Rough sawn furniture is actually timber which is originally cut but not sanded or smoothed. In other words, there is no specific finishing.

Not surprisingly, this type of furniture is cheaper than ones with finishing touches of the same raw materials. Generally, such furniture has a special sort of beauty, similar to Mother Nature. It is possible to make your wood products if you live in a wooded area. You need to have some woodworking skills as well.

Plywood, softwood and hardwood are used commonly to make wood products. In truth, plywood is man-made and not a natural wood product. But, it is rather cheap. The problem is that it does not last for years due to its low quality. Cedar, pine and redwood are typical softwood examples.

Both cedar and redwood are favorite picks for making outdoor wood products. For indoor wood products, pine is the general softwood pick. This is hardly surprising considering that this wood has been popular from the times of bygone western American days.

For a longer lasting period, it is important to care for your pine wood items. For longer lasting products, choose furniture made from hardwood timber such as oak, cherry, mahogany and walnut. Normally, this hardwood trees belong to the deciduous category.

For rough sawn furniture which can last long with hardly any maintenance, choose oak furniture. Oak possesses an anti-septic property which is natural. If you wish to have lovely and rich brown furniture items with purple shades, think about getting walnut furniture. Since walnut and oak possess natural grain markings, furniture made out of them have unique beauty in spite of the lack of finishing.

To summarize, buy rough sawn furniture for a cheaper alternative to products made out of similar raw materials. In spite of the lack of finishing touches, mahogany, oak and walnut ones can last for years.

Mennonite furniture are pieces made by hand in a finely crafted manner. The furniture lasts through several generations and is comprised of woods that are combined to create a home spun feel.

Mennonites came from Russia as immigrants looking forward to a different life in North America. Settling in Midwest states like Nebraska and on the Canadian continent, they sought to make a life. They came rituals and traditions, such as carpentry. This was most obvious in the homes they built as well as the furniture used to decorate the homes.

With the passage of time, generations of offspring eschewed the furniture making and the practice verged on extinction. There are very few that understand the ways in which Mennonite carpentry is done, so being able to locate such designers is a plus.

Furniture purchased are best made from companies with a reputation for quality and a guarantee it is truly Mennonite made. It is easy to run into a company selling pieces that may be fake. Because each piece is hand designed, even those that are meant to be similar will have differences. Buyers need to check for lifetime warranties.

Those that has more money were able to purchase furniture with an inlaid design. Those without as much money or those unwilling to buy these pieces were able to get replicas that looked as if inlay work had been done.

The pieces often serve more than one purpose. Looking at the pieces made for sleeping, they can be turned into seating at a moment’s notice. Furniture ranges from baby beds, wood shed, to perfectly designed cabinets. Almost anything that is created from wood is possible. Carpenters that craft Mennonite furniture are known to cultivate their own wood. This helps maintain the custom passed on by those that are no longer living.