|
|
Hand sanding a Hepplewhite table
Application of bead molding on a
drawer front
|
Precision Detailing
There may be more than 125 individual pieces of wood that add up to a bookcase or credenza. For all these components, the Sample Department serves as a checkpoint. This department fully assembles a single “sample” piece, and measures each component against the detail drawings for accuracy. Every piece that enters the Sample Department is sanded, shaped and fit to the other parts that it must join to form a complete piece of furniture.
The department adheres to milling specifications. Table tops, for instance, must have a variation of thickness of no more than .0004 inches. Any piece that fails to make the grade is sent back to the appropriate department for adjustments in order to meet The Kittinger Furniture Company’s stringent standards. Pieces that pass inspection proceed to the cabinetmaker’s bench for assembly.
Crafting to your specifications
Adjacent to the Sample Department is the Customs Department. Here, Kittinger craftsmen can combine selected details to make a piece of furniture unique. For example, a customer may request a conference table with satinwood banding, a reeded edge, and ebony inlay.
Conference tables, a long–standing Kittinger specialty, are available in a variety of widths and shapes, in lengths from six to sixty feet.
Putting the pieces together
Gluers are among the first craftsmen to handle cut furniture pieces. They start
with a pile of parts. Slowly, painstakingly, they glue and assemble the parts to form a “carcass.” The carcass is delivered to the next cabinetmaker. A single Kittinger cabinetmaker builds one piece of furniture at a time from beginning to end. Starting with the carcass he will fit drawers, hang doors and apply molding before the labor intensive act of sanding to perfection.
|
