The Tradition of Amish Furniture

In North America there are about 150,000 Amish. The largest group resides in Ohio and other larger areas of Pennsylvania as well as Iowa and northern Indiana. They are known as the plain people since they wear no colored clothing. They live within highly personalized relationships and speak Pennsylvania Dutch among themselves. They also try to avoid anything more that a casual contact with outsiders. They live happily without all the modern conveniences such as telephones, motor vehicles and electricity.

The Amish are Christian and their main course of study is the Holy Bible. They do not believe in posing for pictures since they relate doing so to making graven images. They do not keep pictures since they feel it promotes self pride. In order to avoid having the picture made many will cover their face with their hat or hand and some will take defensive actions to stop anyone from taking their picture.

Unlike various other cultures that evolved and adapted to the modern conveniences of the world, the history of the Amish is traceable down through hundreds of years. They have remained faithful to their origins. The Amish religion originated from the Mennonite faith, which subscribes to nonviolence and nonviolent resistance as well as pacifism. The Mennonites are of Christian Anabaptist denominations that originated from central Europe. Jacob Amman, a Swiss-German Mennonite leader demanded the practice of Meidung, which is the strict shunning of its excluded members, during the Swiss Mennonite movement of 1693 a division, was brought about and the Amish established themselves at that time when Amman felt the Mennonite were drifting apart from their standards of belief.

However, these two groups are closely related and many times may be actual neighbors. Their origin and standards of living the simple life while working diligently are united and remain very much the same as it always has. One of their most profound traditions is the dedication of producing heirloom quality furnishings.

Amish furniture does not use laminates and particle board rather it is fashioned using solid wood materials, while paying close attention to the detail of the wood. Each piece is especially hand selected and special attention is given to the wood grain. Amish furniture is of heirloom quality and passes down nicely to the next generation. When early folk art became popular in the 1920’s it gained a significant amount of attention.

Amish woodworkers do not use electricity; however their tools are pneumatically and hydraulically powered by running diesel generators. The fine details and finishes are hand applied in order to create the finest in quality. A five-piece English dovetail joint on drawers and steel ball bearing drawer glides is a common Amish characteristic.

The Amish also design and fashion Shaker and Mission styles of furniture. The Shaker style is simplistic in design while being durable and functional. The Mission style provides classically clean, straight lines and designs with exposed joinery.

Amish craftsmen learn their woodworking skills from their ancestors. They begin while in their youth and then dedicate their lives to being helpful in their family shop. If they are woodworkers they pick up particular design details while doing so.

Although the Amish do not use the internet for business of personal desires, they do rely on the aid of entrepreneurs that can sell their furniture and crafts. For instance retailers such as Barn Furniture Mart, attend Amish furniture expositions in middle-America often in order to develop relationships with Amish craftsmen and then work as a go between for the buyer and the Amish. This means that individuals the world round can enjoy their own high quality Amish furnishings and crafts.

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