Amish woodworkers labor painstakingly in the woodshop to create high quality and enduring furniture for their families, communities, and the “English” around them. But each craftsman finds great satisfaction in creating heirloom pieces that reflect Amish values of utility, simplicity, and excellence. Built from the finest wood in the Amish tradition, these superior pieces complement the family meal-time tradition. Before that they live with the bride’s family and it is during this time that they seek out foundational pieces for their home, including a dining table. They know that as their family grows, that dining table will prove its worth over and over again in promoting family bonding, and will become a treasured, long-lasting heirloom.

American culture has always embraced large family gatherings to celebrate special events and holidays. Now many in our modern society have rediscovered the importance of regular family meal times. Many families now actively strive to reinstate this crucial time of family bonding in their busy routines. Following this growing trend, many families are choosing to add significance to traditional meals and special family gatherings with a durable Amish-made dining set or oak dining room tables.

Although farming has historically been the mainstay of the Amish economy, high land prices and a growing population have led more and more men to pursue a craft such a furniture building. Outbuildings are converted to woodshops or new buildings are built to house their woodworking businesses. Thus the market for handcrafted Amish furniture has thrived. These days, a wide variety of furniture is available in many styles due to the growing number of woodworking shops. Furniture can even be custom-ordered according to wood type, leg style, skirting, dimensions, and finish. Amish craftsman typically sell their creations directly from their own shops, but many have partnered with local “English” businessmen to distribute their goods in nearby stores or over the Internet.

Wood dining furniture styles include the familiar Mission style, as well as Shaker, Windsor, Queen Anne, French Country, Hoosier, sheaf-backed, Franklin, Malibu, Portland, and other more contemporary styles. The Amish use only the highest quality woods—no imitations or laminates. One can choose from oak, cherry, walnut, maple, or pine, among others. When choosing a dining table, an important detail to consider is the leg supports, which might be a set of basic four legs, trestle, or pedestal. Table tops are available in a wide variety of designs, including circular, oval, square, rectangular, and octagonal. Leaf styles can be side drop, separate center, or stowleaf.