Great Southwest Furniture Design, Inc.

Custom Southwestern Furniture,  Lamps, Wall Decor & Upholstery Fabrics

 

Materials

Traditionally pine wood has been used to make Southwestern furniture, after years working with several different kinds of pine wood we are producing all our pieces with sugar pine. We select the boards for it's quality at our supplier's lumber yard. Furniture grade solid sugar pine wood is important because it's kilned dried ---or fire hardened---to prevent cracking and warping, unlike the green wood some manufacturers use.  Sugar pine is a noble wood, which  can be stained in almost any color and the results are always excellent. Upon request we can also produce furniture pieces in oak & alder between others.

 

Hand Carvings

You can find in almost any southwestern piece certain structural and ornamental details. Rosettes also called sunbursts, can be crafted in different ways, squared or rounded edges, inside, outside carved or fan folded shape.

Sunburst.jpg (24512 bytes)

Carving Table Leg

Rosette on curved chair back

 

 

Also we have chip carving as well as steps and bullet carvings placed to balance designs in chair backs, aprons, doors and frames.

Chip Carving

Chip Carving

 

Rope carving is also a very distinctive element in southwestern furniture and usually appears in cabinet corners, chairs and table legs among others.

Rope carving on cabinet edge

Rope Carving

Rope Carving On Table Leg

  Our models feature carvings which make a strong statement and profound detail. wood pegs are used for ornamental purposes only.

 

This Particular look and carving can be added to any other piece, just ask !!

Southwest Hand Carving Available For Any Piece Of Furniture

 

Structural Elements

Our furniture is produced using "Mortise and Tenon Joints" this is done joining boards, cutting a rectangular hole, a mortise, into which a tongue, the tenon, is inserted.

Mortise and Tenon

Simple and strong, the mortise and tenon joint (also called the mortice and tenon) has been used for millennia by woodworkers around the world to join two pieces of wood, most often at an angle close to 90°. Although there are many variations on the theme, the basic idea is that end of one of the members is inserted into a hole cut in the other member. The end of the first member is called the tenon, and it is usually narrowed with respect to the rest of the piece. The hole in the second member is called the mortise. The joint may be glued, pinned, or wedged to lock it in place.

Front end dovetail joints are used in all drawers. A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a woodworking joinery technique. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart (tensile strength), the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of tails cut into the end of another board. The pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape. Once glued, the joint is permanent, and requires no mechanical fasteners.

Dovetail Joint

Dovetail Joint

All drawers feature high quality full extension ball bearing slides.

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Tops in all cabinets, tables, night stands, chests, etc. are made of one solid piece of wood, no particle board or veneers are used.

Solid Wood Table Top

Spindles are a short decorative upright piece, turned or hand-carved used mostly in chairs and trastero doors.

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The Southwest Furniture Making Process In Pictures

Great Southwest Custom Entertainment Center