Nail-less furniture

December 2, 2008 11:42 AM

Is there a religious group that made/makes furniture without nails/screws, etc.? I thought it was the Shakers but that doesn't seem to be right.
posted by anonymous78 to Religion & Philosophy (19 answers total)

Well... the shaker's were famous for their furniture. Here is a modern-day shaker shop. The Amish make a ton of furniture, but from what I understand it's all derived from Shaker technology.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 11:46 AM on December 2, 2008

You're probably thinking of the Amish, but I'm pretty sure they use at least nails when making furniture. It's not like the nail is a modern convenience.
posted by sbutler at 12:02 PM on December 2, 2008

I also think you're on the right track with the Shakers. According to Wikipedia, "Shakers designed their furniture with care, believing that making something well was in itself, 'an act of prayer.' They never fashioned items with elaborate details or extra decorations, but only made things for their intended uses. The ladder-back chair was a popular piece of furniture. Shaker craftsmen made most things out of pine or other inexpensive woods and hence their furniture was light in color and weight."

Unfortunately the Shakers didn't believe in procreation so there aren't any Shakers left to make true Shaker furniture. But places like this still sell kits and pre-made furniture in the Shaker style. My parents made a number of pieces from them (I grew up eating in the "Shaker Youth Chair") and it was all very nice stuff but I don't know if screws and nails were involved or not.
posted by radiomayonnaise at 12:07 PM on December 2, 2008

Ah, I just remembered - John Widdicomb was into furniture without fasteners. Also, these guys make some sweet nail-less furniture.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 12:08 PM on December 2, 2008

Also, you may have entered this into your files - Jews are buried in caskets made with no nails or hardware.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:13 PM on December 2, 2008

Shaker Oval Boxes use brass tacks to fasten the fingers around the loop, so some Shaker stuff does use fasteners. It's not a religious movement (well, I guess it sort of is), but the Arts and Crafts movement was big on mortise and tenon joints, which replace metal fasteners.
posted by hwyengr at 12:14 PM on December 2, 2008

Are you thinking of the Mormon Tabernacle, which was built without nails? Note that it was done that way due to scarcity, not religious reasons.
posted by zsazsa at 12:17 PM on December 2, 2008

My parents had furniture built by Amish which were supposedly made without power tools, but they've got nails and screws in them. I now have two pieces, a dining room table and a chest of drawers/armoire, and they can withstand a direct nuclear assault.

They sourced out the chairs from a different shop, and they have "Made in Yugoslavia" stamped on the bottom, which I think is rad.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 12:27 PM on December 2, 2008

Amish people are pretty pragmatic in general. They definitely use screws.

However they are anti-button I believe and their clothes are held together with pins.

Shaker chairs are made without screws. I believe they are made with green wood, and make use of its tendency to contract, so that the joints that they are made with will tighten. I don't know if it's any kind of a religious principle but it's way cool.
posted by sully75 at 12:37 PM on December 2, 2008

From the 'Illustrated Guide to Shaker Furniture': 'another misconception easily exploded is the myth that the Shakers always pegged their furniture. Generally speaking, all but the earliest pieces used both nails or screws, often in considerable abundance...'

So, if we are to rely on what this author says, the idea that Shakers eschewed nails, while untrue, is a notion that has had some currency in American culture.

*Trying not to laugh at the idea of pegging furniture*
posted by ShameSpiral at 12:39 PM on December 2, 2008

A lot of Japanese joinery eschews fasteners.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 12:46 PM on December 2, 2008

The key to the quote that ShameSpiral cited was "all but the earliest pieces." The Shakers did early on create many designs that were only pegged. But that practice was abandoned. They are also known for the design of the peg rail, which probably added to the confusion.

It's not the Amish.

There were other Utopian communities that were pretty industrious like the Amana colonies, or the Ephrata Cloister, but I'm not aware of any that eschewed the use of nails or screws. My guess is you're remembering an oft repeated fact about the Shakers that was only temporarily true.

More about American Utopian communities can be found here.
posted by Toekneesan at 1:40 PM on December 2, 2008

My grandfather (an excellent woodworker from Western PA) used a lot of traditional joints in his furniture and other pieces - mortise&tenon and dovetail/finger joints were all over the place. I think it was mainly because A. he liked the way it looked and B. It was cheaper than buying nails/screws. I don't recall him, or my father, ever mentioning anyone who did this sort of thing as a form of religious expression, but I'll ask.
posted by HopperFan at 1:52 PM on December 2, 2008

I've seen plenty of Amish with buttons myself, but then again, the Amish are themselves a fairly diverse culture (for all their similarities) and increasingly so as the outside world becomes increasingly unavoidable. My parents also have had many pieces of furniture throughout their time as proprietors of an antique business that are without nails. Nails and screws from 150 years ago were not like we think of them today. They were often made of pig iron or other inferior varieties of iron, hand hammered, headless, and prone to defect and corrosion. If you were throwing up a barn, the spikes might be your only option, but if you wanted a durable piece of furniture, you needed everything connected with competent joinery (like the mortise&tenon) and a decent glue. I'm always impressed when I see a dry sink from the Civil War era with perfectly intact joints and a wooden lock. There is not a modern piece of furniture that I own that will last 30 years, let alone 160.
posted by mrmojoflying at 2:16 PM on December 2, 2008

It was cheaper than buying nails/screws.

And it's worth noting that if you are spending $12.00 a board foot for premium cherry, the last thing you want to do is fill it full of screw and nail holes.
posted by mrmojoflying at 2:20 PM on December 2, 2008

Formerly, yes - the early shaker pieces, and in popular culture 'shaker' in general, even though it wasn't technically true.

My Uncle (RIP) made furniture - tables, chairs, bookcases, chests, everything, with no nails or screws. He used wood pegs, glue, and the unfinished pieces were kept very dry with heaters, and carefully fitted together (joining like HopperFan mentioned). Under normal conditions, the humidity then further wedges the wood together.

Being inspired by Shaker sources, he did several pieces in the early Shaker-style, but most of his pieces had turned legs, though were otherwise simple.

If he did it, then I figure plenty of other people would too.

(He had a whole philosophy about it, and only used recycled wood - that he got himself.
He did demolition work on old houses in exchange for salvaging the beautiful old hardwoods.)
posted by Elysum at 2:33 PM on December 2, 2008

Wasn't the circular saw invented by a Shaker woman?
posted by buggzzee23 at 2:49 PM on December 2, 2008

Trying not to laugh at the idea of pegging furniture

I'm with LoveTurkey on that one, especially now that mrmojoflying has added the horror of screwing or nailing some premium cherry.

But maybe the thing you're thinking of, anonymous78, is Japanese tansu craftsmanship? It's traditionally for boxes and chests but can encompass other furniture. Use of nails or screws is considered a weakness, and a 'true' craftsman will build something so elegant it requires none.
posted by rokusan at 6:08 PM on December 2, 2008

I think it is important to note that making furniture without mechanical fasteners is neither difficult nor uncommon. Many furniture makers consider it to be the mark of finely crafted furniture.

Also note that the Bottega Montana work is "knock down" furniture. While it may indeed be free of mechanical fasteners, it is its method of final assembly/disassembly which makes it distinctive in this regard. (This is done to make it more economical/practical to ship.)
posted by Dick Paris at 7:47 PM on December 2, 2008