Please also refer to the section Wood Types and Stains for more information. 

Hickory: A deciduous tree coming from the species Carya. They are native to North, South and Central America and very few are found in Asia. The hickory tree is predominately cultivated in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas throughout the United States. At 1820 on the Janka hardness scale, Hickory is our hardest wood.

Maple (Acer Saccharum): Grown from the Great Lakes to Canada. Hard Rock Maple is excellent for high 'impact resistant' applications or where a uniform light creamy yellowish/white color is sought. Northern Maple is naturally 50% harder than Red Oak lumber, Maple has a strong, uniform physical grain structure. The luster or visual texture of Maple offers a changing panorama of beauty as light strikes the wood from various angles. Maple is growing in it's popularity due to its natural coloration. Maple scores 1450 on the Janka hardness test.

1/4 Sawn Oak: White Oak (Quercus Alba). All 1/4 Sawn orders on our site are built using White Oak. Very similiar to red oak but slightly harder and when 1/4 sawn, provides more "ray flake". Ray flake is the distinctive striping which is seen in antique wood pieces. 1/4 Sawn Oak is primarily used on Shaker and Mission style pieces to more accurately represent the look of antique furniture. White Oak scores 1360 on the Janka hardness test.

Regular Oak: Red Oak (Quercus Rubra), A beautiful hardwood chosen by the American consumer 50% of the time as their wood species of choice for furniture. It's three dimensional warmth, uniform color, durability and ease of finishing have built Oaks reputation. Grown in the eastern US, especially in the Appalachians, oak exhibits large open grain. Our regular Oak pieces are made using Red Oak, 1/4 Sawn pieces are built using White Oak which provides more "ray flake" (the distinctive grain in 1/4 Sawn Oak) . Red Oak scores 1260 on the Janka hardness test.

Cherry: (Prunus Serotina): Found from Maine to the Appalachians. Finest growth is from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Light reddish-brown in color with a warm easygoing grain that may include small pitch pockets of minerals. Cherry will darken with exposure to light. Cherry scores 950 on the Janka hardness test.

Brown Maple: Soft maple is a lumber term, not species of tree. This normally refers to the cousin of the hard maple tree. Amish craftsmen often use soft, or brown maple as many Amish refer to it, for paint grade pieces. This wood is about 25% softer than hard maple and places it in the category of cherry and walnut. The wood is usually straight grained and smooth. Amish furniture craftsmen are using brown maple in their solid wood furniture. Amish craftsmen are using modern day dye stain techniques to give the wood a different look. One popular color of dye stain is "Expresso". This dye stain gives a very dark, rich color to the wood and it is lower in cost than cherry.

Consumer note: Amish like to use soft maple for their painted and dye stained furniture.. The lower cost of the wood and saves the consumer money. The smooth grain pattern takes the paint very well giving a smooth, rich finish.
source: Amish Furniture Education

Furniture Finishes:
Our furniture is finished with one coat of stain and two coats of Woodwright catalyzed varnish which resists moisture from penetrating the furniture. Fingerprints, cooking fumes, smoking residue etc. accumulates on any finished surface. None of these contaminants will harm the finish, but they should be periodically removed to restore the finish to its original luster. Just wipe the surface with a cloth dampened with a non-wax containing polish or mild detergent solution. Avoid the use of ammonia - based products or silicone oils as they may cause damage if used over a long period of time. Following these simple steps will keep your finished piece looking like new for many years.We also can custom match your new furniture to your existing furniture for an additional charge.

Distressing: Distressing in the decorative arts is the activity of making a piece of furniture or object appear aged and older. Distressing has become a popular design style and decorative art form. The artisan attempts a rustic, attractive, one-of-a-kind appearance or vintage look. The final appearance is often called the patina. Distressing can be applied to a variety of surfaces and materials such as wood, glass, metal, plastic and paint. The Shabby chic style has made both distressing and antiquing popular.
source: wikipedia

Stain Sample Boards Are Available:
However due to the costs involved, we cannot mail samples until your order is placed. If you require boards/swatches of our normal stains that would be applied to your order at no additional charge, a $35 dollar refundable deposit will be added to your order. If the boards are returned before your order is shipped you will not be credited.

We have a series of some very special stains that are very high gloss showing a very deep surface adding to the woods true beauty.  Some of these colors are; Chocolate (#68), Light Brown (63), Olde English (#59), Olde Tavern (#60).  These finishes are achieved through an extensive 12 part process and will increase the cost of your order from 25- 45% depending on the stain.  We are unable to caputure and luster of the depth and beauty of the wood and therefore have chosen not even to attempt to have images created.  There is also a $75 refundable deposit that will be added to your order, if the stain boards are returned before you order is shipped , you will be credited.  Note well, that these stain boards will take time and sometimes as long as 6 weeks to make because they have to be worked in with current production requirements. 

These Stains are for reference only, please see "stains" for our actual stain colors