Wanting to learn about industrial wood working. Where to go?

[Andrew Hughes]

Sorry Brian but I disagree most people have furniture in their homes from Ikea,Living spaces,Mathis bros,Pottry barn the list goes on. I see no advertising from the highend stuff.Not even Thomas moser.
But Crate and barrel rustic farm tables made from Indonesian rubber wood all day long.

[Brian Holcombe]

Two companies I mentioned are publicly owned, you can google their sales figures, projections, product line, retail locations and so forth.

Walk down a street in Soho, or Beverly Hills and you'll see their product along side the famous Danish and Italian makers.

[scott vroom]

The days of the furniture craftsman is over

There are plenty of small business and hobby craftsman furniture makers, some of whom are SMC members, that might disagree.

[Martin Wasner]

There are plenty of small business and hobby craftsman furniture makers, some of whom are SMC members, that might disagree.

In a literal sense, you are correct. In a statistical model they are insignificant contributors to production. (Kinda like thinking the home garden is significant to farming numbers here in the USA.)

Consumers with any free money and any idea of what quality is are directly proportionate and shrinking in numbers daily.

[Andrew Hughes]

The Craftsman and the Artist Craftsman what is the difference?
An example when a artist craftsman makes a cutting board he will be more concerned about how it looks.The pattern of all the different woods he carefully selected and arranged for the best look.

When a craftsman makes a cutting board he is more concerned about how it will be used.It also needs to be affordable so more thought is put into making a board fast that will last and serve the needs of the buyer.
This is a example of what I've come to realize. One year i made cutting boards for christmas and handed them out to friends and family.Not many wanted to use them because they were too pretty i failed as a craftsman. But succeed as a artist.
A craftsman is a higher calling.

[scott vroom]

Could probably start a whole new thread dedicated to what is an interesting topic. I'd agree there are fewer craftsmen furniture makers working in a production environment. But a true craftsman isn't defined by his/her employment status. I don't agree that "The days of the furniture craftsman is over" unless your criteria for craftsman is employment in a particular industry.

But I know what you mean.

[jack duren]

There are a lot of studio shops in Kansas City but aren't large by any means.. Where I work at is being restructured. We are hiring 25 employees to start just to level out.

According to the owner of our company,there are no restaurant furniture companies in the U.S. who is "king of the hill". Our company wants to be the first..

We are turning down contracts left and right. We can't handle anymore. The company already does 500hrs a week in overtime... I'm working Labor Day and still looking for an apprentice...

[jack duren]

There are plenty of small business and hobby craftsman furniture makers, some of whom are SMC members, that might disagree.

Key word "small"...

[scott vroom]

Jack, why is that a key word? I don't recall seeing a definition of Craftsman that includes a reference to volume output.

[Lee Schierer]

Are there really furniture factory's in the USA.I know about Thos Moser nothing.Dont know anyone that can afford to buy from them.
Hooker furniture was the last of the Giants. The days of the furniture craftsman is over

Stickley Furniture makes some really nice furniture. Stickley offers public tours of their Manlius factory at 1 Stickley Drive Manlius, NY 13104 every Tuesday at 10:00AM.

[Martin Wasner]

According to the owner of our company,there are no restaurant furniture companies in the U.S. who is "king of the hill". Our company wants to be the first..

just like home building, restaurants are built by a gc. That gc has a relationship with whomever is building the fixtures he needs. That's a massive market to try and take a big chunk out of.

I wonder what the yearly sales would be, and what kind of staff would be required to even take a 1% bite out of that segment.

[jack duren]

We rarely do small restaurants. There mainly after large contracts.. We did work for the mercedes benz stadium in Georgia before it opened.. http://www.midwestcabinet.com/ is our sister company...

[jack duren]

Here's am example of the problem. We took on maple street biscuit company We took 5 days to do one store. I have 2 days to do another store. See a problem

[Darcy Warner]

Here's am example of the problem. We took on maple street biscuit company We took 5 days to do one store. I have 2 days to do another store. See a problem

Yeah, much easier to just supply the parts to someone else that can put them together and install them.

I always get in a pickle trying to bite off too big of a hunk.

[Don Orr]

Stickley Furniture makes some really nice furniture. Stickley offers public tours of their Manlius factory at 1 Stickley Drive Manlius, NY 13104 every Tuesday at 10:00AM.

There is also Harden Furniture not far from there. They go from log to finished product in a single facility.