Simply Amish: Custom Furniture

A Word About Wood.
There are varying degrees of quality when it comes to furniture production. There are those who use inferior wood or even particleboard in places where they think customers won't notice. But that's not the Amish way. At Simply Amish, we only use the finest northern hardwoods, raised to the perfect age, and slowly kiln-dried to prevent splitting and provide years of solid, reliable use.

Red oak is a very popular hardwood, chosen for its traditional, coarse-textured look, as well as its excellent durability and strength. It accepts stain consistently and wears very well over time, making red oak a good choice for furniture that will see heavy everyday use. Natural color varies from yellow to pale brown, often with a light reddish tinge.

White oak-much like red oak-is hard and strong, providing outstanding wear-resistance. It has a medium-coarse to coarse texture and varies in color from light tan to nearly white or light grey. Our Amish craftsmen use quartersawn white oak for a unique aesthetic appeal.

Soft maple is a straight-grained, fine-textured wood. And despite its confusing name, it's actually a hardwood. Derived from red or silver maple trees, soft maple is not as durable as its hard maple cousin, but is more capable of accepting stain. Soft maple has roughly the same density as cherry, with colors usually ranging from light cream to pale brown with occasional dark streaks.

Hard maple, or rock maple, comes from sugar or black maple trees. It's a tough, moderately heavy wood with a fine and uniform texture. Hard maple finishes very smoothly and is extremely durable. Commonly seen with no stain, its natural color varies from nearly white to light tan, with an occasional reddish tinge.

Cherry is a dense, even-grained wood, widely considered to be the finest of the fruitwoods. It is prized for its beauty and is considered an excellent choice for both formal and casual applications. Natural coloration varies from a light cream to a dark reddish brown, however, cherry can darken considerably with age, developing a deep, rich patina over the course of several years.

Hickory is a close-grained wood that's often nearly white in color. It's also one of the hardest, heaviest and strongest woods found in the United States. Because of its flexibility and resilience, hickory is commonly used in the construction of chairs and other bentwood furniture.

Walnut is a dense wood, ranging in color from light to deep chocolate brown. The black walnut tree produces one of the finest cabinet woods. Slow growing and highly desired, walnut is more expensive than many other woods.

Hardwoods and Softwoods
There are two major types of wood used in furniture manufacturing—hardwoods and softwoods. Softwoods are less durable than hardwoods but more plentiful, partly because they tend to grow at a much faster rate. They're also less expensive, providing a preferable alternative to particle or fiberboard. Common softwoods include pine, fir, spruce and cedar.

Known for their strength and durability, hardwoods are usually found in higher-quality furniture. At Simply Amish, we only use northern, slow-growth hardwood, chosen for the greater density typical of wood grown in colder climates. Grown and harvested right here in the USA, the use of these beautiful American hardwoods helps support our national economy without adding to the problem of rainforest depletion. Choose from red oak, white oak, soft maple, hard maple, cherry, hickory and walnut.

Distinguishing Finish from Wood
Sometimes things are not as they appear. For example, "cherry finish" may mean only that a piece of furniture has a reddish stain or a finish similar to cherry wood, even though it contains no real cherry at all. We don't do that. If you're in the market for solid hardwood furniture, ask for it by name.

Quartersawing Technique
Quartersawing is simply a cutting technique used to achieve a finished appearance different from the typical flatsawing technique. Quartersawing involves cutting a log into quarters, then cutting boards alternately from the two flat sides of each quarter. This process produces a combination of parallel-line patterns and varied figuring that many connoisseurs of fine wood furniture find appealing. Oak cut in this manner is commonly called "tiger oak" and is traditionally found in the Arts & Crafts style of furniture.

A note about wood. Unless otherwise stated, our funiture is available in all seven of the wood types described here. See the item descriptions for any limitations on wood choices.