Stanley Furniture
To The Trade

Construction

Since wood is sensitive to heat and humidity, floating joints must allow for expansion and contraction. For the same reason, all joints are not only glued but are held by glue and nail.

Joinery

Floating joint systems allow wood to expand and contract with humidity. All joints are glued and nailed.

Mortise and Tenon

Two pieces of wood are joined at right angles. One is a rail and another is a post, or solid end panel. Rail ends are prepared on a tenoner, or cut to fit a socket, usually square, that has been cut into the post or panel. The joint is glued.

Dovetail

Dovetail joints tightly interlock, creating a sturdy connection. Woods with minimal expansion characteristics generally are used for dovetail joints.

Miter

Used frequently on bonded case and tabletops, miter joints connect pieces of wood with glue, reinforced by hidden wood or metal wedges, or by wood dowels.

Dowel

This joint performs a function similar to the mortise and tenon. It uses a wood or composition peg that fits into borings to join the two pieces of wood.

Tongue and Groove

The joint is so deftly constructed that it is barely noticed by the untrained eye. These are generally used as corner blocks for chair seat frames.

Solid versus Veneer

The term “solid” as used in the furniture industry may be confusing because both types of processes - solid and veneered - are of solid wood construction.

Solid Wood Furniture

describes furniture with drawer fronts, tops, panels and other like surfaces made of whole wood, or of one piece, without plies of veneer.

  • Composed of narrow solid wood planks, bonded permanently together, side by side. These planks serve to prevent splitting and warping when temperatures change and when the wood naturally expands and contracts. They also provide decorative variation.

Veneered Wood Furniture

layers of woods are permanently bonded to a center core on a solid wood frame.

  • Veneering permits matching and repeating grain patterns that are impossible in solid lumber.
  • Veneering is used in about 80 percent of wood furniture, from the least to the most expensive, because of its strength and added versatility.

Craftsmanship: inside and out.

Fine furniture is more than just a pretty face. It’s a work of art and engineering that is evident right down to its core. Discover the hallmarks of Stanley Furniture craftsmanship:
  • Mortise and tenon joints
  • Heavy-duty center drawer guides
  • Drawers dovetailed front and back
  • Durable dust panels between drawers
  • Durable drawer bottoms held rigidly in grooves
  • Strong case backs recessed into end
  • Well mounted top and sides
  • Smooth finish without any rough spots
  • Drawer interiors and unexposed parts sanded and sealed
  • Chests and tables remain rigid when you place your hand on the top surface and try to rock it
  • Doors and drawers operate with ease and are flush with the surface when closed