The Amish value simplicity over comfort, convenience and leisure. Their lifestyle is a deliberate way of separating from the world and maintaining self-sufficiency. Amish people interpret linking with electrical wires as a physical connection with the world – and the Bible tells them they are not to be “conformed to the world. (Romans 12:2).
But can you imagine the heirloom quality production of their hardwood furniture without using power tools? Yes, some smaller builders still make their products by hand, but for the most part power tools are used to amplify their skills passed on from generation to generation.
Some will have a generator in their barn (not in the home) to run the power tools. Often an ‘Englisher’ (non-Amish) owner will manage the shop and the Amish will work in the shop plying their trade. In both cases the quality construction and techniques they use result in fine quality dining room sets, bedroom suites and furniture for the entire home.
Check our website at www.amishwbf.com to see many of the fine products they make.
Carol and Jay
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Amish or Irish?
To be green or not to be green. It’s not easy being green. Wear green on St. Patrick’s Day or get pinched. Certainly the Irish are “green”. But I don’t know whether Ireland signed the Kyoto agreement or not.
The Amish are “green”. I mentioned previously that the wood used for their Amish furniture is from sustainable forests. In the one man shops, electricity is provided by a portable generator. The larger plants, of course, have electricity from the power lines at the road.
The turnover of employees is low. Turn the business over to a son, nephew, etc. Not so with offshore furniture. Less time spent training new people.
The best “green” of all, is buying Amish made furniture which will last for years and years. If properly cared for, it lasts and lasts. The style is classic and will be fashionable for generations. No need to buy new every five or ten years. No worry about what you ordered, it’s coming by ship, with hundreds of other mass produced items, and will it still be “in” when it gets here.
Enjoy “green” Amish handcrafted heirloom furniture.
Carol
The Amish are “green”. I mentioned previously that the wood used for their Amish furniture is from sustainable forests. In the one man shops, electricity is provided by a portable generator. The larger plants, of course, have electricity from the power lines at the road.
The turnover of employees is low. Turn the business over to a son, nephew, etc. Not so with offshore furniture. Less time spent training new people.
The best “green” of all, is buying Amish made furniture which will last for years and years. If properly cared for, it lasts and lasts. The style is classic and will be fashionable for generations. No need to buy new every five or ten years. No worry about what you ordered, it’s coming by ship, with hundreds of other mass produced items, and will it still be “in” when it gets here.
Enjoy “green” Amish handcrafted heirloom furniture.
Carol
Secrets about Amish Furniture
It’s no secret that Amish furniture is handcrafted from solid hardwood lumber and that with proper care will provide a lifetime of service.
But, here are little known secrets that may endear you to Amish heirloom furniture as it has Carol and me.
1. The hardwoods selected for making Amish crafted furniture are sustainable. There is more available and growing than there is being used on an annual basis!
2. When working with solid lumber, it is expected that there will be variations in color and grain. These characteristic qualities give solid lumber furniture its unique charm.
3. Hardwoods are a natural fiber. Because most solid woods are open grained, your solid lumber furniture will breathe, expand and contract with temperature and humidity. Care needs to be taken to control the furniture’s environment (25% to 35% humidity is ideal).
4. In fact, major changes in temperature and humidity will shrink or expand dining table tops and furniture.
5. Natural cherry will age faster than any other wood. The more sunlight that it is exposed to, the darker it will become.
Our Amish builders use time-tested construction techniques handed down from generation to generation. They strive to make each and every piece of furniture to the best of their ability for a ‘higher authority’…a practice that we all can enjoy with the purchase of each piece of heirloom handcrafted hardwood furniture at Amish Workbench Furniture. Visit www.amishwbf.com to view the entire collection.
Jay
But, here are little known secrets that may endear you to Amish heirloom furniture as it has Carol and me.
1. The hardwoods selected for making Amish crafted furniture are sustainable. There is more available and growing than there is being used on an annual basis!
2. When working with solid lumber, it is expected that there will be variations in color and grain. These characteristic qualities give solid lumber furniture its unique charm.
3. Hardwoods are a natural fiber. Because most solid woods are open grained, your solid lumber furniture will breathe, expand and contract with temperature and humidity. Care needs to be taken to control the furniture’s environment (25% to 35% humidity is ideal).
4. In fact, major changes in temperature and humidity will shrink or expand dining table tops and furniture.
5. Natural cherry will age faster than any other wood. The more sunlight that it is exposed to, the darker it will become.
Our Amish builders use time-tested construction techniques handed down from generation to generation. They strive to make each and every piece of furniture to the best of their ability for a ‘higher authority’…a practice that we all can enjoy with the purchase of each piece of heirloom handcrafted hardwood furniture at Amish Workbench Furniture. Visit www.amishwbf.com to view the entire collection.
Jay
Friday, June 6, 2008
Custom Heirloom Quality Furniture
Our solid hardwood Amish Oak Furniture, Amish Cherry Furniture and Amish Maple heirloom furniture is made by Amish craftsmen in La Grange County, Indiana and Holmes County, Ohio. Their standards for workmanship with attention to the finest of details have been applied to creating a line of furniture that is designed for a lifetime of use and pride of ownership.
To keep up with the demand for this high quality furniture at such a reasonable price, we have a 53’ truck deliver to our west coast warehouse, at no cost to you, the finished pieces every-other Tuesday. Carol and Jay personally inspect your orders to insure delivery in mint condition.
We have highlighted some of our best selling furniture on our website: www.amishwbf.com. We welcome you to imagine and experience the beauty of Amish Workbench Furniture in your home.
Jay
To keep up with the demand for this high quality furniture at such a reasonable price, we have a 53’ truck deliver to our west coast warehouse, at no cost to you, the finished pieces every-other Tuesday. Carol and Jay personally inspect your orders to insure delivery in mint condition.
We have highlighted some of our best selling furniture on our website: www.amishwbf.com. We welcome you to imagine and experience the beauty of Amish Workbench Furniture in your home.
Jay
What Is Amish Furniture?
“I don’t know what Amish Furniture is….” That’s the comment that I occasionally hear as people walk by a store, and see the Amish Furniture sign in the window.
The “style” of Amish furniture is “whatever is handed down to us”. That could be something handmade by family members. But it doesn’t designate a particular style such as Shaker, Colonial or Mission. Shaker is not Amish, Amish is not Shaker. Two different groups of society.
Amish furniture today is a wide variety of quality furniture that is amenable to décor in 21st century homes. Plain and simple with straight lines, as in Shaker styling, can be used in homes with colonial, contemporary, or country décor. Other styles are also available: Mission (think Frank Lloyd Wright or Stickley), or traditional with ornate turnings and dentate moldings, or something in between that is distinctly different.
Most people, when they walk in the store, are pleasantly surprised to see the range of styles available, all quality made in the USA, by people dedicated to making the best they possibly can.
Carol
The “style” of Amish furniture is “whatever is handed down to us”. That could be something handmade by family members. But it doesn’t designate a particular style such as Shaker, Colonial or Mission. Shaker is not Amish, Amish is not Shaker. Two different groups of society.
Amish furniture today is a wide variety of quality furniture that is amenable to décor in 21st century homes. Plain and simple with straight lines, as in Shaker styling, can be used in homes with colonial, contemporary, or country décor. Other styles are also available: Mission (think Frank Lloyd Wright or Stickley), or traditional with ornate turnings and dentate moldings, or something in between that is distinctly different.
Most people, when they walk in the store, are pleasantly surprised to see the range of styles available, all quality made in the USA, by people dedicated to making the best they possibly can.
Carol
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