaround its oWn axis, preferably in a direction Which is opposite the cylindrical shaft 230.The roller may be a rubber coated rotating axis having resilient pressure. The housingunit 240 may comprise a resilient pressure unit.

The veneer sheet 110 to be rolled enters the rolling device 200 on the feedingunit 210, Which feeds the veneer sheet 110 to the rotating inner cylindrical shaft 230.The cylindrical shaft 230 rotates in the opposite direction than the rotating roller 220 soas to press the veneer sheet 110 up and around the inner cylindrical shaft 230. Thehousing unit 240 keeps the rolled veneer sheet in place by applying pressure to the sheetand the cylindrical shaft 230. The combined diameter of the cylindrical shaft 230 andthe sheet 110 increases once the sheet 110 starts to Wind on the cylindrical shaft 230.

The rotating roller 220 accounts for this increase in thickness by a slight movement inan outwards direction, e.g. away from the cylindrical shaft 230, and/or by using theelastic properties of the roller 220. The rolling device 200 is stopped once the wholeveneer sheet 110 is wind up around the cylindrical shaft 230. In accordance with above,the cylindrical shaft 230 could be replaced by a shaft having a cross-section beingdifferent from circular. Hence, the variations presented above in relation to the axis 130are applicable also for the shaft 230.

Another embodiment of a rolling device 300 is shown in Fig. 4. Here, therolling device 300 comprises a plurality of rotating rollers 320a-e and one cylindricalshaft 330. The rotating rollers 320a-e all rotate in the same direction in order to roll theveneer sheet 110 onto the inner cylindrical shaft 330. The cylindrical shaft 330 may befixated or rotate around its axis. The combined diameter of the cylindrical shaft 330 andthe sheet 110 increases when the sheet 110 starts to wind up onto the cylindrical shaft330. In order to account for the increase in thickness, the rotating rollers 320a-e areslightly moved outwards in an direction opposite the cylindrical shaft 330. Inaccordance with above, the cylindrical shaft 330 could be replaced by a shaft having across-section being different from circular. Hence, the variations presented above inrelation to the axis 130 are applicable also for the shaft 330.

Yet another embodiment of a rolling device 400 is shown in Fig. 5. The rollingdevice 400 comprises a housing unit 440, a cylindrical shaft 430 and one rotating roller420. The cylindrical shaft 430 rotates around its axis, preferably in a direction oppositethe rotation of the roller 420. The cylindrical shaft 430 has a vacuum nozzle 450 whichprovides a suction force at the sheet 110. Hence, the sheet 110 will be sucked towardsthe cylindrical shaft 430 so that the sheet 110 will follow the rotational movement of thecylindrical shaft 430. The combined diameter of the cylindrical shaft 430 and the sheet110 increases when the sheet 110 starts to wind up onto the cylindrical shaft 430, so inorder to account for the increase in thickness, the rotating roller 420 is moved slightlyoutwards in a direction opposite the cylindrical shaft 430. The veneer sheet 110 may befeed onto the cylindrical shaft 430 using a feeding unit (not shown). In accordance withabove, the cylindrical shaft 430 could be replaced by a shaft having a cross-sectionbeing different from circular. Hence, the variations presented above in relation to the axis 130 are applicable also for the shaft 430.

In Fig. 6 yet a further embodiment of a rolling device 500 is shown. The rollingdevice 500 comprises a cylindrical shaft 530, a plurality of rollers 520a-d and a feedingunit 510. The feeding unit 510 is arranged around the plurality of rollers 520a-d, andfeeds the veneer sheet 110 around the cylindrical shaft 530. The cylindrical shaft 530may be fixated or rotate around its axis. In the shown embodiment the feeding unit 510is provided as a band, e.g. made by rubber or metal, which is driven by the rollers 520a-d. A small gap between two adjacent rollers 520a, 520d will allow for two surfaces ofthe band to pull the veneer sheet 110 towards the cylindrical shaft 530. In accordancewith above, the cylindrical shaft 530 could be replaced by a shaft having a cross-sectionbeing different from Circular. Hence, the variations presented above in relation to theaxis 130 are applicable also for the shaft 530.

In Fig. 7a a furniture 150 is shown having legs 152 comprising cylindricalveneer units 120 manufactured according to the method as described above. Thefumiture in Fig. 7a is a footstool, but the fumiture legs 152 could, as would be apparentfor a person skilled in the art, also be used with a sofa, chair, bed, coffee table or thelike. The cylindrical veneer unit 120, i.e. the fumiture leg 152, is attached to thefumiture by support members 122, as seen in Figs. 7b-c. The support members 122 maycomprise any suitable attachment member such as screws, plates, adhesive, bolts andthe like.

The support member 122 shown in Fig. 7b comprises a plate which isadhesively arranged to the inner side of the cylindrical veneer unit 120. The other end ofthe plate has a through hole which is arranged to be used when connecting thecylindrical veneer unit 120, i.e. the fumiture leg 152, to the fumiture. This can be doneby screws or bolts adapted for the through hole.

The support member 122 shown in Fig. 7c comprises a plate which is arrangedto the inner side of the cylindrical veneer unit 120 using two through holes. That end ofthe plate is arranged to the cylindrical veneer unit 120 by the use of suitable screws andbolts. The other end of the plate has two through hole which are arranged to be usedwhen connecting the cylindrical veneer unit 120, i.e. the fumiture leg 152, to the fumiture. This can be done by screws or bolt adapted for the through holes.

The manufacturing method of a furniture leg is further shown in Fig. 8. In afirst step, at least one piece of veneer is provided, 140. Optionally, a plurality of veneers100a-d are joined together, 141, in order to forrn a veneer sheet 110.

In an optional step 142, an adhesive layer is applied to one face of the veneersheet 110. The surface that is applied with adhesive is the surface which is intended toface another surface once rolled together, i.e. the top surface. The adhesive layer may bea standard glue, such as a wood glue, or any other type of adhesive known in the art.The adhesive layer may be an organic material, i.e. BCB or SU-8, or an inorganicmaterial. The adhesive layer further increases the stability of the cylindrical unit 120.

The veneer sheet 110 is rolled, 143, into e.g. a cylindrical forrn by a rollingdevice 200; 300; 400; 500. The rolling device 200; 300; 400; 500 comprises a shaft 130;230; 330; 430; 530 to which the sheet 110 is intended to be rolled up on in order to forrna hollow veneer unit 120. The rolling device 200; 300; 400; 500 further comprises afeeding unit 210; 310; 410; 510 which feeds the veneer sheet 110 to the shaft 130; 230;330; 430; 530. The feeding unit 210; 310; 410; 510 may for example be a conveyor belttransporting the sheet 110 to the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 but could also be anoperator manually feeding the veneer sheet 110 to the rolling device 200; 300; 400; 500.Furthermore, the rolling device 200; 300; 400; 500 comprises at least one rotating roller220; 320a-e; 420; 520a-d which adjusts according to the thickness of the formed veneerunit 120. Hence, once the thickness of the veneer unit 120 increases due to the sheetbeing wind up, the rotating roller(s) are slightly moved so as to increase the space to theshaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530. The shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 may have a diameterof approximately 40 mm.

The rolling may be such that each sheet rolls on top on each other. The rollingmay also be applied in a helical manner, preferably in the start of the rolling process toensure a rigid structure. The helical manner is often used when starting rolling toiletpaper on a paper roll in order to make the paper stay on the role.

In one embodiment the support members 122 are attached during the rollingprocess by being wedged between the layers of the sheets 110 making up the veneerunit 120. Once, the rolling process has begun, for example after 2-3 layers of sheet 110has been rolled (i.e. 2-3 plies), a portion of the support member 122 is provided onto the remaining sheet 110 so that is may be securely attached during the remaining rolling process. To increase the attachment, adhesive layer may be applied to the part of thesupport member 122 being Wedged. The portion not being Wedged between the sheets110 is used to attach to a piece of fumiture, for example using screWs or bolts.

Once the Whole sheet 110 is rolled around the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 thefinal veneer unit 120 is formed. Next, 144, the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 isWithdrawn from the unit 120. In the case adhesive Was applied to the sheet 110 beforerolling, the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 is WithdraWn, 144, from the unit 120 once theadhesive is hardened. The final co-product is thus a holloW veneer unit 120. TheWithdrawal of the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 may be done manually by the operatoror by mechanical means.

In one embodiment, if support members 122 are not already attached and oncethe cylindrical veneer unit 120 is formed, support members 122 are attached, 145, so asto create the final product, i.e. a fumiture leg. The support members 122 are attached toone end portion of the cylindrical unit 120 so that a piece of fumiture can be connected.

The veneer fumiture leg 152 may be protected from climatic conditions (sun,Wind, rain etc.) by application of a suitable protecting agent. This may be desirable ifthe fumiture leg 152 is intended to be attached to an outdoor fumiture. For example, thefumiture leg 152, or the veneer unit 120, may be treated With lacquer or a fireretardation agent. The fumiture leg 152 could also be treated by acetylation or With aSioo-type protection system such as that disclosed in EP 2 003 977 Bl or atyvwvvsiooxsoaik. It is possible to dip the veneer unit 120 in a container of a suitablepolymeric protectant. An altemative to chemical treatments is to Wrap the cylindricalveneer unit 120 in plastic, such as shrink-type plastic.

When the fumiture leg 152 is intended for outdoor use, each fumiture leg 152may have a bottom cover to prevent dust, Water, insects or birds from entering theinterior of the leg. The cover at the bottom may also prevent sinking of the fumiture leg152 into the ground. The cover may be made of Wood, plastic or other material andglued, nailed or screWed to leg. The cover may have one or more small holes forventilation, if desired.

The veneer units, and fumiture legs, of the present invention are lightWeightbut strong, non-toxic to manufacture and handle, have less impact on the environment, and facilitate easy handling. ll It should be appreciated that even though nunierous Characteristics andadvantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description,together With details of the structure and function of the invention, the description isonly illustrative and changes may be n1ade in detail, especially in n1atters of shape, sizeand arrangenient of parts Within the scope of the invention to the full extent indicated by the appended clainis.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a ﬁlmiture piece (152), such as a ﬁamiture leg,comprising the steps of: providing (140) at 1east one piece of veneer (100a-d) in the form of a veneersheet (1 10); and ro11ing (143) the veneer sheet (110) into a ho11oW veneer unit (120).

2. The method according to c1aim 1, further comprising the step of:attaching (145) at 1east one support member (122) to one end portion of the veneer unit (120).

3. The method according to c1aim 1 or 2, Wherein the step of ro11ing the veneersheet (110) is performed by ro11ing the veneer sheet (110) onto a shaft (130; 230; 330;430; 530) using a ro11ing device (200; 300; 400; 500).

4. The method according to c1aim 2 and 3, Wherein the shaft (130; 230; 330;430; 530) is WithdraWn (144) from the veneer unit (120) prior to attaching (145) at 1east at 1east one support member (122).

5. The method according to any one of the preceding c1aims, Wherein the stepof providing (140) at 1east one piece of veneer (100a-d) is performed by joining (141) at1east two pieces of veneer (100a-d) side by side to form an e1ongated veneer sheet (110).

6. The method according to c1aim 5, Wherein joining (141) at 1east two pieces of veneer (100a-d) is performed by sp1icing.

7. The method according to any one of c1aims 5-6, Wherein the pieces of veneer(100a-d) are provided so that at 1east one of the veneer pieces (100a-d) has a fiberdirection Which differs from the fiber direction from at 1east one of the adjacent veneer (100a-d). 13

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, Wherein at least a first pieceof Veneer (100a-d) comprises a first Veneer material and at least a second piece of Veneer (100a-d) comprises a second Veneer material.

9. The method according to claim 8, Wherein the at least one piece of Veneer(100a-d) comprising the second Veneer material is provided so that it, after being rolled, forms the outer surface of the Veneer unit (120).

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, furthercomprising the step of applying (142) an adhesive layer to one face of the Veneer sheet (110) prior to rolling the Veneer sheet (110).

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of cutting the Veneer unit (120) to a desired length.

12. A fumiture piece (152) being manufactured by the method according to any of claims 1-10.