Amish Originals Furniture Co.: The Everyday Special

The March 2011 Amish Originals Furniture Co. eNews is now online. Click here. 

This month, we take a look at storage and display for dining rooms in the form of hutches, sideboards, buffets, servers, and cabinets, realizing that most of our storage and display furniture works anywhere in the house.

Think about our sideboards, servers, and buffets when looking for a television console or media furniture.

We're really proud of the hand-made care and detail that informs our furniture including dovetail joinery (Click here to read our blog post.), knife hinges, ball bearing undermounts and drawer glides, and numerous custom options from glass fronts to hardware.

In spite of the fact that winter just can't seem to move on, spring really is here and that means new gifts, accents, and accessories. New items are arriving daily right now.  So, stop by often! 

For a soft touch, we've added Perfect Petzzz  (pictured above) to our gift selection.  

  

April Showers - Make way! We've got French Duck Wheeled Planters, above, perfect indoors or out - use for container gardening, hold books, magazines & e-readers, wheel around picnic supplies, or line the planters and serve up snacks or ice down your favorite beverage and... an Umbrella Umbrella Stand! 

And, for those of you who love our Light Garden Flower Lights, a new red bud flower light has arrived.

Our new 48" Metal Topiary Potted Tree Photo Holder is great for displaying photos, postcards, cards, art, love notes, even take out menus! And, beautiful, delicate, wispy Seasonal Wreaths of all sizes (starting at $11.99) - great to hang, display on a stand, or use flat with table decor.

Finally, we are marking down select floor models at both locations, including the Kensington 2-door Buffet pictured above and in our eNews.  Amish Originals Furniture Co. floor models are designed by Amish Originals to reflect the best of a piece of furniture or style and are marked down to make room for new floor models.

No worries, warm spring days are just around the corner!

Prices:
French Duck Wheeled Planters: $39.99 (small), $59.99 (large)
Umbrella Umbrella Stand: $89.99
Tripar Home Decor Photo Topiary: $59.99
Perfect Petzzz: start at $34.99

Amish Originals Furniture Co.: Plane Speaking - Dovetail Joinery

You've heard the sage adage, "Necessity is the mother of invention."  Well, thousands of years ago, woodworkers tackled the design challenge of finding a way to make a right angle joint that could bear the stress of use and the stress of the environment. (You know, long before air conditioners, humidifers, and furnaces.) As we've mentioned before, even though you have beautiful hardwood furniture in your home, wood and water are still intricately connected. In spite of being sawed and shaped, there is still a lot of activity on a molecular level going on inside your furniture, including expansion and contraction in response to the immediate environment.

A dovetail joint is, according to woodworking.com: a very strong joint formed by mating one or more angled, fan-shaped "pins" to correspondingly sized and shaped notches, called "tails." The joinery can be visible from both sides (through), from only one side (half blind), or invisible (blind). 

Archaeologists have found evidence of dovetail joinery in ancient tombs in both Egypt and China. Pioneers in the new world of America built cabins using dovetail joinery. And, craftsmen since the 17th century have used dovetail joinery to secure the neck to the headlock on stringed instruments like mandolins and violins.  Today, experts use the construction and style of dovetail joints to determine the age and era of antiques.

A dovetail joint gets its name from its appearance - it looks like a bird's tail.  The dovetail joint works because the two interlocked pieces (the pins and tails) expand and contract at the same rate. The pull of wood in response to the environment is always against the locked joint, so what we end up with is a perfect and precise fitted joint.

(Once the tails and pins are interlocked, a touch of glue seals the bond. Note - no screws, no nails.)

Though time has passed,  it's tough to top the effectiveness of the dovetail joint.  And, even in modern times, many dovetail joints are still painstakingly sawed and chiseled by hand.  With the power tools we have today, dovetail joints can also be effectively machine-cut via router and jig.  Either way, they take vision, practiced skill, planning, and composure. Even dovetail joints in today's furniture can last as long as several hundred years.

On your next trip into Amish Originals Furniture Co., pull open a drawer and look a little closer - it's nice to take a beat and appreciate the history, balance, ingenuity, and artistry in such an age-old and simple idea.

To read more...

eHow: History of Dovetail Joinery

The Harp Gallery

365 Tao: Dovetail

Amish Originals Furniture Co.: Local Links - SOS Day & 4th Fridays

Serving Our Seniors Day

In it's fourth year, the Westerville Police Division, in partnership with the Westerville Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, presents Serving Our Seniors (SOS) Safety Day.  This year, the event is Saturday, April 2nd at Westerville North High School, 950 County Line Rd. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

SOS Day is a free event designed to reach out and offer support to seniors and caregivers.  Features include information, demonstrations and education/awareness on safety, crime prevention, and health and wellness. Safety seminars conducted by the Ohio Attorney General's Office and Ohio Insurance Department will include topics such as identity theft and scams and how to avoid predatory sales practices. 

More than 60 Exhibitors will be present and there's free lunch, and door prizes! The Westerville Senior Center is providing transportation to and from SOS Day. The cost is $3 and deadline to register for bus transportation is March 31st.  Click here for more information.

It's a celebration! From April to September the fourth Friday of every month, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Westerville Visitors and Convention Bureau presents 4th Friday, a community block party in Uptown Westerville.  Shop and Dine Uptown Westerville, check out street vendors and exhibitors, and enjoy live entertainment.  Each month has a theme:

▪ Uptown Alive: April 29th (yeah, not the 4th Friday of April, the date changed this year since Good Friday is on the 22nd).

▪ Back to Nature: May 27th

▪ Safety Fest: June 24th

▪ World Bazaar: July 22nd

▪ Dog Days of Summer: August 26th

▪ School Daze: September 23rd

Click here for more information.

Amish Originals Furniture Co. is always open during 4th Friday hours, so stop by to visit, browse, and shop.

Amish Originals Furniture Co.: Everyday Special Serve, Store, and Display

Amish Originals Furniture Co. features a selection of everyday household convenience items, like cutting boards, bread boxes, trivet baskets, and trash bins that are Amish-crafted, made-in-Ohio hardwood just like our furniture. Most are "Take Home Today" items and make great gifts.

Quick Turnaround.

Our Lazy Susan is made from Oak, Brown Maple, Cherry, or Quarter Sawn White Oak.  Each Lazy Susan has a rounded wooden base with a felt bottom and ball bearing turning mechanism.  Handy all around the house and great house warming and wedding gifts. Available in 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 inch diameters. Prices start at $30. for railed Lazy Susans and $19. for flat top Lazy Susans.

Utility Infielder.

Our simple, elegant wood tray features dovetail joinery, raised sides, and handles. Great as a decorative accent, special service, or as an everyday work horse around the house for everything from breakfast in bed to materials for school projects.  Our serving trays also make great gifts for any occasion. Available in a variety of woods and finishes from oak to cherry. Prices start at $25.

Amish Originals Furniture Co.: What's In Store? Perfect Petzzz

Shhhhh... they're sleeping. Brand new to our collection of gifts and accents: Perfect Petzzz.  Soft as real-life, these sweet sleeping baby animals make great gifts for any pet enthusiast or animal care provider, and are perfect for kids bedrooms.

Perfect Petzzz are sweet, huggable, soft sleeping puppies, kittens, and baby wild animals that are animated to breathe like they're in a sound sleep.  Our soft, snuggly petzzz come with a cozy bed (pile lined inside and corduroy outside), buckle collar with tag, brush, adoption certificate and 1 "D" battery. (Perfect Petzzz can be registered online, too, at the Perfect Petzzz website.)  Oh, and Perfect Petzzz are made of 100% synthetic materials.

Starting at $34.99, our selection includes a baby Panda, Boston Terrier, Pug, Bulldog, Boxer, Collie, Jack Russell, Golden Retriever, Black Lab, and Schnauzer.

Photos of Corgi puppy and Bull Dog puppy courtesy of Perfect Petzzz.

Amish Originals Furniture Co.: Amish-crafted Small Comfort

New! Our Petite Mission Wall Hugger Recliner with panel sides is a space conscious and comfortable way to relax and recline.  Stable, wide arms are a perfect spot to rest remote controls, cell phones, books, and ebook readers.

With the wall hugger design, the smooth, ball bearing reclining mechanism built into the chair moves in a downward motion and takes up minimal additional space to the back of the recliner as it extends.

The petite recliner is 32" wide with 21.5" of cushioned seating between the arms.

Or stop by and take our Mission Wall Hugger for a comfort test recline.  The Mission Wall Hugger is 36.5" wide with 37.5" deep seating.

Amish Originals Furniture Co. upholstered seating features an extensive selection of durable fabric and leather options for any taste, mood, or style.

Available in oak, cherry, quarter-sawn white oak, maple, or hickory.

Amish Originals Furniture Co.: Settlers Plank

New! The Settlers Plank Table features a signature hand-planed top and hand-hewn edge.

Available in oak, cherry, quarter-sawn white oak, maple, hickory, brown maple, and rustic cherry with two leaves.

Amish Originals Furniture Co.: The Height of Casual Dining

New! Belly up to the bar or cozy up to a pub table. Our Laker 24" Bar Chair is available in oak (pictured), cherry, or brown maple with wood, fabric, or leather seat options.  And, we've got the perfect accompaniment - our 36" X 36" Shaker pub table.

Perfect for the man cave, homework, or family game night! Amish Originals Furniture Co. carries a wide variety of pub tables, bar chairs, and stools.

Amish Originals Furniture Co.: Select Chair Pad Markdowns

50% off discontinued Chair Pads at Amish Originals Furniture Co.  8 N. State St. location.  (While supplies last.)

Amish Originals Furniture Co.: Local Links - Honor Flight

Honor Flight is a wonderful way to honor and thank the Greatest Generation.

Through Honor Flight, World War II veterans take a free flight to Washington, DC for a tour-of-honor including the World War II Memorial.

Each flight leaves in the morning and returns the same evening.  Since 2007, more than 2000 WWII veterans in greater Columbus have taken the Honor Flight.

Honor Flight is funded entirely by donations and volunteer support from the community.

There are many ways to donate to 2011 Westerville's Honor Flight (currently scheduled for September 10th):

- Purchase a Memorial Day Field of Heroes American flag and earmark your donation for Honor Flight. 

- Attend the third annual Pancake Breakfast on June 18th from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the American Legion Hall at 393 E. College.

- Join Honor Flight at the August 26th Fourth Friday for the Pork-a-Palooza from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

- Contribute directly to Honor Flight.

To learn more about trip details, visit Honor Flight Columbus, just click here.

Like Honor Flight Westerville on facebook!