Amish “Gluing and Sanding” in Building Table Tops

“Amish Furniture” has the reputation of a “brand name” based on years of heirloom quality construction. The careful selection of solid hardwood lumber is the first step in building dining room tables.

Amish furniture craftsmen first select their lumber by color and grain pattern. They then use a wood jointer to smooth and straighten one edge of the board completely straight. The craftsman checks carefully to get a perfectly straight edge on each board. The boards are then “ripped” to different widths to yield as much lumber as possible from each piece of wood. The wider boards give a nicer grain pattern; and, although they are more expensive, they are worth the money.

After the boards are laid out in the correct order for gluing, the craftsman checks the end grain for the proper grain pattern. It is preferable to keep every other board’s yearly growth rings “opposite” from each other. This process helps control the wood from “cupping”.

After the glue is dry, the clamps are removed and excess glue is scraped off. The wood is placed into the wood planer and smoothed down to the approximate final thickness. Usually we begin with 5/4” lumber and plane it down to a solid 1” thickness.

The craftsman is now ready to run the board through a special machine that has a large sanding belt inside. This belt gives a uniform sanding to the board. Amish craftsmen then finish the process by using various grits of sandpaper by hand to complete the process.

Our dining table and chairs are built by Amish craftsmen and will last you a lifetime. See the entire collection on our website: www.amishwbf.com.

Jay and Carol

Amish “Joints” in Building Furniture

Amish furniture craftsmen have built a “brand name” all their own. Most of the Amish furniture shops (often barns) are family owned producing small amounts of furniture each year. Each family takes pride in their work and produces a product that will last for generations. The “joints” used to build their dining tables, chairs, hutches and buffets and bedroom furniture use special joining methods to add strength to their fine furniture.

The most often used joint in Amish furniture building is the mortise and tenon joint. It has tremendous strength by allowing more surface area for glue to hold. Some Amish furniture builders use the blind mortise joint. The blind mortise still allows for superior strength in the joint, yet saves the craftsmen some time in building.

They use the dovetail joint for drawers. It gives superior strength in all directions due to the interlocking “fingers” of the joint. Each dovetail is machined within a few thousands of an inch from solid wood.

The dado joint is made with a special blade on the table saw. This allows a board to be “grooved” inside another board. It adds tremendous strength to the Amish furniture.
All of our furniture is built by Amish craftsmen and will last you a lifetime. See the entire collection on our website: www.amishwbf.com.

Jay and Carol

Amish Furniture = Intrinsic Values

Amish furniture is more than just wood products. Its quality and craftsmanship speaks to family and friends, telling stories of past gatherings and memories. The construction and finish tells a story of beauty, attention to detail, and a simple elegance that cannot be found in today’s mass produced furniture. Amish built solid wood furniture can define your home and the unique beauty it beholds.

For our Amish furniture builders in Ohio and Indiana it’s a testament to design, art and skills passed down from their fathers. Many of our Amish builders have invented their own unique tools and jigs to build their furniture. Their skills of woodworking with minimal tools and limited resources will impress anyone who cherishes heirloom quality furniture.

Feel free to use our website (www.amishwbf.com) to look at all our fine furniture to make informed purchasing decisions. Then call us to talk about how we can customize the furniture to suit your needs. For instance, many of the finishing shops work with companies that manufacture stains to get ‘color matched’ colors for clients that are trying to match existing furniture.

We’re always glad to assist you with particular requirements to meet your special needs. We try to be ‘simply the best, not the most expensive’.

Jay and Carol
Amish Workbench Furniture Co.