| Wood/ Material | Mass Production/ Imported Furniture |
| The wood generally used in production furniture is a lower grade hardwood. It may be poplar, or a species from the country of origin. This is very important because wood continues to change with it’s environment even after it is milled and created into furniture. A piece of furniture made in Asia, with it’s high humidity, will be effected by the climate of North America. Even antiques from England, pine especially, often have to have work done to them months after arriving in the states because they have shrunk so much, joints have loosened. In extreme cases where proper joinery has not been used to allow for movement, load "cracks" and "pops" can be heard during the drying process. | |
| Custom Hand Made Furniture | |
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A piece of furniture locally made by hand is made from wood chosen for its beauty, structure, and longevity. The purpose of the wood is as much a part of the aesthetic beauty as it is the form and structure of the piece, they are not separate. from one another. The quality of the piece is evident in ALL aspects, not just the "looks".
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| Finish | Mass Production/ Imported Furniture |
| Do you want that desk in mahogany or cherry? Usually it doesn’t matter because the wood it’s made from is the same, it’s the finishing technique that "lays" on top that will give it the "look" of mahogany or cherry. | |
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This is simple, a mahogany desk is made of mahogany, a cherry desk is made of cherry! The finish is simply there to enhance, preserve, and protect the natural beauty of the wood, NOT cover it up.
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| Joinery | Mass Production/ Imported Furniture |
| Mass production requires consistency, which is certainly not bad, but it is limiting in the types of joints used, the hand cut versus machine cut character and randomness, and the attention to allowing proper wood movement. | |
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This is where I believe the separation is very evident. To compare a mass produced joint that although is efficient, lacks the attention to character a hand cut joint can offer. If variable spacing on a dovetail joint is more pleasing and balanced in the design, and actually becomes a part of the design instead of only being a mechanical fastener then as a craftsman I can incorporate that into the design.
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| Longevity | Mass Production/ Imported Furniture |
| Todays furniture is not made to last, on purpose. This is an industry that wants customers to replace their furniture as often as possible. Nothing wrong with that, if your tastes change and you want to re-design your living space then buy disposable furniture. It will look good and will work for a limited amount of time. | |
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But what if you want an heirloom quality dresser or end table, one that you plan on passing down to your children, and then on to theirs. A hand crafted desk that YOU were a part of designing to fit in just the perfect focal spot of your study. The one-of-a-kind toy chest given to a loved one in celebration of a new birth to the family. Now you start to see the difference.
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