Amish Furniture is high-quality furniture hand crafted by People living in Amish Communities. They are committed to maintaining their culture and part of that is making exceptional pieces of furniture and spanning the skilled artistry of making handmade furniture across generations. One can distinguish Amish furniture because of the high-quality materials, techniques, and craftsmanship used to develop them, and they can therefore last for a significant period.
The Amish Introduce Their Furniture to America
In the 17th century, the Amish people, led by Jakob Amman, settled in Pennsylvania and later established communities in Indiana and Ohio in the USA. They continued their tradition of developing unique woodworking, creating wood furniture assembled without using screws, electricity, or nails. The Amish utilize dovetail intersections to stick pieces of wood together, along with various other methods.
The Way of Life of the Amish
This community prefers traditional values rather than contemporary ways of doing things. Most children born in this community are usually introduced to carpentry and woodworking in adolescence. They do not attend public school, but rather attend schools within their community or are homeschooled. Some of their adults’ farm to provide food, but they like carpentry because it is how they can make money. Since their settlement in the US, the culture of creating exceptional furniture has been passed to the next generations.
How Do The Amish People Make Furniture?
The Materials Used
The primary material used to handcraft Amish furniture is solid wood; no laminate or particle board is used. The Amish people usually choose quality materials to make furniture. They ensure every piece has a good wood grain. The Amish use hardwoods such as maple, beech, cedar, pine, elm, mahogany, northern red oak, and walnut to make strong furniture. A crafter may choose a specific type of hardwood depending on which piece of furniture they intend to create, considering the required outlook of the finished product.
Techniques
The Amish prefer to use manual tools to do their work. They prefer pneumatically or hydraulically powered machines as well as diesel generators in some cases. They do not use newly developed machinery; they do the finishing work and the sanding using their hands. The Amish dry their furniture and fittings using kiln drying and open-air seasoning. It is what adds strength and beauty to the final product. The Amish’s high-quality and resilient products are designed to be handed down for generations.
Styles of Amish Furniture
The Amish use Shaker and Mission styles to build and design furniture. These styles develop into classic furniture that lasts a lifetime. The Shaker style is defined by functionality and durability; the mission style can be identified by its exposed joinery and outstanding straight lines.
Amish Furniture Gains Popularity in the Twenty-First Century
In the 1920s, Amish furniture became popular in the US because of the state-of-the-art American movement. Many historians, critics, and dealers identified the exceptional art used to create Amish woodworking, and it became the focus of their attention. Amish furniture has become more desirable since then. Most American shops, homes, and institutions have Amish pieces in them nowadays.
Final Words
Amish furniture is developed using natural hardwood, unlike much modern furniture and fittings. They are connected using dovetail fittings and are often fitted with interlocking tails and pins, making the furniture strong even without using nails and screws. The Amish people have skilled craftsmanship, which is one of their many lifetime investments.
