Ep. 1: Top 5 Misconceptions About Amish Furniture

Jake Smucker 07/10/2020
The Amish Furniture Podcast
The Amish Furniture Podcast
Ep. 1: Top 5 Misconceptions About Amish Furniture
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In Episode 1 of the Amish Furniture podcast, Milca and Beth list The Top 5 Misconceptions About Amish Furniture. This inaugural episode reveals the truth about these misconceptions, which Milca and Beth have learned while working at DutchCrafters Amish Furniture. Whatever your experience with Amish furniture, and wherever you shop, we hope we can help you learn something new about Amish furniture.

Misconception Number 5: Amish woodworking shops are all single-family businesses.

When you picture an Amish woodshop, do you see a small shop behind a farmhouse with a dad and his sons working together? Well, that’s not the misconception. That’s a reality for many wood shops. However, we list this as a misconception because many of these shops have outgrown the immediate family and also employ other community members in their shops!

Misconception Number 4: Amish woodworkers never use nails, screws, or plywood.

The casual shopper may not think of this one, but some woodworkers are under the impression that nails and screws are never used in Amish craftsmanship. While there are legitimate concerns about the durability of “toenailing” and some other construction techniques that rely on fasteners instead of proper joints, Amish woodworkers will use fasteners in their construction. And they do it without sacrificing quality. The Amish employ countless construction techniques include mortise-and-tenon joinery, dovetailed joints, dowel-rod joints, and more. And they’ve learned the areas where a screw added to a joint can add a bit of durability in the long run or where the use of nails doesn’t hinder a piece’s durability.

You may be surprised when your Amish “solid wood furniture” arrives with plywood. However, plywood is used in much of the best solid wood furniture for specific uses. Read more about these topics at Why Plywood is Used in Solid Wood Furniture and How to Care for Solid Wood Furniture.

Misconception Number 3: The Amish never use electricity.

A very common misconception, this is almost true. Old Order Amish are almost never allowed to have their homes connected to the electrical grid for personal use. But for work, electricity itself is not forbidden in most of our Amish woodworking communities. So instead of power lines, they run their own electricity for the shop with generators!

Misconception Number 2: Amish wood shops have no power tools.

Along with electricity, power tools have entered Amish shops. But we’re not talking about an assembly-line factory built to reproduce identical products en masse. Power tools are used only to improve the quality of your furniture construction as it’s handled every step of the way by hand.

Misconception Number 1: Amish furniture is all one style.

Think Amish furniture is all traditional style? All primitive Mission or Shaker designs? Think again. This common misconception is a common one, but easy to disprove. Just take a step inside an Amish furniture store, visit an Amish furniture website, or Shop by Style right here at DutchCrafters.  You can also gain some additional information about this misconception on the blog How to Mix and Match Dining Furniture.

Welcome to The Amish Furniture Podcast, a mini-series for the Amish furniture fan. Whether you’re actively shopping for furniture, have Amish made furniture in your home, or are simply curious about the Amish, this is the podcast for you.

We’ll bring you behind-the-scenes stories about what it’s like to work with the Amish, tips about shopping for Amish furniture, and much more. Hosts Beth and Milca bring experience from their work at DutchCrafters, the largest Amish furniture website.

This podcast is produced by DutchCrafters Amish Furniture

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