Wood is one of the most precious materials for decorating a room and making it comfortable. Despite many species of trees that provide wood, some sources are preferred. The type of wood selected determines the quality of the furniture made. Consequently, Amish woodworkers pick the choicest wood for furniture. Some of the wood chosen by Amish woodworkers include:
Cherry
Cherry has a uniform texture, moderate density, and fine grains. Due to its desirable characteristics, it is pretty expensive. The wood darkens as it ages due to exposure to sunshine. Interestingly, it is easy to polish and carve.
Cherry’s favorable characteristics make it preferable in making office, living room, and bedroom furniture. These are the reasons it is also used in making boat interiors and musical instruments.
A variation of traditional cherry is called rusty cherry. It has a less refined look compared to traditional cherry. It is especially preferred for dining furniture.
Oak
Oak is one of the typical hardwoods used in making furniture. It is one of the strongest woods, thus hard to carve. Consequently, it holds nails and screws well. Oak also takes up stain well and is rot resistant which makes it a good candidate for furniture. The oak wood grains are open with a medium texture. It is relatively dense and wear-resistant. Due to oak’s rot-resistance and watertight properties, it is preferred in making railroad ties, fence posts, boats, and caskets. It is also used in making handles for tools.
There are two major types of oak used for furniture making. Red oak, sometimes called Black oak, has a warm brown to cream appearance with reddish streaks. It is used in flooring, making cabinets and furniture for living and bedrooms. The other major type of oak is known as White oak appears and it appears greenish in color. It holds water well and is used in making ships and barrels.
Hickory
Hickory wood has grains that range from patterned to straight. The patterns contrast between dark and light. Like oak, it is also among the heaviest, hardest, and densest woods. It is also pretty shock-resistant. It also holds when met with very high pressure.
Interestingly enough, it has some elastic properties. Hickory can also be stained easily to give a dramatic appearance. Hickory is used in making various types of furniture, such as bedroom suites, classroom furniture, couches for living rooms, and television stands.
Maple
Maple can be either a hard or soft wood. Red and Silver maples are among the soft types. The soft maple is more attractive and stains well compared to hard maple and can also have brown streaks. On the other hand, hard maple includes Black and Sugar maple. The hard maple is preferred due to its resistance to shock and strength. It can also be polished to increase attractiveness.
Common uses of maple include flooring and making furniture such as chairs, bed frames, and kitchen tables. Furthermore, it is used in making other architectural details.
The types of wood used in Amish furniture are carefully selected from the choicest trees. The choice is often based on the specific use of the final product. Therefore, the knowledge of the types of wood used is paramount. As a result, four types of wood are most commonly used in Amish Furniture making; cherry, oak, hickory, and maple.
