You can brighten your Amish Adirondack chairs with a fresh coat of paint or stain.
Amish communities are sprinkled throughout North America. While each group shares similar religious values and ways of life, each is also distinct in the trades practiced by members, the styles of clothing and the details of everyday life. Some Amish communities work within the greater municipal or rural society, while others isolate themselves in order to keep their beliefs and practices pure. While farming might be the mainstay of an isolated Amish settlement, fine craftsmanship and carpentry might be the hallmark of a group that does not mind marketing its products, including Amish garden furniture, to a non-Amish clientele. Does this Spark an idea?
History
The first Amish settlers in North America lived in Lancaster County.
Amish people settled in America early in the 18th century, establishing themselves in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Because strict "old order" Amish people historically do not use electricity, a craft such as furniture-making that requires only hand tools is one of the livelihoods that has developed over the centuries into an Amish tradition.
Misconceptions
While old-school Amish craftspeople do not use any power tools, some Amish-owned and Amish-operated furniture workshops contract with non-Amish carpenters to rough-cut the raw materials for their craft using electric table saws and planers, then move the wood to their own workshops where they craft the pieces into household and garden furniture using hand planes, chisels, and other nonelectric tools. Other Amish communities use portable generators to power their carpentry tools, believing the prohibition on electricity applies only to commercially generated grid power.
Features
Amish craftsman furniture is characterized by hand-shaped design features.
If you like outdoor furniture made of solid wood such as oak, pine, and hickory with attention to fine craftsman details, you will appreciate Amish garden furniture. The construction and joinery methods the carpenters use to build each chair or garden bench is unmistakable. Dovetailed joints, hand-turned legs and spindles, perfectly matched wood grains, silky smooth finishing are all features of the most expertly made Amish furnishings.
Types
While no one particular furnishing style distinguishes Amish garden furniture from commercially manufactured pieces, many Amish craftsmen favor the plain, clean lines of such traditional styles as Mission, Shaker, and Adirondack. Some Amish pass down a family preference for particular furniture styles from father to son and so become known for that type of product.
Considerations
Do your part for the environment by buying furniture that will last.
Because Amish garden furniture is made piece by piece by craftsmen in a generations-long tradition of excellence, the furniture is built to last. Instead of replacing your patio chairs every two years, you can save several trees by investing in well-built pieces that require only periodic staining that will last for years to come.
Tags: garden furniture, Amish garden, Amish garden furniture, Amish communities, Amish people, furniture made