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Will We Survive Or Fade Away As The Dinosaurs Have.

4K views 45 replies 28 participants last post by  langski93 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
A Disturbing Trend in Furniture Production.

A recent report mentioned on a USDA Forest Service web site suggested that by 2010 "little will remain of the domestic wood industry". Furniture being manufactured in China, Canada, and Italy will continue to take an increasingly large bite out of the U.S. industry. As an example of this trend, Boyhill has closed its last remaining U.S. factory and is importing furniture from China. It looks like studio furniture will be some of the last American made furniture left.

Articles like this make me wonder why we even try.
 
#9 ·
We build and create because there is something inside us that calls us to the wood much stronger than any economy, any country… fashioning wood is thousands of years old… I wonder if its in our genes…
In America, over the last few decades, many industries have crumbled because of the greed of the owners and the greed of importers. They can bring a country to higher economic levels or collapse a them. All of us little woodworkers can be solid with improving each item we make and maybe help carry the craft past the storms of greed and indifference…
 
#10 ·
I think that it is clear that the designs that factories manufacture today once came from small studio furniture shops.
It will be up to the small shops that have new designs that the public is hungry for to make sure to feed them the product from a new factory that sits on US soil. When a good products sales go through the roof don't forget ware you came from.
 
#11 ·
I feel like the US domestic wood industry has abandoned me. They've turned to the commodities market where volume trumps quality-the WalMart business model, if you will. Commodities traders know only a few hardwood species, walnut, cherry, oak and maybe a couple others. Commodity wood is sawn for yield, never quality. I've walked through big warehouses of lumber without seeing a single board I cared to use. There are a few small mills who've realized the commodities market is like Wall Street, a corrupt racket that'll string you along offering crumbs until they figure out how to steal everything you have. These better smaller mills do cater to the specialty market and are doing better financially than those who chase the commodities market. I can occasionally get the wood I need from them but they're increasingly turning to selling exotics 'cuz too many of the hobbyist woodworkers out there think using some googaboola wood will somehow make their work more precious. I don't want the exotics, I want domestic wood sawn by a good sawyer who knows how to get quality lumber from a log. If the corporate commodities US domestic wood industry were to collapse today, I'd be left thinking it couldn't have happened to a more deserving bunch of people. The best wood comes from the small sawyer who's catering to a local market and knows how to get good wood from a log.
 
#12 ·
If you want to sustain domestic production then stop demanding the low priced products found at the big box stores. You have to pay for domistic quality, you have to pay for your standard of living,read high wages for factory jobs, you have to do with less and make sacrifices. WalMart is only reacting to consumer demand. This is basic economics 101.
 
#13 ·
I was born about 250-300 years too late. I should of been a Shaker. Now those folks knew how to build furniture the way it's suppose to be built. Quality, craftsmanship, and simple style was what made their pieces so great. There had to be something to it-- lots of craftsman want to replicate it and use designs of the Shakers. No mass productions-no cheap junk, all solid woods. The Chins will never match that, and just turn out crap nobody wants. I don't-- that's why I build my own !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#14 ·
I am all for supporting the domestic hardwood lumber industry. Patrons at shows that I attended in the past would ask what woods will you make this piece in. My answer was all ways that I prefer to stay with domestic hardwoods.
 
#15 ·
There will always be people who appreciate quality, especially as our economy continues to implode. I feel people will begin to look for more value in the dollars they spend and pay a little more for something that they won't need to replace within their lifetime. Anyone with even a tiny bit of economic common sense can see buying things multiple times is a waste of money, regardless of how "cheap" it is. Good design is timeless and quality goods and services save money over time.
 
#16 ·
My Stepfather was laid off after 25 years working at Broyhill furniture. He started off working the tail end of a machine, and worked his way up to foreman. The majority of Broyhill's plants were in my home town, and it is probably why I joined the military… my entire family had worked in one of the furniture factories, and there are still Broyhill offices that I have family that works there.

The major furniture companies in my home town were Broyhill, Bernhardt, Singer, and Kincaid. All of them have either shut down completely or are running very few of the once booming industry.

The unemployment rate there went from around 2% to almost 60% over this past summer.

I don't blame Broyhill entirely though, because if they were able to sell more furniture which is higher quality and a bit more expensive than your typical IKEA crap then they would have been able to keep their US factories open longer. The disposable consumerism that we as American's use is what is driving good American companies overseas just so they can compete. Yes it takes jobs, but we are doing it to ourselves.
 
#18 ·
About an hour from me there is a US family owned furniture factory that has out lived the big box factories and has had only a small lay off during this recession. They also buy most of their lumber from the same vendors as I do is what I've been told. I've been in their offices and shop more than one time…Their shop is full of Bridgeport equipment. The last time I was over there and went out in the shop one of the guys yelled at me…Hey Bruc! Made With American Pride !
Driving back home I wondered if our politicians and the CEO's would yell the same thing to all the fine people that have lost their jobs in the furniture industry due to their going to the Asian market.
Go Here
 
#21 ·
I'm just a woodworking hobbyist, but I can tell you I go out of my way to buy american, and I don't mind paying more for it. More now than ever domestic manufactures need support; if they all go out of business and there is nothing left to purchase but cheap crap then we all lose.
 
#22 ·
I have always gone out of my way to try to buy American. A friend who was active in the AIM union at Boeing was responding to members complaining about the company shipping work over seas. He told them he went out to the parking lot and it looked like they were overwhelemingly infavor of overseas products. He wouldn't buy a VCR because there wasn't one made in USA. That was 20 yrs ago, it's almost too late now to turn the tide back.
 
#23 ·
On the thought of domestic versus foreign production, I had a choice between a Ford F150, and a Nissan TItan, Both were high quality pickups with all the bells and whistles I wanted. I opted for the Ford as it was built in the U.S. of over 90% U.S. production content.

My favorite pieces of furniture are those made by small independent shops, mostly Amish. I can buy Amish made furniture in styles that are far more pleasing than the import stuff, and the price difference for a complete room of furniture is usually around 10% higher for domestic built. That extra money spent though means I don't have to replace the furniture before it is paid off. Not a bad bargain from the way I see it…

Those that want quality will buy domestic, the problem is the large manufacturers taking their production overseas is going to leave a lot of consumers ignorant of the small manufacturer alternatives..
 
#24 ·
Theres a reason foreigners are kicking our asses. They are out competing us.

Our little soft panzy asses sit around and demand a "living wage" as some kind of right without a single thought to the "killing cost" that it really represents. Why doesn't all of America just cut his neighbor to his lefts grass for a thousand bucks and lets pretend we created 100 million jobs at a living wage?
 
#26 · (Edited by Moderator)
I can't help but think when reading the post here if the comments and concerns here are the same they had overseas some 300 years ago when this new country called the united sates of America started having products of there own and even those products started making there way back to Europe. We all want to think that people love quality and American made products. But I feel people who can afford and really know quality are limited. So does this mean most people don't recognise quality and are not willing to pay for quality products .Yes ! Does that mean it's tough to sell American woodworking products ? YES! Although it's tough out there and there are millions of people that would rather buy that , table,chair, book case made from particleboard, poplar, fir or what ever cheap material that can be had and made to look like fine shiny furniture(to consumers who don't know the difference). We still have hope because even there numbers are much less there are still people who want what we have to give, American , beautiful plus quality. All we have to do is remember who we are and were we come from .That good old USA stock were we never say die. So when someone ask you what you do, say" I make American qualitywith American wood products that I'm proud of and you will be proud to have it your home too.
Maybe Corny and long winded but the way I feel.
 
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