Amish Furniture – How Does It Differ From Other Furniture?
Do you know how Amish furniture differs from the factory-made furniture you see in most stores? Can you tell what makes the real difference when you’re looking for some new furniture and giving consideration to getting some traditional furniture made by Amish craftsmen? Do you believe that all dining room chairs are made the same way? Well, all dining chairs are definitely not the same, and the classic story of Amish dining chairs begins in the forest.
The story begins with individual trees selected and harvested by the Amish families that specialize in timber and lumber management. Certain species of trees have shown to be superior for milling techniques used by Amish craftsmen, and those are maples, oaks, cherry, hickory and walnut. These are the hardwood trees, so-called because the dense wood is better than soft wood species such as pine, spruce, cedar, redwood, fir and hemlock. Whole forests of hardwood trees require more years to mature, and then only certain trees are suitable for Amish craftsmen, which results in higher lumber prices.
Once these trees achieve the proper height and girth for harvest, different logging methods may be employed, determined by the trees’ locations , but logging in general has become highly mechanized and computerized, aiding the selection and transportation processes immensely.
Amish craftsmen have developed the milling of hardwood lumber into an art form, using techniques that reveal most beautiful grain pattern of each type of wood. After its journey through the lumber mill, the raw wood must be dried slowly, and kept at a constant temperature to keep it from warping or spitting or bending. All this care with the milling and drying of lumber contributes to the lasting value of Amish furniture as an heirloom.
When the Amish craftsmen obtain the superior raw lumber they check it for any flaws and then begin the process of matching up various boards to include in one piece of furniture. Although an individual Amish craftsman may choose to work on one whole piece of furniture through to completion, other men may comprise a team of furniture makers who specialize in particular skills and produce furniture in more of an assembly line fashion.
In areas of the country where the Amish communities have developed their own characteristic furniture styles you will find classic styles such as Mission, Shaker, or Arts and Crafts, but you will also find local styles named after the Amish furniture-making families themselves.
As anyone can tell you who has experienced the quality and style of Amish furniture, it can truly make a house a comfortable home. Other furniture may appear to be the same, but the old-world construction techniques, the heavy-duty hardware and the fine upholstery used in Amish furniture construction over the centuries has no equal. Feel free to compare quality for yourself and you will see how Amish furniture differs from other furniture right away.
This is a great place to see a selection of Amish furniture from craftsmen all over Amish country www.amishfurniturefactory.com Enjoy your visit!
About the Author
Mia Sherwood Landau is a writer and blogger for business clients and an author of viral fiction. You can find her at http://www.mia-sherwood-landau.com and in her cabin in the woods, where office expenses are low and so are the the fees! She’ll be working away on her laptop, putting together a patchwork of words and photos for her clients’ needs, and eager to hear about yours.
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Cherry Lumber
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