51 Oak Emilie Child Rocker

Wood Species

Oak logs are brought on-site from local loggers and then milled at Troutman Chair’s own sawmill making us one of the last vertically integrated furniture manufacturers in the United States. The wood is cut to dimension, stacked, and dried. Due to the nature of construction, no glue is found in a Troutman product.

Purchasing and milling our own lumber allows us to utilize a time-honored technique called “swelled joint construction.” Swelled joint construction is a technique of furniture construction borrowed from Shaker design. Moisture content in the lumber is closely monitored and when it reaches the right point, the wood is made into base pieces. Larger posts (front and back posts) have a higher moisture content than the smaller posts (rungs). With the variance in moisture content, the small posts swell as they absorb moisture from the larger posts and the larger posts shrink as they lose moisture to smaller parts making a much tighter fit than if they had been glued. A Troutman chair will get tighter over time.

Another Shaker construction technique rarely used in today’s manufacturing processes is “interlocking joinery.” The front frame and back frame of the chairs and rockers are assembled separately. When these two parts are clamped together, the boring on each frame notches the dowel on the front post and back post making it near impossible for the front assembly or the back assembly to be pulled apart. Using swelled joint construction and interlocking joinery assures our customers the furniture they purchase is built for lifetimes of use.