Puzzle Amish
Puzzle Amish
Many people think that traditional craftsmen use old world tools to create their world famous solid wood Amish furniture. While it is not uncommon for hand tools to be part of the process of furniture making, power tools are also used when powered by electric generators and retrofitted for specific tasks.
One of the most common hand tools you might see when visiting the wood shop of an Amish furniture maker is a special chisel used to cut the ends of table legs so that they fit together with mortise and tenon joinery. This traditional joinery looks a little bit like puzzle pieces that fit together and stabilize perfectly. One piece of wood has a mortise, which is a recessed area, a groove of an exact shape, and the other piece of wood has a tenon, a tongue that fits precisely into the mortise in the matching piece of wood. This type of joinery creates sturdy construction that allows tables and chairs to take a lot of hard use.
A mortising chisel is a very unique tool that most people would not recognize in a photo or even in use. It is used to cut a square cavity of various lengths and usually about three quarters of an inch in depth. The square shape of the mortise, or the cavity, is designed to accommodate the exact shape of the tenon, or the tongue or projection that fits into the cavity in the matching piece of wood.
You will find a variety of mortise and tenon assembly styles if you examine Amish furniture closely. Here are a few different styles:
Mortises:
Open – has three sides only, not the usual four sides;
Stub – shallow, doesn’t go all the way through the board;
Through – goes all the way through the board, creating a hole;
Dovetail – the back is wider than the front which only allows for insertion, not withdrawal, making it very sturdy.
Tenons:
Stub – so short that it doesn’t go all the way through the matching board, invisible on the other side;
Through – perfect length to pass completely through the other board, visible on the other side;
Tusk – uses an additional small piece of wood called a key that hold the two boards together;
Half shoulder – asymmetric in shape.
Each of these will achieve the goal of a strong connection between one piece of wood and another. Each is used for a particular application depending on the width and thickness of the board. A heavy table leg would require a different mortise and tenon style than a delicate chair leg. But a mortising chisel would be used on both.
Of course there are power tools used to create mortise and tenon joinery as well, generally referred to as mortising routers, special bits that carve out the shapes necessary for two pieces of wood to fit together snugly. These bits are used in a drill press or a router to make the cuts.
To see a selection of Amish furniture made by traditional craftsmen who often use mortising chisels to create heirloom quality tables and chairs visit http://www.amishfurniturefactory.com and take a look around. Solid wood furniture crafted the old world way will bring elegance to every room in your home.
Mia Sherwood Landau is a writer and blogger for business clients and an author of viral fiction. You can find her at http://www.mia-sherwood-landau.com and in her cabin in the woods, where office expenses are low and so are the the fees! She’ll be working away on her laptop, putting together a patchwork of words and photos for her clients’ needs, and eager to hear about yours.
Is there a particular name for the type of heavy wood coffee tables that the tops are on hinges?
The one I’m describing looks like a normal coffee table but the top will rise up when pulled and stand at a higher position, like for doing puzzles or reading or eating…I think that they are Amish crafted pieces occasionally?
Lift-top or maybe shadow box coffee tables? Sorry not sure….
Jigsaw
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Plain and Simple: A Woman’s Journey to the Amish $2.95 The San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. A graceful story of a search for meaning, simplicity, and order…. |
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Soft Shapes My First Puzzles Nursery Rhymes $8.02 Soft Shape My First Puzzle, Nursery Rhymes, contain Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Baa, Baa Black Sheep and more. The Puzzles in this fun foam set feature whimsical illustrations framed by sweet nursery rhymes. Includes reusable storage bag…. |
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Soft Shapes Chunky Puzzle: Deep Sea Dive: (Foam Puzzle and Playset) $7.47 Each Chunky Puzzle Play set includes six chunky pop-out pieces that stock to the sides of the tub and stand for hours of imaginative play. A floating tray provides permanent storage for fun in the bath or on the go. Deep Sea Dive makes an underwater scene including an Octopus, Shark, Diver and more. Busy Little Farm, Find out what the animals say. A Scene with Pigs, Chickens, Farmer and more pop o… |
Tags: amish puzzle ball, amish puzzle ball pattern, amish puzzle ball pincushion, photo, pincushion, puzzle, puzzle amish, puzzle amish quilts, sewing, sharing, tutorial
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 at 8:20 pm and is filed under Toys and Hobbies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.