Blogs on Heritage Home Group's decision to close facilities, the Forest Stewardship Council's handling of bamboo and the industry's renanimg of melamine panels from December 2012 got readers commenting this past week. So did an article and slide show of a koa wood Apple 1 and the abrupt closing of Cardell Cabinetry - again.

Read on to read readers' comments to these blogs and articles.

Made In USA Furniture Takes a Hit
One of the first acts of Home Furnishings Group, the new owners of the furniture conglomerate recently known as Furniture Brands International, was to announce the closings of a Lane upholstered furniture plant and a pair of Thomasville facilities. The blog spurred the following comment from a veteran of the U.S. furniture and supply industry.

Great information and article appreciated very much your tactful language as one who started in the business in 1974 with Dixie Furniture (Lexington Furniture) and watching all that has transpired it just make me sick to my stomach at times when I ride by these SHUTTLED-SHUT-DOWN Factories and think of the people out of work and the lives of families affected.

Having traveled around this area for many years in machine-tool sales with many face-to-face meetings with upper management and the decision makers for manufacturing machine purchases it burdens me to think of the ones who are gone who put their life’s work in these companies and now for what it seems, all is gone. (You left out INTERCO)

Watching my chosen profession disappear when my feelings were what a wonderful decision I had made for my future was like a divorce you just watch your friends and life events crumble around you. If not for the Century Furniture – Vaughn Bassett – etc. of this world who dug in their heels and stayed true to the heirloom case goods business all would be gone just venting a little, Thanks for the article, - Posted by Rick Bullin, MasterWrap, Lexington, NC, on 2-3-14

A Look at Wood in Computer Design as Apple's McIntosh Turns 30
The Apple 1 on display at the Smithsonian is a heckuva lot different than the sleek Mac products of today. It is a polished koa wood box, rounded at the edges, with cutouts for the keyboard buttons, and panels that can be removed for circuit repairs. It got a Thumb's up from this reader.

Very good idea. - Posted by Shedmaker on Feb. 3.

Bamboo: What a Revolting FSC Development Part III
A blog by Mike DiGiuro questioning the Forest Stewardship Council's wisdom to certify bamboo, a grass not a wood, led one reader to opine, "The concept of bamboo being 'green' is a joke to begin with."

Here's a follow up comment posted by a second reader of the blog.

The above comment is not a recent clarification or one made by the FSC. Rather, it was the result of a USGBC ruling to a 2009 request for clarification on bamboo's role in LEED certification. The FSC only considers bamboo to part of the forest matrix under specific circumstances and management regimes. As for David's comment below… as with any species, bamboo can be produced sustainably as EcoPlanet Bamboo is doing, or it can be produced at the expense of the environment. – Posted by Camille Rebelo on Feb. 4

Cardell Cabinetry Out of Business
Woodworking Network's coverage of the abrupt closing of Cardell Cabinetry has resulted in more page views and comment postings than any other in the website's history. Many of the comments have been made by Cardell customers voicing their frustration. The following Cardell customer reported a better experience than a previous comment he tagged onto.

Rodney, I received new drawer boxes and amazingly the drawer box fronts on all of them are perfect. Why couldn't they get it right the first time? The only redeeming part about this frustrating experience was the low cost of the cabinets compared to their competitors. I think a good custom cabinet maker could make you some crown moulding and an island. – Posted by Happs of Arizona on Feb. 5

Thermally Fused Melamine Is So Yesterday
Whether the industry chooses to call it thermal fused laminate or thermal fused melamine, this restoration specialist isn't a fan. His experience in repairing a “thermal fused” door was less than joyful as documented in his full commentary that follows.

I own a restoration company that specializes in the restoration of damages that have been incurred on construction sites. We repair lots of doors and during the past year we have been asked to repair "thermal fused" doors. When we repair a door we use a solvent to clean the area around the repaired area. When trying to repair one of these doors, the material will not take stain and the application of lacquer does not flow out properly.

We have been doing this type work for over thirty years and have never had any kind of problem with other furniture or doors until we came against one of these πºª•ª§∞¥˙£§¶•*&^^%$%$#& of which I do not have an appropriate word to describe what we think about this product. When I read your article about the Melamine name being changed, I realized why. People who have used an inferior product eventually find out what it is and choose o discontinue purchasing it and eventually the product looses ground in the marked place because of what it is. In order to enlarge the market base, they choose to change the name and still peddle the same junk.

My opinion is that there is a place for this junk, but not in a heavily used application. It will not last. It is no different than taking a group of thugs and criminals and dressing them up in three-piece suits and calling them congress. You can change the name but you cannot change the core reality of what it is. Thanks for your article. It sheds lots of light on the matter.  – Posted by Ron Leatherman of Leatherman’s Services, TX, on Feb. 3