Our approach to making furniture is from the perspective of the 18th century, and we work hard to capture that spirit in every piece of furniture we make. The process starts with the lumber, and we us the same wide and carefully matched lumber and construction techniques as our 18th century counterparts. We do have a few advantages, such as the ability to better dry our wood and the chance to examine their work to see what will stand the test of time, and within that context, we make every attempt to improve the furniture without compromising it’s authenticity.
Wood moves with the seasons and it always will, and over time this furniture will take on the characteristics of period furniture. Figured woods, for all their drama and appeal, are less predictable, and more prone to movement. The most beautiful pieces of wood often have minor problems and blemishes, and we are constantly balancing the grain and figure against this backdrop. This is particularly true with the crotch wood, which over time develops fine checks that are not a structural problem but are inherent to the wood. Through our restoration experience we have seen so many ways that craftsmen “saved” a beautiful piece of wood with a clever patch or disguise, or left it in as the price of the beauty. Some people consider knots a defect, yet there are many pieces of furniture where tight knots and the beautiful grain that surround them were strategically places as decorative form, especially in the walnut furniture produced in Pennsylvania. This is an individual decision, but it is important to determine where on this scale your interests lie. We also spend a great deal of time matching wood and feel that the grain match takes precedence over minor imperfections that aren’t readily apparent. This is particular true with bed posts, where you can only get 2 or 4 pieces from a plant and any non-structural problems can be placed in the head-posts that face a wall.
Handwork is another critical component in creating this type of furniture, and we have actually added more handwork over the years, as we have understood its importance to the “look” of 18th century furniture. We hand plane or hand scrape all of our surfaces, hand cut our dovetails, do the carving by hand and carve in our feet and glue blocks as they did in the past, and the tool marks and subtle variations left by the hand tools are a significant part of the process. We eschew modern duplication technology, training our craftsman to use their “eye” when carving, shaping and turning the wood. Each piece is typically made by a single craftsman, whose signature accompanies the furniture.
As the name implies, the finishing brings all of these elements together to create a fine piece of furniture. We work carefully with the wood in the early stages so that we can showcase it in the final produce, and work with the inherent color of the selected wood to achieve a warm and beautiful finish. We do no physically distress the furniture (expect with the antique finish) but we do color distress to highlight the piece and leave color in the carvings, crevices and moldings where it would typically accumulate over time. Shellac is our finish of choice and we apply a few thin coats to achieve a low luster satin finish, and a final coat of wax. This finish minimizes the effect of daily usage and an occasional coat of wax will restore its glow.
We make this furniture to order and the customer does have a lot of input into the final product. We have worked, studied and experimented for many years to develop a period look to our furniture and it is important for the customer to understand what we are trying to achieve. We would love the opportunity to show you what we can do and what we do best.