Solid Wood Furniture
Most furniture available today is created entirely with laminates, pressed boards, plywood, and other engineered 'wood'. This artificial wood furniture is nearly impossible to repair, as the outer laminate layer is a manufactured material. It can also offgas toxic compounds.
Our furniture is created from solid hardwoods, joined together with strong Amish wood joints and high quality hardware.
Quality Construction Matters
Having access to amazing stands of hardwood, as our Amish craftsman do, is very important when building a quality piece of solid wood furniture. But building to last involves more than just having the right wood that's been properly prepared - it involves a lot of knowledge, patience, and commitment.
When things are made by the hands and eyes of a skilled craftsan, they can feel and see things a machine cannot. And when those eyes are those of an experienced Amish craftsman who takes the time to build in the way he learned from his father so many years ago, the process of making an heirloom has begun before the piece is even started.
And so it goes, from father to son, the right way to make a piece of furniture that can stand the test of time. Building to last is something that can only be taught, not written about. The apprenticeships of the Amish craftsmen who build our furniture are part of the process of standing up over time, because the process itself has already stood up over time.
That's what makes each handcrafted piece of furniture from Erik Organic special, and how you know it is built to last - because it has already stood the most important test of time.
Hardwood Selection Process for our Solid Wood Furniture
Our furniture is created from winter-cut trees, harvested in the upper midwest. The hardwood logs are seasoned for twelve to sixteen months to dry them thoroughly, bringing the moisture content down to 8-10%.
The seasoned hardwood logs are cut into lumber in the dimensions needed for the particular piece, air dried for an additional six months, and then placed into a kiln with circulating air. This brings the moisture content down to around 6%.
After the lumber is dried, it is sorted through for select pieces of solid wood. Pieces with natural abrasions or flaws are used on the bottom or back of a piece (on a less visible portion). The best hardwood is saved for the tabletop, or the front of the dresser -- the sides that are in full view.
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