"Eldred Wheeler ... renowned for their authentic hand-made reproductions of 18th century pieces using native woods of Cherry and Tiger Maple."
We would like to take this opportunity to give you a little background about Eldred Wheeler and the products we make. Eldred Wheeler was created with the goal of handcrafting affordable antique reproduction furniture to the same standards set by eighteenth century American craftsmen.
This undertaking has not been an easy task. Eighteenth century craftsmen only used the finest materials, such as wide boards, hand forged nails, and hand filed hardware. These materials are not easy to obtain today. Also, the construction techniques used by eighteenth century craftsmen such as pegged mortise and tenon, and dovetail joints require extensive hand fitting. In today’s world, labor intensive products are by necessity very expensive. Nevertheless, we approached our business out of love for the pieces we produce. For us nothing could match the feeling of hand planed wide boards or the patina of a hand-rubbed shellac finish. Like antiques, we wanted to produce furniture with character; items that would be cherished for generations.
It is important to understand that our pieces are just like those produced 200 years ago. Our beds, chests and dressers could be found in an eighteenth century New England bedroom, and our Queen Anne pieces elsewhere in a traditional colonial home. Consequently, they are very different from the modern “production” furniture offered today. Our antique reproduction furniture is not for everyone. Because our pieces are handcrafted and made from highly individual woods such as tiger maple and wide cherry, they are by nature imperfect. There are variations of grain and color in the wood, and hand tooled marks are evident on exterior and interior surfaces. Each of our carvings is completed by hand; we leave all layout scribe marks as was common 200 years ago.
Because wide boards constantly expand and contract over the years, our pieces will display characteristics of this movement. We feel all these idiosyncrasies add charm and give each piece character of its own. However, not everyone would agree with us. Some people prefer to think of furniture as “only furniture” and not as sculpture or art form; perhaps that is adequate for them, but we treasure each of our pieces the same as we cherish fine paintings and antiques.
We hope that you will inquire if you have any questions about Eldred Wheeler, or the furniture we craft. We have strived to accomplish our goal of producing affordable, investment quality furniture to the same standards set by eighteenth century American craftsmen.
