by Juanita | Feb 24, 2020 | 50th anniversary, Ava Lee's History Corner, Chair, Rocking Chairs
High Chair Designed
There is a saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. George and I spent our first year of marriage in the mountains of West Virginia. While there, I became pregnant with our first child. After spending a year there, we moved back to Elizabethtown, PA, Lancaster County in November 1969. George got a job at a saw mill where he learned about grades of hardwood lumber. In April our daughter, Juanita, was born. When she learned to sit up, George and I went shopping for a high chair. After a discouraging time of searching and not finding one that we liked, George said, “I think I will make one.” I looked at him in disbelief.
“I think I will make one.
“Oh yes, George”, I said, “I know that you can make things with wood, but a high chair with a tray? That seems quite complicated.” Well, I have learned not to question my husband when he says he will do something, because there isn’t much that he won’t try and with success. The high chair that he built has survived 4 children and is now in the historical museum section of the showroom. When we have family dinners that require 2 high chairs, the first high chair comes into my house to be used for one of my grandchildren.
Child’s High Chair legacy
After making the high chair, George made chairs for our table, replacing the folding chairs that we had received as a wedding gift. Soon after that, he designed:
- A rocking chair that will not tip over.
- Chairs of all sizes to go with the tables he was making,
- Arm chairs
- Intermediate chair for children ages 3-8.
- Swivel chairs for the bar
- Swivel desk chairs.
All chairs are made with a 2 inch plank bottom seat shaped for comfort, designed for strength. The eight sided rungs create extra strength and are inserted at precise angles, providing long lasting service.
“Necessity is the mother of invention”
It all began because our daughter needed a high chair. Come and explore the new ideas that were started by a unfulfilled need that Georges craftsmen listen and then created one-of-a-kind heirlooms that will serve for years to come. The wood shop and showrooms are located in the heart of Lancaster County’s farmland along the Susquehanna River. Enjoy the peaceful surroundings of nature as you create furniture that meets your need and brings nature’s beauty into the home.
by Juanita | Aug 9, 2019 | Ava Lee's History Corner, Furniture Care, Rocking Chairs, Tables
What do you love about your antique furniture? Sentimentality & nostalgia. Those nostalgic feelings probably trigger wonderful memories with your family. Maybe it reminds you of visiting for Christmas as a child or bringing your children over to play baseball in the yard with their grandparents. That is why it is so important to craft furniture that can withstand the years, the memories, the horseplay so you & your families can have visible mementos of those experiences. (Plus, it helps that our furniture is also super comfortable & durable!)
Even though antique furniture lasts longer than low quality furniture it also deteriorates. Some of the biggest causes of weakness in antique furniture include poor adjustability to extremes in humidity, weak joints or low-quality workmanship. In fact, today I want to share with you 3 of the biggest issues we see in antique furniture & how we design our furniture differently to avoid those problems.
Humidity
One of the most common issues you may see in wood antique furniture is wear & tear due to changing humidity. Dry Forced Air heat will dry out furniture in the winter while damp summer weather provides extra moisture. Considering these two extremes, all joints are constructed with movement in mind. Wood is dried in George’s kilns and furniture is constructed in a humidity-controlled environment similar to most homes. This helps the furniture expand and contract as one unit. When the furniture can respond to humidity as one unit, it is more protected from warping or weakness.
Weak joints
Let’s talk about rung joints. Maybe not a typical topic of conversation until you sit in a chair and the rung pops out leaving your chair in pieces. Aside from the frustration & inconvenience, this can become an expensive situation when your only solution is gluing the rungs for the rest of its life or replacing the chair. We avoid this situation from the beginning with our method of attaching rung joints. We give special attention to our sanding for each rung joint. When completed, the glued wood joint is stronger than the wood itself. George’s chairs have held up over years of hard use. It also saves us wasting time repairing older chairs.
Warped or Stressed Wood
This is caused by wood that is not properly dried before it is protected completely by a finish to slow the change in moisture content during the life of the furniture. The wood needs to be dried to 8% moisture content. Through the planing and sanding process, the wood is ready to be used to build the furniture.
George’s understands that natural wood furniture will continue to breath causing slight expansion and contraction throughout its lifetime. All joints are assembled to allow for this movement in the wood, removing the possibility of loosening of joints and even cracks in the wood itself. Our custom sprayed finish allows wood movement to occur over the complete unit evenly throughout its life.
How Strong Your Table will Be
Our unique way to demonstration table strength. One year we took all our craftsmen along with their families into our showroom and extended one of our tables. We started having 2 people at a time climb up and stand on the table. We continued 2 by 2, the younger kids started laughing, until all 14 people stood on the table, totaling 1,900 pounds in weight, almost a ton. The center legs prevailed.
Non-Tip Rocker
You can especially see the strength of high-quality wood in our non-tip rockers. When George was small, he was having so much fun rocking in his rocking chair that he tipped it right over. After recovering from the fall, he promised his mother that he would build a rocker that would not tip over. George built that rocker and now there are 7 different sizes from a child’s rocker to a rocker for the large people (300-400 lbs.) Large or small, tall or short, there is a rocker designed for you that does not tip over.
Ready for strong, heirloom furniture that does not wear with age or bad construction?
George’s unwavering commitment to building strong, hardwood, heirloom furniture continues with each new design. Each piece is signed and dated by its maker and finished with a water-resistant finish. Bring your ideas and desires for functional furniture and George’s craftsmen will make those dreams come true. Call us or request a consult as soon as you are ready to jump in to designing your own high-quality furniture.
by Juanita | Apr 19, 2019 | Customization, George's Furniture
Amish Communities
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana are home to the largest Amish Communities in the United States. The Amish lifestyle consists of plain clothes, horse and buggy, no electricity, one-room schoolhouses, and farming. Over the years they developed a reputation for their quality quilts, furniture, baked goods, and produce. In fact, in 2015, about 8.34 million visitors to Lancaster County directly spent $1.97 billion, creating a total tourism impact of $2.64 billion in the county.
Quality Compromised
Over time, marketing replaced craftsmanship. While a few Amish craftsmen are still producing quality furniture, many stores market Amish furniture devoid of the quality buyers expect. As the perception of the quality Amish furniture increases, the natural result is an increase in demand. This increase brought new systems and processes which dropped the quality of the product. They compromised when materials such as cheaper stains, protective coatings, glue, or hardware. They left the old process of construction behind while newer methods of cheap assembly take over. These newer methods, which use assembly lines and computerized machines, compromise excellence for the convenience of efficiency. Consequently, the quality of hardwood furniture is lost along with the buyers ability to customize their product.
Furniture Experts
Furniture experts pinpoint pieces displaying true quality, handmade Amish furniture. The untrained eye, however, sees little or no distinction. While Amish craftsmen are talented, rarely is the resulting piece considered by furniture experts as constructed by a Master Craftsman. Why does this matter? Furniture crafted by a Master Craftsman ultimately become heirlooms.
Master Craftsmen
Heirlooms are pieces constructed to withstand the test of time and passed down to the next generation. 
Furniture designed, crafted, and assembled by master craftsmen endure the normal wear and tear of daily life. While George’s craftsmen are not Amish furniture makers, we are Master Craftsmen. George’s master craftsmen build each piece to suit the needs of the buyer now and in the future. Forever cherished assets.
George’s Difference
At George’s Furniture, one craftsman uniquely crafted each piece – signed and dated. 100% Pennsylvania hardwood construction—no plywood here! Each item is built-to-order, custom made to your specifications. Visit our showrooms and see the furniture manufacturing! Time-tested construction for over 50 years…that’s the George’s difference.
by Juanita | Jul 25, 2018 | Customization, George's Furniture
We pride ourselves on our efficient and quality crafting process, bringing an artisan touch to every single piece that goes through our shop. We provide an unwavering commitment to delivering superior quality to all of our customers. Let’s walk through our crafting process to see how our talented craftsmen achieve those elegant styles for each piece.
Drying the Lumber
We slow dry the rough-sawn lumber in our kiln video (which is heated using wood trimmings from projects) to reduce stress cracks that may occur in the grain if it dries too quickly. Over time, the moisture in the wood can lead to loose joints, splits and even warping. Some lumber will even dry for several years before it is ready to be crafted into furniture. Our lumber is then stored in a climate-controlled building until it is needed to retain the integrity of the lumber.
Construction
Each and every piece has a craftsman that is chosen to handcraft that piece from start to finish. Our craftsman will review the plans, select the boards and processes the boards (Video) through our joiners, planers and table saws until the pieces are ready to be glued. The craftsman will then carefully cut, turn and sand each piece to the exact customer specifications. Each table leg and bed finial is then individually hand turned on a lathe. Precise hand sanding throughout the assembly process ensures proper fit and finish.
Finishing
After the piece of furniture is assembled, it is taken to the staining station where the craftsmen will hand rub the color-specified stain into the wood. After the stain has thoroughly dried, the piece will be taken into the dust-filtering spray booth where two coats of a premium-quality clear, water-resistant finish are applied (video) to the entire piece to protect it from moisture. The first coat of finish is dried and sanded and after the second coat, the piece is closely inspected for smoothness and coverage.
Final Inspection
Each piece is very carefully inspected to make sure it exceeds George’s Furniture quality standards. The furniture is then dated and signed by the craftsmen to show pride in the artisanship of the piece.
by Juanita | Apr 5, 2018 | Customization, George's Furniture
At George’s Furniture, each handcrafted, hardwood piece goes on a thorough journey before taking its place in a customer’s home. We begin by harvesting native trees and slow-drying the rough sawn lumber in house. Our kiln reduces stress cracks which occur when accelerating the drying process. The slow-drying process also prevents loose joints, splitting, and warping. Our craftsmen are extremely careful in caring for every single piece of furniture produced in our woodshop.
Lovingly Handcrafted, From Start to Finish
Once the wood has been slowly dried, construction takes place. From start to finish, our talented craftsmen take particular care in creating each chair, table, stool, etc. by hand. Our furniture is cut, lathed, and sanded by hand to the exact specifications from our customers.
Hand Staining
Before final inspection, your hardwood furniture is assembled and taken to our special staining station. Our craftsman hand rubs your specified color into the wood of your choice.
Spray on First Coat of Finish
Once the stain has dried thoroughly and completely, the piece is taken into the dust-free spray booth where two coats of premium-quality clear, water-resistant finish are applied to all sides of the piece—including top, bottom, outside, and inside—sealing and protecting this long-lasting piece from moisture and other elements when exposed to natural wear throughout its lifetime.
Dry – Hand Sand – Second Clear Coat
The first coat of finish is dried and sanded, and the second coat is followed by a close inspection to ensure smoothness and full coverage.
Our Most Popular Finishes
- Natural black walnut blend (black walnut heartwood and sapwood) pictured
- Cherry wood with cinnamon stain
- Cherry wood with dark mahogany stain
Each piece at George’s Furniture is carefully inspected to make sure it meets our high standards. Call us today to take a tour of our furniture store in Lancaster, PA! Tour our woodshop and showroom so that you can see our furniture making process in real-time—as well as the finished products!
