Recently, we had a chance to visit a local woodshop that we've been partnered with for over 30 years and get a peek into their daily routine. They've been making hardwood furniture for around 35 years, and they specialize in bedroom furniture as well as mirrors, tables, and occasionally media cabinets. We spoke to Chris who's been with them for 19 years.

He describes the wood they use for their pieces, "Everything we do is cherry, but our secondary woods for the drawer sides are pine. Most of our cherry comes from the Alleghany National Forest in Pennsylvania."

Sustainability

Caring for, and not harming, the environment is important to them and they take care to ensure that the wood they source is from sustainable forests and that trees are continually being planted. Chris explains, "Every time you buy from us, we plant a tree." They use primarily American black cherry which is a fruitless tree that starts light and patinas as it ages, getting darker as it's exposed to air, becoming that beautiful cherry wood color you've come to love.

Chris describes, "The beauty of the cherry is the aging." To ensure their woodshop creates no waste, they give away their scrap wood to schools around them, where the art teachers use them for arts and crafts projects (which sometimes make their way back to the woodshop). The boy scouts take their scrap wood, and all of their sawdust goes to local farms for the pigs and cows.

Quality

Being a company where everything is hand constructed and handmade, quality is, of course, essential.  They're attentive at every stop. Here are some ways in which they ensure all of their pieces are the highest quality:

• The joinery is glued, screwed, and stapled, to ensure long-lasting durability.
• They use sliding French dovetails to connect the drawer sides to the door fronts.
• Everything used is solid wood, even the secondary wood.
• They use a clear glue lacquer which helps to keep the moisture out of the wood and prevent cracking or warping.
• They take the time to check that everything is perfectly level so the pieces won't rock when they're in your house.

Chris explains the process, "We make all the parts out in the shop; the legs, the tops, the knobs, and all the molding. Then it goes into one of the building areas where the craftsmen construct the piece." Shaker Small Drawer Dresser

Tour

After hearing from Christopher, we took a tour around the wood shop. We were able to see the woodshop in action and had the opportunity to watch a craftsman put together a Shaker Dresser. We're proud to work with companies that put quality and excellence at the forefront, and even more so when we can hop into the car, drive 45 minutes, and be right at their doorstep.

Read more about why local manufacturing is so important to us at Circle Furniture. Come into any of our 6 showrooms across Massachusetts and check out our selection of beautiful hardwood furniture. Meet our designers!

Looking for more inspiration

• Homeowner's Guide to Natural Wood in Furniture
• Why is Wood Furniture so Expensive A Detailed Breakdown
• How Much Does it Cost to Furnish a Bedroom