A FURNITURE PIECE AND A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SUCH FURNITURE PIECE

A FURNITURE PIECE AND A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SUCH

FURNITURE PIECE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The 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 normally made of solid wood being sufficiently strong and resistant to support the load of the furniture. Use of solid wood allows for fast and accurate manufacturing, as well as an attractive looks and appearance of the resulting furniture piece.

A natural wood surface is generally considered a highly desirable characteristic of quality furniture. However, quality solid hardwood comes to a high cost and the market for solid wood furniture is limited.

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

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

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

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

The following description focuses on an embodiment of the present invention applicable to furniture pieces, such as a furniture leg. However, it will be appreciated that 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; reference being made it the appended drawings which illustrate non-limiting examples of how the inventive 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 manufacturing process;

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-e are schematic isometric views of embodiments of a furniture piece; and

Fig. 8 is a block-scheme of a method of manufacturing a veneer furniture leg. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following description focuses on embodiments of the present invention applicable to furniture pieces, in particular such furniture pieces which may be used as legs for various furniture such as chairs, tables, etc. However, it will be appreciated that the 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 lOOa-d that are joined to form a veneer sheet, preferably by means of splicing. The resulting veneer sheet is then rolled into a cylindrical veneer unit as will be described further below.

The separate pieces of veneer lOOa-d as shown in Fig. la-c are of a flat rectangular shape. However, as should be understood the veneer may also be of any other suitable shape. The term "veneer" as used herein is intended to mean any flat sheet or thin layer 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 the veneer undergoing breakage. Examples of a suitable "veneer" are MDF (medium density fibreboard), particle board (chipboard), plywood, hemp, hemp fiber board, hemp fibres, and cellulose-based products such as paperboard, and cardboard.

The veneer may be between 0.1 mm and 6 mm thick but is preferably between 0.1 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 each individual veneer sheet may vary and may e.g. be around 50-1000 mm. The lengths and widths of the veneer are not intended to be particularly limited. The dimensions disclosed above are for example only. The length of the veneer should preferably correspond to the length of the final furniture piece (or multiples thereof), and the width of the veneer should correspond to the circumference and the thickness of the final furniture piece. The veneer may be cut into any desired shape prior to being joined together.

In Fig. la, four pieces of veneer lOOa-d are shown. The individual pieces of veneer are intended to be joined together as indicated by the plus-sign +, as will be discussed further below. Here the veneers lOOa-d are of equal length and width. In one embodiment it is preferred to place the veneers so that the fiber direction of the veneer varies with respect to the adjacent veneer(s) once the plurality of veneers are joined side by side to form an elongated sheet. As indicated by the arrows in Fig. la the pieces of veneer 100a, lOOc have a longitudinal fiber direction and the pieces of veneer 100b, 1 OOd have a transversal fiber direction.

In Fig. 1 a the veneers 1 OOa-c comprise a first veneer material, whereas the veneer sheet lOOd comprises a second veneer material, as indicated with dotted filling in Fig. la-c. The piece of veneer lOOd comprising the second veneer material is provided so that it, after being rolled, forms the outer surface of the cylindrical veneer unit. Optionally, the second veneer material may also form inner layers adjacent to the outer surface, depending on the size of the veneer and the dimensions of the resulting furniture piece. It should be noted that even though there in Fig. la is only one piece of veneer 1 OOd 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 the first veneer material and ten pieces of veneer comprising the second veneer material. The number of veneer pieces comprising the second veneer material depends on the diameter of the final cylindrical veneer unit, since the veneer pieces making up the outer side 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 the second material may be a more high-end better looking veneer. This may be beneficial in order to save production cost, where the sheets lOOa-c that will form the inner layer of the cylindrical veneer unit comprises the first veneer material and the veneer sheet that forms the outer visible layer l OOd comprises the second veneer material.

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

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 100a, 100b are provided which are intended to be joined side by side to form a veneer sheet. Here the first veneer 100a is of greater length than the second veneer 100b, but with the same width. The first veneer

100a and the second veneer 100b are provided so that they have different fiber direction and the first veneer 100a comprises a first veneer material and the second veneer 100b comprises a second veneer material.

In Fig. lc, yet another embodiment of veneers are shown. Here the veneers

100a, 100b have the same fiber direction.

Preferably, the piece of veneer lOOd, 100b forming the outer layer of the resulting furniture piece should have a fibre direction being aligned with the longitudinal extension of the furniture piece.

The basic idea of the manufacturing method of a furniture piece from a veneer sheet is shown in Figs. 2a-c. Fig. 2a shows the first step, where a plurality of separate veneers lOOa-d are joined side by side to form an elongated veneer sheet 110. The elongated veneer sheet 110 thus comprises a number of separate pieces of veneer 100a- d disposed in a joined together edge-to-edge relationship, so that there will be no spaces or gaps between the veneers lOOa-d making up the sheet 110. The joint surfaces of the veneer lOOa-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 separate veneer lOOa-d into a veneer sheet 110. For example, some woodworking joinery techniques employ splicing, fasteners, bindings, adhesives and/or sewing techniques. In one embodiment the ends of the veneer lOOa-d may be joined by stapling the adjacent edges of the individual veneer together. In another embodiment the veneer lOOa-d may be joined to form a sheet 110 by adding adhesively bonding to the adjacent edges of the individual piece of veneer lOOa-d.

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

In a further embodiment two pieces of veneer lOOa-d are joined together using stitch and glue. The two veneer 1 OOa-d may be stitched together using a wire or other suitable device, such as cable ties or duct tape and staples. Once the veneers are clamped together, the next step is to permanently weld or fuse the sheets together using epoxy and fiberglass tape joints. Once the veneers are solidly joined together forming a sheet 110, the stitches or other clamping structures used may be removed.

In yet another embodiment the veneer lOOa-d are joined together to form a veneer sheet 110 by sewing. This could be done by using an appropriate sewing machine whereby the abutting edges of the veneer lOOa-d are sewn together with a suitable stitch.

In Fig. 2b the veneer sheet 110 is rolled onto a cylindrical axis 130. The cylindrical axis 130 may either be of constant diameter, or it may be slightly conical. A conical axis 130, e.g. constructed such that the diameter is reduced by 1 mm along the entire length of the axis 130, facilitates dismounting of the resulting furniture piece from the axis 130. The rolling process continues until the whole sheet 110 is rolled up so that a cylindrical veneer unit 120 is formed. During the rolling process the lateral edges of the veneer sheet 110 are kept at a constant position along the axis 130, such that each layer is rolled on top of the previous layer. This is commonly referred to as parallel winding. As a result, the cross-section of the furniture piece is in the form of a spiral as indicated in Fig. 2c.

Here the rolling process of the sheet 110 is started with the piece of veneer 100a which comprises the first veneer material. Hence, the veneer making up the sheet having the second veneer material is rolled up last, thus forming the outer layer(s) of the cylindrical veneer unit 120. The number of layers being rolled may vary depending on the intended use of the final product, but may range approximately between four to fifteen layers and more preferably around eight layers. The process of rolling the sheet 110 will be described further with reference to Figs. 3-6. The end of the sheet 110, indicated to the left in Fig. 2b, is preferably tapered such that a smooth transition between the end and the underlying layer is achieved. Tapering may e.g. be accomplished by reducing the thickness of the sheet 110 continuously over a certain distance such that no, or very little, step is formed at the end of the sheet 110 when rolled to form the furniture piece.

It should be noted that the cylindrical axis 130, used in the above-mentioned example as well as in the following examples, could be replaced by another axis having a shape being different from cylindrical. For example, the veneer sheet 110 may be rolled onto an axis having a triangular, rectangular, oval, elliptic octagonal, or other shaped cross-section. Further to this, the axis 130 onto which the veneer sheet is rolled onto could be non-uniform along its longitudinal (i.e. rotational axis). The rotational axis 130 could thus be tapered such that the resulting veneer product will have the shape of a cone. These possible modifications of the rotational axis 130 are applicable to all examples given within this specification.

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

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

The cylindrical shaft 230 has the diameter of the inner diameter of the intended final cylindrical veneer unit 120. The shaft 230 may be constructed from metal, solid wood or the like. The cylindrical shaft 230 is rotatable around its own axis, preferably in the same direction as the feeding direction of the sheet 110. The feeding unit 210 feeds the sheet 110 into the cylindrical shaft 230. The feeding unit 210 may be a conveyor belt which transports the veneer sheet 110 in one direction. The roller 220 rotates around 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 housing unit 240 may comprise a resilient pressure unit.

The veneer sheet 110 to be rolled enters the rolling device 200 on the feeding unit 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 so as to press the veneer sheet 110 up and around the inner cylindrical shaft 230. The housing unit 240 keeps the rolled veneer sheet in place by applying pressure to the sheet and the cylindrical shaft 230. The combined diameter of the cylindrical shaft 230 and the 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 in an outwards direction, e.g. away from the cylindrical shaft 230, and/or by using the elastic properties of the roller 220. The rolling device 200 is stopped once the whole veneer 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 being different from circular. Hence, the variations presented above in relation to the axis 130 are applicable also for the shaft 230.

Another embodiment of a rolling device 300 is shown in Fig. 4. Here, the rolling device 300 comprises a plurality of rotating rollers 320a-e and one cylindrical shaft 330. The rotating rollers 320a-e all rotate in the same direction in order to roll the veneer sheet 110 onto the inner cylindrical shaft 330. The cylindrical shaft 330 may be fixated or rotate around its axis. The combined diameter of the cylindrical shaft 330 and the sheet 110 increases when the sheet 110 starts to wind up onto the cylindrical shaft 330. In order to account for the increase in thickness, the rotating rollers 320a-e are slightly moved outwards in an direction opposite the cylindrical shaft 330. In accordance with above, the cylindrical shaft 330 could be replaced by a shaft having a cross-section being different from circular. Hence, the variations presented above in relation 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 rolling device 400 comprises a housing unit 440, a cylindrical shaft 430 and one rotating roller 420. The cylindrical shaft 430 rotates around its axis, preferably in a direction opposite the rotation of the roller 420. The cylindrical shaft 430 has a vacuum nozzle 450 which provides a suction force at the sheet 110. Hence, the sheet 110 will be sucked towards the cylindrical shaft 430 so that the sheet 110 will follow the rotational movement of the cylindrical shaft 430. The combined diameter of the cylindrical shaft 430 and the sheet 110 increases when the sheet 110 starts to wind up onto the cylindrical shaft 430, so in order to account for the increase in thickness, the rotating roller 420 is moved slightly outwards in a direction opposite the cylindrical shaft 430. The veneer sheet 110 may be feed onto the cylindrical shaft 430 using a feeding unit (not shown). In accordance with above, the cylindrical shaft 430 could be replaced by a shaft having a cross-section being 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 rolling device 500 comprises a cylindrical shaft 530, a plurality of rollers 520a-d and a feeding unit 510. The feeding unit 510 is arranged around the plurality of rollers 520a-d, and feeds the veneer sheet 110 around the cylindrical shaft 530. The cylindrical shaft 530 may be fixated or rotate around its axis. In the shown embodiment the feeding unit 510 is 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 of the band to pull the veneer sheet 110 towards the cylindrical shaft 530. In accordance with above, the cylindrical shaft 530 could be replaced by a shaft having a cross-section being different from circular. Hence, the variations presented above in relation to the axis 130 are applicable also for the shaft 530.

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

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

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

Another example of a design for attaching the furniture piece, i.e. the veneer unit 120, to a furniture 150 is shown in Fig. 7d. For this embodiment one end of the furniture piece 120 is provided with a radial protrusion 124 to snap in a corresponding recess of the furniture 150. The radial protrusion 124 may e.g. be provided as a separate piece being attached to the longitudinal end of the furniture piece 120.

The portion of the furniture piece 120 being adjacent to the radial protrusion 124 is provided with longitudinal slits 126, such that the circumference of the furniture piece 120 is divided into several segments. The slits 126 allow each segment to flex radially inwards, such that they may be pressed into a cylindrical bore of the furniture 150 as is shown in Fig. 7d. Once fully inserted, the radial protrusion 124 may fit with an enlarged section of the bore such that the segments of the furniture piece 120 may retum to its idle positions.

In Fig. 7e another embodiment is shown, wherein the radial protrusion 124 is omitted. For this embodiment the attachment of the furniture piece 120 is based purely on mechanical clamping and friction between the segments and the inner surface of the bore of the furniture 150. The manufacturing method of a furniture leg is further shown in Fig. 8. In a first step, at least one piece of veneer is provided, 140. Optionally, a plurality of veneers 1 OOa-d are j oined together, 141 , in order to form a veneer sheet 110.

In an optional step 142, an adhesive layer is applied to one face of the veneer sheet 1 10. The surface that is applied with adhesive is the surface which is intended to face another surface once rolled together, i.e. the top surface. The adhesive layer may be a 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 inorganic material. The adhesive layer further increases the stability of the cylindrical unit 120.

The veneer sheet 110 is rolled, 143, into e.g. a cylindrical form by a rolling device 200; 300; 400; 500. The rolling device 200; 300; 400; 500 comprises a shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 to which the sheet 1 10 is intended to be rolled up on in order to form a hollow veneer unit 120. The rolling device 200; 300; 400; 500 further comprises a feeding 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 belt transporting the sheet 110 to the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 but could also be an operator 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 roller 220; 320a-e; 420; 520a-d which adjusts according to the thickness of the formed veneer unit 120. Hence, once the thickness of the veneer unit 120 increases due to the sheet being wind up, the rotating roller(s) are slightly moved so as to increase the space to the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530. The shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 may have a diameter of approximately 40 mm.

The rolling may be such that each sheet rolls on top on each other. The rolling may also be applied in a helical manner, preferably in the start of the rolling process to ensure a rigid structure. The helical manner is often used when starting rolling toilet paper 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 rolling process by being wedged between the layers of the sheets 110 making up the veneer unit 120. Once, the rolling process has begun, for example after 2-3 layers of sheet 110 has 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 the support member 122 being wedged. The portion not being wedged between the sheets 1 10 is used to attach to a piece of furniture, for example using screws or bolts.

Once the whole sheet 110 is rolled around the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 the final veneer unit 120 is formed. Next, 144, the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 is withdrawn from the unit 120. In the case adhesive was applied to the sheet 110 before rolling, the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 is withdrawn, 144, from the unit 120 once the adhesive is hardened. The final co-product is thus a hollow veneer unit 120. The withdrawal of the shaft 130; 230; 330; 430; 530 may be done manually by the operator or by mechanical means.

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

The veneer furniture leg 152 may be protected from climatic conditions (sun, wind, rain etc.) by application of a suitable protecting agent. This may be desirable if the furniture leg 152 is intended to be attached to an outdoor furniture. For example, the furniture leg 152, or the veneer unit 120, may be treated with lacquer or a fire retardation agent. The furniture leg 152 could also be treated by acetylation or with a Sioo-type protection system such as that disclosed in EP 2 003 977 Bl or at www.sioo.co.uk. It is possible to dip the veneer unit 120 in a container of a suitable polymeric protectant. An alternative to chemical treatments is to wrap the cylindrical veneer unit 120 in plastic, such as shrink-type plastic.

When the furniture leg 152 is intended for outdoor use, each furniture leg 152 may have a bottom cover to prevent dust, water, insects or birds from entering the interior of the leg. The cover at the bottom may also prevent sinking of the furniture leg 152 into the ground. The cover may be made of wood, plastic or other material and glued, nailed or screwed to leg. The cover may have one or more small holes for ventilation, if desired.

The veneer units, and furniture legs, of the present invention are lightweight but sfrong, non-toxic to manufacture and handle, have less impact on the environment, and facilitate easy handling. It should be appreciated that even though numerous characteristics and advantages 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 is only illustrative and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts within the scope of the invention to the full extent indicated by the appended claims.