For Sale to China

Golfgar4 · Oct 7, 2004

( The Amish folks in PA make some really nice furniture. )

Absolutely agree with you! Never meant to imply anything else. Their furniture is well made and certainly stands the test of time.

It's just that the Amish furniture looks "new" at the time of purchase, rather than the furniture that these other manufacturer's produce. Their furniture has the used, slightly roughed up look that goes along nicely with country decors. In fact, a lot of the Schuler furniture is made from old barn boards for that very reason. It has the weathered, used look that many people like to have when they get new furniture. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

cowboydoc · Oct 7, 2004

Thanks golfgar. That is exactly what we are looking for.

Golfgar4 · Oct 7, 2004

I could post a couple of pictures of what we have if it would help. We have a coffee table, a hallway table in our entry, and a hutch we use in our gallery.

dmccarty · Oct 7, 2004

The industries that are in serious decline in NC are tobacco, textiles and furniture. Other posts have mentioned Hickory and it is a mecca for furniture but many of the factories are closing in NC and going to China. Just like textiles. Tobacco is heading to South America I believe. These job losses are hurting. Course the high tech jobs are going overseas as well.

We will be looking for new furniture over the next year or two so this is a helpful thread. The Wall Street Journal a few months ago had an article on the furnture trade moving to China. Its all about the cheap labor. We will try to get Made in the USA if we can.

Later,
Dan

daedong · Oct 7, 2004

I don't know the answer but.........................................
We have the same old stories down under, buy Aussie made, support local bussiness, don't sell our iron ore to China because it will come back as missiles, Japan done it to us in WW11, it will just happen again you just wait and see.

Well it maybe all true but if we don't sell our oil, gas, iron ore, bauxite, wool, beef, lamb, wheat, what are we going to do with it. If we don't buy imported products they won't be able to afford to buy our oil, gas, bauxite, wool, beef, lamb, wheat, Dogs starting to chase tail get my drift,

Just my 2 cents worth

wroughtn_harv · Oct 7, 2004

One of the ironies of life. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

( It's just that the Amish furniture looks "new" at the time of purchase, rather than the furniture that these other manufacturer's produce. Their furniture has the used, slightly roughed up look that goes along nicely with country decors. In fact, a lot of the Schuler furniture is made from old barn boards for that very reason. It has the weathered, used look that many people like to have when they get new furniture.)

I see it all the time. In fact I've got a little saying about it. (surprise surprise!)

The poor like things that look new and the rich want it to look old.

I see it in iron. "Rust" is a dirty word in some circles. But in other's it isn't "rust" but "patina". "Worn" is a term of disgust some places. But in others "weathered" is always in style.

I've even carried it to the extreme of labeling a flaw "signature". /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

jinman · Oct 7, 2004

Richard, I bought some Kincaid furniture from North Carolina and I'm as pleased as I can be with the quality. It's solid oak and I will probably pass it on as a family heirloom.

Kincaid

I also have a dining room set made by a company in Arkansas called Woodco. I don't think they have a website, but I highly recommend them if you can find a dealer.

My Woodco dining room set had the base installed by the folks who delivered it and only the mirror had to be installed on my Kincaid bedroom set.

Like you, the only "china" I want to see on my furniture is the name of the cabinet where I put my dishes. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

SPIKER · Oct 7, 2004

here is a site for ya, http://www.amishoak.com/

also try http://www.amish-oak.com/ (right down the road from ME /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif and the stuff they sell is made in about 40 different BARN by ACTUALL AMISH using HAND TOOLS not to many air nailers at most of these places, but a few of them have a somewhat LOOSE pastor who says if they produce it them selves they can use it, this INCLUDES electricity and Diesel Generators and power plants... we built a BIG powder coat system for an amish guy who's dad runs a welding & fab shop in Apple Creek oh. (Desick Welding and Chupps Powder Coating) also the brother/son built my pole barn... they drive cars/trucks untill they are 22 and then they have to JOIN the church then they become passengers to the job sites!

anyhow we were going up/down from there about every day for a month or better durring the install of the BIG powder coat line (yes it is 440 VAc 3 phase powere using PLC and Touch Screen computer controls all run by the AMISH guys) he bought a 6 cyl turbo diesel generator which pumps out little over 100KVA of power. (better than twice what the system needed) also across the stree they make the bed springs for the Orriginal Matris Factory (which advertizes amish made box springs) LOTS of furnature grade logs comming & going around here!

anyhow good luck with you're hunt...

Mark m

GoodGuy · Oct 7, 2004

I wish I could say it was different here in Nova Scotia, but it's China, China, China !! We are real big in forestry here & I asked a friend who has a small firewood business how things were & was surprised to hear him say "it sucks". I inquired why & his reply was that all the wood harvested here is being chipped & loaded on ships bound for China; why, to make paper products including their currency. It's unfortunate that here in N.America we send our natural resourses to them & then turn around and buy the finished products back from them. China, China, China, seems like everything is made in CHINA. Thanks for letting me rant !!

slowrev · Oct 7, 2004

Golfgar,
Not picking on your choices at all, just adding some. The dining room table we bought was massive. Full 1.75 inch thick solid oak top 2 nice oak pedistals underneath, good hardware for the extra leaf, etc... Usually you can get them finished or unfinished. Wife also wanted an oak rolltop desk for about $ 2,500 or so, I managed to convince her we had no place to put it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ben