The Process Of Making Southwest Furniture

Techniques & Elements To Make Our Southwest Furniture

Southwestern Furniture, Carving Tools

Carving a Southwestern Table Leg

Materials

Traditionally pine wood has been used to make Southwestern furniture, after years working with several different kinds of pine wood we are producing all our pieces with sugar pine. We select the boards for it's quality at our supplier's lumber yard. Furniture grade solid sugar pine wood is important because it's kilned dried ---or fire hardened---to prevent cracking and warping, unlike the green wood some manufacturers use. Sugar pine is a noble wood, which can be stained in almost any color and the results are always excellent. Upon request we can also produce furniture pieces in oak & alder among others.

Hand Carvings

You can find in almost any southwestern piece certain structural and ornamental details. Rosettes also called sunbursts, can be crafted in different ways, squared or rounded edges, inside, outside carved or fan folded shape.

Also we have chip carving as well as steps and bullet carvings placed to balance designs in chair backs, aprons, doors and frames.

Chip Carving

Rope carving is also a very distinctive element in southwestern furniture and usually appears in cabinet corners, chairs and table legs among others.

Rope Carving

Our models feature carvings which make a strong statement and profound detail. wood pegs are used for ornamental purposes only.

This Particular look and carving can be added to any other piece, just ask !!

Structural Elements

Our furniture is produced using "Mortise and Tenon Joints" this is done joining boards, cutting a rectangular hole, a mortise, into which a tongue, the tenon, is inserted.

Simple and strong, the mortise and tenon joint (also called the mortice and tenon) has been used for millennia by woodworkers around the world to join two pieces of wood, most often at an angle close to 90°. Although there are many variations on the theme, the basic idea is that end of one of the members is inserted into a hole cut in the other member. The end of the first member is called the tenon, and it is usually narrowed with respect to the rest of the piece. The hole in the second member is called the mortise. The joint may be glued, pinned, or wedged to lock it in place.

Dovetail Joint

Front end dovetail joints are used in all drawers. A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a woodworking joinery technique. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart (tensile strength), the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of tails cut into the end of another board. The pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape. Once glued, the joint is permanent, and requires no mechanical fasteners.