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-style wood joints and high quality hardware. We use minimal amounts of composite wood in our furniture where we feel it is the best construction choice -- we are explicit about where it is used, and offer solid wood alternatives.

Hardwood Selection Process for our Furniture

Our hardwood 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 (tables, chests or chairs), 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.

Wood Cutting Techniques

We use quartersawing rather than plainsawing where it is feasible. Plainsawing is the most simple and straightforward way of cutting wood. Rectangular pieces are cut out from circular timber by making simple parallel cuts. Wood for general purposes is usually cut this way because itÕs economical, yielding the largest quantity of wood from a tree.

But the disadvantage of plainsawing is that the rectangular boardshave different grain patterns because they are cut from different portions of the trunk. Woodgrain patterns are the rings seen in the circular piece of wood, which also can usually tells us where the wood is at its strongest or weakest. Plainsawn wood tends to be less stable because of woodgrain differences.

For quarter sawn cuts, timber is cut first into quarters before making succeeding cuts that are perpendicular to the rings. Now, the grain is more consistent and stable. The grain patterns in quartersawn wood are very attractive, but the material is more expensive because of its less generous yield.

discount on furniture

Offer expires on February 28th.

As a repeat customer I'm even more pleased to know that you continue to deliver high quality solid wood products of excellent craftsmanship. I'd certainly recommend your products to anyone having an appreciation for simple, but elegant, and very functional furniture.