About Wood

That most of the furniture made today uses substitute materials such as particleboard. Because particleboard is made from wood fragments bonded with resin, it is considered an all wood product BUT IT IS NOT solid wood.

To confuse the consumer even further, the stain or finishes used on the particle board furniture will have names like "burnished wild oak" or "rich brown cherry". This gives the consumer the idea that the wood is either oak or cherry! So when shopping for your furniture don't be afraid to ask the question...What kind of "solid wood" is this actually made of?

At the Amish Furniture House, every piece of furniture is made of SOLID Oak, Cherry, Maple, Hickory or Quarter sawn Oak.

Wood grain is the way the sap ran from the root to the top of the tree. Each time you see a knot on a hardwood surface you will know that a limb once grew from that spot. These are just a couple of things that make each piece of wood unique with distinctive character. It is your assurance that it is the real thing.

The Amish have incorporated a "character" hardwood option. This simply means that your furniture will be constructed from hardwoods that will show a few more natural knots. This is for those customers who prefer a more natural, rustic look!

When the tree has matured and has been properly prepared it is then ready to be utilized by skilled Amish craftsmen to create furniture made of solid hardwood construction, timeless beauty, and intricate details that will surpass your expectations.

With proper care you can expect these beautiful Amish furniture pieces to become family heirlooms passed on and cherished by future generations.

Oak trees are noted for their great longevity and have been known to live 1,500 years. The word oak has been associated with strength. Oaks are valuable timber, which grows to a height of seventy feet. The oak wood is hard, durable and elastic. With a combination of varying wood grains, it is attractive in finishes from light to dark.

Wild cherry OR black cherry trees produce handsome pink heartwood that has a smooth grain which is highly prized in furniture making. Cherry wood finishes well in light to dark tones and darkens as it ages.

Sugar maple or rock maple trees are well known as a source of maple syrup and timber. They can attain heights of 100 feet and can live 500 years or more. The light colored lumber has modest grain patterns and is best expressed with light color finishes.

White oak trees are known for their broad round heads and massive spreading branches. This is where the phrase mighty oak was coined. Mature white oak trees can be eighty feet tall and just as wide. Special milling procedures produce quarter sawn white oak. Quarter sawn oak has a tighter grain with a flake effect that is beautifully enhanced by applying darker finishes. Quarter Sawing means cutting at a 90-degree angle from the growth rings on a log to produce a vertical and uniform patern grain. The grain on the face of a quartersawn board will have parallel lines that are straight, tight, and run the length of the board. The closer the growth rings are to being 90-degrees from the face of the board, the greater the chance to getting the famous medullar ray flecks. Additional aesthetics include wavy and interlocked grains.

The Black Walnut tree is a stately tree reaching a height of 150 feet. Black walnut wood is beautifully grained and takes a good finish. It is one of the most highly valued of hardwoods for cabinetry and furniture.

Our Amish craftsmen have access to numerous domestic and exotic wood species. Let your imagination be the limit.

Mix cherry with maple or maple with black walnut - beautiful!

Our Responsibility…Our Commitment

Thank you for choosing handcrafted hardwood furniture. Wood is one of our most valuable raw materials supplied by nature, and trees are one of the most important natural resources produced in our environment. By conserving our forests with integrity, we can be assured that a bounty of renewable forests will be maintained for future generations. Through sustainable forest practices today, timber regeneration in our forests will significantly outpace timber harvest tomorrow. And just as careful management is required to ensure that our trees are replenished, many of our most precious resources—air and water quality, plant life, fish and aquatic life, birds, and wildlife habitats in turn depend on these lush, healthy forests.

Proper forest management is also essential to prevent natural disasters, such as uncontrolled forest fires. Likewise, beetles and disease can be deadly to overstocked areas, thus irreparably damaging the environment. Wood is truly a renewable resource, that with proper stewardship, can help maintain clean waterways, bountiful wildlife, better air quality and scenic beauty—all of which we can be proud.

Our furniture is built with a sense of respect and responsibility to our environment. Furthermore, we manufacture our commitment to quality into all of our products with the sincere desire that every piece we manufacture becomes a treasured heirloom. And when blending our environmental responsibility with our commitment to quality, we believe we have crafted a legacy that can be passed to many generations.