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Amish Furniture Makers Will Only Use Solid Wood — Never a Wood Substitute

Amish woodworkers don’t just set out to build furniture. They aim to craft heirlooms that will stand the test of time and survive through generations. That’s why you’ll never find a piece of authentic Amish-crafted furniture constructed with flimsy materials like particleboard or MDF.

These artisans stick to locally sourced wood, exclusively. Some of the most common woods in their workshops are super-durable red and white oak, cherry, hickory and brown maple.

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The Amish Use a Different Kind of Power Tool — One That Doesn’t Require Electricity

The Amish, as a culture, are well-known for eschewing modern conveniences like electricity, mainly to remain off the public grid. But that does not necessarily mean Amish woodworkers are limited to hand tools.

Although hand planes, saws, hammers and chisels are commonplace, the Amish also use their own version of power tools, called pneumatic tools. Instead of electricity, pneumatic tools run on compressed air, and are, in this case, fueled by a diesel engine. Miter saws, sanders and buffers are common pneumatic tools in an Amish furniture maker’s tool collection.