PREN TIMBER
Pa bren, ac o le?
Mae Pedair Cainc yn defnyddio a thrin amryw o breniau gwahanol, a hynny er mwyn cyd-fynd â dymuniadau a chyllideb y cwsmer.
Daw'r holl goedydd a ddefnyddir gan gyflenwyr sydd â stamp yr FSC, gan sicrhau eu bod yn cael eu melinio a'u prosesu mewn modd cydwybodol a chynaliadwy. Dyma egwyddor oll bwysig ac wrth wraidd nifer o benderfyniadau Pedair Cainc - os dorrwn pob coeden, fydd fawr o'n planed ar ôl heb sôn am ddiwydiant gwaith coed!
Dyma rai o'r preniau ai drwy ddrysau'r gweithdy:
Derw a phren caled
Defnyddiwn dderw, onnen, ffawydd yn reolaidd yn y gweithdy, yn enwedig wrth adeiladu dodrefnyn arbennig, megis bwrdd, neu fainc. Hyd yn hyn, mae dros 90% o'r pren caled sydd wedi ei gau yn feis y fainc wedi ei dyfu yma yng Nghymru neu yn siroedd y gororau. Yn wir, os oes fath beth a tree miles, mae ambell bren a ddaeth drwy ddrysau'r gweithdy wedi iddo ddod o gae pum milltir i ffwrdd!
Prynir y preniau hyn yn uniongyrchol o'r felin goed er mwyn sicrhau mai'r pren gorau sydd ar gael gaiff ei ddefnyddio. Mae ein hinsawdd yma yng Nghymru yn golygu fod ein derw cynhenid yn tyfu'n arafach na derw tramor (e.e. y derw gwyn o'r Amerig), gan roi cyfle i'r pren ddatblygu personoliaeth, graen a thôn y tu hwnt o gyfoethog a deniadol, oll yn bethau a ychwanegir at gymeriad dodrefnyn.
MRMDF
Adeiladir amryw o ddodrefn a gaiff ei beintio maes o law gydag Moisture Resistant MDF (MRMDF). Mae'r math hwn o MDF yn lawer mwy safonol na'r slabiau brown mae pawb yn gyfarwydd â nhw. Mae MRMDF yn ddwysach, yn drymach ac yn gryfach, ac yn cynnig wyneb da i baent.
Mae amryw o wneuthurwyr MRMDF wedi eu lleoli yn Ewrop, gydag iardiau coed lleol yn ei werthu.
Pînwydd a phren meddal
O bryd i'w gilydd, defnyddir pren meddal ar gyfer gwaith penodol. Os y bydd angen pren gwlyb (green timber/fresh sawn), byddwn yn ei brynu o felin goed lleol yn Ffairfach. Daw'r pren sydd wedi ei sychu o'r iard goed lleol.
Cafodd y mainc Gymreig a welwch isod ei hadeiladu o lwyfen o stâd Gelli Aur a loriwyd mewn storm, derw o Goed Gwent, ac onnen o ddyfryn Gwy.
Which timber, and from where?
At Pedair Cainc we build furniture from a variety of timbers, and doing so as per the customer's request and budget.
All timbers used come from suppliers who have been awarded the FSC stamp, ensuring the timbers were milled and converted in an environmental conscious and sustainable way. This is a really important aspect of Pedair Cainc's work when considering furniture designs - afterall, if we cut every tree, there will hardly be a planet left not to mention a woodworking industry!
Here are some of the timbers that land on the workbench:
Oak and other hardwoods
In the workshop, we regularly use oak, ash and beech, especially whilst building a special or finer piece of furniture, such as a table or bench. So far, we estimate over 90% of the hardwoods that have been through the workshop door were harvested in Wales and the border counties. Indeed, if there is such thing to be had as tree miles, a few timbers used for various pieces of furniture had been growing within ten miles ofrom the workshop!
These hardwoods are usually bought directly from the sawmill to ensure the best quality timbers are used. The Welsh climate means our native oaks grow far slower than the equivalent oak which are imported from elsewhere (e.g. American white oak), allowing the timber to develop a personality, such as grain appearance and rich tones, all elements which add character to pieces of furniture.
MRMDF
Many items which have a painted finish are made using moisture resistant MDF (MRMDF). This type of MDF is of a far superior quality in comparison with the cheap and horrible brown sheets we're all familiar with. MRMDF is denser, heavier, stronger and provides a nice surface for a painted finish.
Many MRMDF manufacturers are located in Europe, and are sold by local timber merchants.
Pine and softwoods
Occaisionally, softwoods are used for certain projects. If it's a green/wet timber that's needed (e.g. for outdoor joinery), we buy directly from a sawmill located here in Felinfach. Other kiln dried timbers are bought from the local timber merchants.
The Welsh stick bench, seen below was made using a storm-felled elm from the Gelli Aur estate near Llandeilo, oak from Coed Gwent, and ash from the Wye valley.
