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Handcrafted wooden furniture such as beds, armoires, cabinets, tables and chairs take time to make. Very few true Amish carpenters have a backlog of items waiting to be shipped out. Therefore, once you order it, the piece is begun.
Making a piece of furniture can take anywhere from 4-6 months. Many Amish do not even have the modern power tools, so everything is done the old, and much slower, way. It will, however, last. They believe that since the furniture made in the 1700s is still around today, then the pieces they are making in that same style will survive for hundreds of years, too.
Many people are put off by the price of handcrafted wooden furniture. It can run in the thousands for larger pieces. Keep in mind, however, that skilled labor never gets any less expensive over time. Materials that are used, such as wide board cherry and tiger maple, are always increasing over time. As mature forests get harvested, there is less and less wide stock available. Consider that a maple board that is 14" wide (typical for a side panel on a Highboy) came from a maple tree that was probably two feet in diameter, and you can see the reason why the material is hard to get.
Consider this however. As you almost never see advertising on handcrafted pieces, and there is no sales staff or office staff to support the typical cabinetmaker shop, most all the production dollars are cost of materials and labor. All the money goes into the piece itself, not on slick brochures or to support beautiful office buildings. While a handcrafted reproduction will cost 20 to 30 percent more than its factory made counterpart, it will still be in service long after the other has been donated to the Salvation Army or put out in the garage sale. They are better made, with better finishes and will actually appreciate in time given reasonable care. It is not unusual for us to see ten to fifteen year old reproductions selling on the secondary market for more than the original price paid back in the 80's.
What is Amish Furniture?
Many people find the Amish lifestyle intriguing because of its difference from the normal life of an American. If they visit Amish country, however, they soon fall in love with the lifestyle. Although they might not choose to adapt to it, some take pieces of that life home with them. One easy way of doing that is through Amish furniture.
All of their furniture is constructed of solid wood taken from North American Hardwood Trees. They do not have imitation pressed-wood furniture. The manufacturing and finishing of this furniture is designed to bring out the natural character and beauty of t ..
Some of the differences between modern factory furniture and handcrafted furniture are minor, while others are very large. Factories usually will use staples, while the Amish use hand-cut nails. Plywood backboards are common in factory furniture, while tongue and groove pine or poplar are more the norm for the Amish. Factory furniture is belt-sanded, so the surface is perfectly flat. The Amish hand-plane it, so there are slight ridges.
So even if you have to wait a long while for your furniture, or pay more for it that factory made furniture, keep in mind that it will last much longer than anything else you own.
Ray La FoyHow long does it take to make handcrafted wood furniture?
Who are the Amish?
The Amish arrived in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s as part of William Penns Holy Experiment. They have been living the simple life, with no modern conveniences since then. There are approximately 150,000 Amish in North America. The largest group is in Holmes County, Ohio, with significant populations in Pennsylvania, northern Indiana and Iowa. Others are located in the eastern and mid-western states and Ontario, Canada. The Amish in Pennsylvania are perhaps the best known. Many people vacation up there to see what being Amish is all about.
The Amish themselves can be generally categorized ..
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