Inside L. & J.G. Stickley Furniture’s New York case goods plant

In mid-September, Home News Now visited Stickley’s 400,000-square-foot-plus wood manufacturing facilities in Manlius, New York. The plant, which dates back to 1985, produces case goods and wood-frame seating sold around the world. Altogether, the plant employs about 225 workers in a variety of areas ranging from sanding and planing boards to the assembly and finishing of pieces such as beds and nightstands to dressers and chests. For the solid wood furniture manufacturer, this is a highly sophisticated process that involves the use of CNC routers and other wood processing equipment. But it also involves many hands that perform a variety of tasks that ensure the line meets the quality standards of the brand which celebrates its 125th anniversary next year. Below is a glimpse at some of what’s involved in making a piece of Stickley furniture that not only is beautifully crafted and finished, but that also is built to last for generations, which just happens to be a major reason the brand is so well loved by customers and collectors all over.

Tom Graham, manager of quality control at Stickley, shows some of the main wood species the company uses in its solid wood furniture. The plant utilizes some 1.2 million board feet of solid wood in a given year for its wood furniture and seating line.

Graham shows a solid wood quadrilinear post that is used in its Morris chair frames and Mission recliners as well as for leg dining tables.

A worker applies glue to various wood parts used for laminated components including steam bent frames.

A worker sets up boards by grain patterns before they are glued together. In the background, the same type of boards are seen glued together in a clamp device.

A woman inspects boards before they go through further processing at the Manlius plant.

A worker puts boards through a machine that produces dovetail joints for various drawer parts.

Here, a worker puts boards into a machine that sands, seals and puts a top coat on drawers, giving the inside of the drawer a smooth and consistent finish. By using this type of technology, the company reduces emissions by 10%-15% compared with a traditional spray lacquer.

Here the boards are seeing coming out of the UV machine with a light finish applied.

A worker inspects the construction on the solid wood base of an accent table that is part of the Stickley line. The top also features solid wood parts that have been glued together.

A seating frame is seen in the assembly process. Here worker hands are needed to make sure the frame has both form and structural integrity, including the integration of the quadrilinear posts.

Here another worker is seen in the chair assembly area working on a frame before it is sent to the finishing department.

Sanding is a key part of the production process. Here a Mission-style chair is elevated so it can be sanded all around in a quick and efficient manner before moving on to finishing.

Like many other pieces in the line, this end table is made with solid white oak.

Tom Graham shows the wood-on-wood construction on the sides and bottom of a drawer. It’s part of the quality construction story that the company has had for many decades.

The same drawer is seen fitting perfectly into an end table, which also can double as a nightstand.

More parts are seen being hand-sanded, in this example, the back of a dining chair.

A worker is seen hand-applying a pre-stain to a chair frame before it heads to the finishing line.

A team of employees is seen hand-finishing pieces including cabinets, headboards and footboards and tables.

These pieces have been assembled and prepped as they head toward the finishing area.

More hand finishing is seen being done on a solid wood headboard.

Here a worker sprays another coat on the top of a Mission-inspired display cabinet.

Here a worker is seen putting the finishing touches on a drawer using various tools and components to complete the process.

Several end tables are seen with hand-carved tiles produced by North Prairie Tileworks. The tiles add a splash of color to the solid wood pieces, adding both texture and visual appeal.

An employee is seen sewing fabric to be used in various chairs, benches and settees.

Thomas Russell

Home News Now Editor-in-Chief Thomas Russell has covered the furniture industry for 25 years at various daily and weekly consumer and trade publications. He can be reached at tom@homenewsnow.com and at 336-508-4616.

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