Are the Amish Known for Their Pocket Holes? :-)

We were in a cabinet store, just looking for ideas. There was a great lacking in craftsmanship, even in their high end line, especially in the box construction. There was not a drop of glue to be seen anywhere. Their mid-level line used cam & pin like Sauder and Ikea "in-a-box" assembly bookshelves.

I had to cough to hide my laughter as the saleslady took us over to their "high end" cabinets and touted, "Our high quality line uses pocket hole construction like the Amish are known for."

I grew up near "Amish country" and don't know if they're known for their pocket holes or not, but I do know that none of the cabinets in this store were anywhere near the quality of Amish rejects.

Reply to
-MIKE-
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In support of your observation, I found it interesting to learn that Mennonites had emigrated to China. What once was badge of honour and quality, Mennonite furniture has gone for an absolute crap around here. It once was a 'form-follows-function' piece of furniture, executed meticulously, now appears to have become a 'style' made everywhere but by Mennonites... BUT...still for the same money. $ 2700 for a simple eating-type table is one thing.. but with FINGER jointed planks for the apron? Glued up legs without any consideration for grain...or even species? Then coat the whole thing with toned lacquer? Yup, from 30 paces it LOOKS like a piece of Mennonite quality...but come no closer. Sacrilege !!! Death to Chinese Mennonites!! OFF with their heads!!

Reply to
Robatoy

We learned a few years ago that not all Amish is what you expect.

We bought some bedroom furniture at an Amish store in Eureka Springs several years ago. And as you say, it was very high quality. But as we were shopping I noticed several large, beautiful walnut wall carvings. Some were absolute duplicates. I asked the salesperson how long the Amish had been doing laser etching. She smiled sheepishly and said "Well, they do farm some of their stuff out to Mennonites."

We also stopped in an Amish furniture factory in Yoder, Kansas and were, again, impressed with the craftsmanship. In Amish fashion, the showroom was lighted with gas lights and heated with wood. As we left we noted that the gate between the two shop building was open and a door into the shop was open. I walked over to see what an old world Amish shop looked like. Norm would have been green with envy! Latest Delta, Powermatic, etc. I asked someone in town about it and was told they are not supposed to own that kind of equipment. But they can lease it.

RonB

Reply to
RonB

Actually, there HAVE been Mennonites in China for many years - but they are not the "amish" or "old order" and they don't make "mennonite furniture" and export it to the USA or Canada.

Reply to
clare

On 3/13/2011 1:59 PM, RonB wrote: ...

The sect rules that I'm aware of in central KS around Hutch/Yoder/etc., seem to limit the proscription to the house and personal lifestyle; same rules do not apply to the farm operations, for example (have lights in the barn, not the house; milking machines for the dairy, no washing machine for the house), etc.

I've always presumed the same rules were in place with the furniture shop and the rest of the Yoder businesses--business is business.

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Reply to
dpb

I believe it was FWW, years ago, which ran an article about a very sophisticated woodworking shop without electric motors. All either air or hydraulic. A single diesel engine, started with compressed air, ran the hydraulic pump, which in turn drove a whole mess of hydraulic motors, including air-compressors, which in turn drove airpowered routers and sanders. Completely non-electric.

Reply to
Robatoy

Sounds like the men have an absolute need to for modern machine whilst the women would be sinners with them.

I've always presumed the same rules were in place with the furniture shop and the rest of the Yoder businesses--business is business.

Reply to
Josepi

On 3/13/2011 4:39 PM, Robatoy wrote: ...

I recall that as well.

It's been a number of years since I've actually stopped in Yoder; then they were running off a large diesel genset as "off-the-grid" was req'd even though could use the power in the shops (or farms, meat packing/butcher shop, etc., etc., ...).

Only an insider can really figure out the ins and outs of where the actual lines are.

Re: the other poster on the man/woman thing; in Yoder it's same way in the businesses that are women-dominant--it appears they use whatever the going is in the business; it's the personal activities that are proscribed against having "luxuries".

Reply to
dpb

The Amish make a distinction between business and home, and generally don't have a problem with trying new things. Guy goes to the elders, "There's this new thing called a six-axis numerically controlled machining center that I'd like to try out . . ." After discussion the elders decide that he's welcome to try it as long as he understands that he might have to give it up if it proves disruptive to the community or damaging to community values.

Reply to
J. Clarke

As I understand it, Amish churches regulate use of technology through a set of oral guidelines known as the Ordnung. Amish leaders aim to slow or prevent change if a given technology is seen to be a threat.

Mennonites differ from the Amish as they do not shun the use of technology as much as the Amish. Therefore, will use electricity and power tools if it benefits them financially.

Reply to
SBH

On 3/13/2011 7:29 PM, SBH wrote: ...

...

They differ within the broad classification as well...there's another group closer to us than Hutchinson/Yoder area that are _much_ more strict than those around Yoder...

Reply to
dpb

---------------------------------------- Mennonites AKA: "Beardless Amishmen".

My dad used to sell oil and grease to the Amish for their tractors that were used strictly for belt power for the saw mills.

This was during '45-'55 time period in North Central Ohio.

Not much has changed.

If the Amish buy a farm that is "on the grid", they pull the wiring out.

Lew

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

We bought a bedroom and dining room in an Amish store in Navarre, Ohio. It's all made on the premises, mostly to order (they modified the hutch to suit our needs). Nice stuff. I want to get back up there to fill out the set and buy a breakfast set.

Reply to
krw

The Ohio Amish we bought out stuff from use electricity for their woodworking but they're off-grid. They have a bank of diesel generators, which I found somewhat amusing.

Reply to
krw

Yes there are different qualities of Amish furniture like everything else. We have a large upper scale shopping mall in the SW Houston area that had a store that sold Amish furniture. It was CRAP. The store did not last. I have found that the better furniture is typically ordered, not in stock, and the price of the piece is the delivered in side your house price, assuming you live a reasonable distance from the store.

My wife and I recently bought 6 Amish dining room chairs that seem to be top quality. What I did not buld them? LOL $250 each. Probably at least $100 worth of wood in each chair, can I build a chair like this for $150? No, maybe if I was building a dozen or so. AND we probably looked at 8~9 Amish stores in the last 2 years and found this particular chair in most all of the stores. The problem is that while they looked the same they don't feel the same. Between the first store which we found in a small town 200+ miles away and the store that we bought from we never found the chair that felt right. IMHO chairs have to feel good too, since all the chairs in the different stores looked the same but did not feel the same I felt that going to the trouble to build a copy might very well result in a good looking chair but there was a chance it might not feel the same. Our chairs came with a life time warranty.

Reply to
Leon

In my state the Amish will use a team of four horses to pull a wagon with a diesel generator sitting on it. Wagon has steel or wood wheels of course. Then the PTO shaft of the diesel generator will be hooked to the corn picker. Corn picker will be tossing the ears into a wagon running alongside pulled by another team of horses. For some reason its acceptable to have a diesel engine running the corn picker as long as the diesel isn't powering itself down the field. A tractor.

Reply to
russellseaton1

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