About Fishers Furniture

The Craftsmen

Levi Fisher, the owner of Fishers grew up in a custom cabinet shop working for his dad. He actually had a business making picture frames and crafts in the spare time. He started this business when he was 13 years old. Levi’s brother and dad are still making kitchen cabinets. His dad is 78 at this time.

Chester Zook an employee of Fishers had been making crafts and furniture on a part time basis before starting with Fishers full time. He is very good with anything mechanical and enjoys the challenge of building new designs or custom pieces. He has been at Fishers for 10 years.

John Stoltzfoos another employee at Fishers had been in the leather business working for his dad and also had his own business making harnesses for horse drawn carriages. He has now been at Fishers for 14 years.

Mervin Fisher, Levi’s son, has just completed vocational school so he is also learning the woodworking trade.

Design Background

I grew up working in a custom kitchen cabinet shop so I’ve seen a lot of different designs come and go. I’ve always liked designs that are attractive and functional regardless what is hot right now. I also enjoy architecture and noticing proper proportions.

Our new Princeton design is one of my all-time favorites. The random wood grain contrasts well with the straight lines in this design. The fine Beaded edge around each front gives it a classic look. The cup pulls have an arch, which also looks great with the angles and straight lines on these pieces.

I come from a family of artists and musicians so maybe that is where the creativity comes from. I do feel like, as with all talent it is a gift from God to us.

Furniture Manufacturing Process

Fishers has a diesel engine which powers the shop using mainly compressed air and hydraulics. When the price of diesel fuel went up we put in a large battery pack which charges the batteries when we are cutting out parts. We can then run on batteries for assembly and finishing. This has saved about 25% on fuel costs and has made us a greener company. We are also looking at solar and wind power.

We buy our lumber from a few companies who know that we only want the best quality available. The best cherry only grows in Northern PA and new England so it is more expensive than most hardwoods.

We use a striebig panel saw an SCM widebelt sander a Dodds dovetailer and an up cut saw,  table saws, shaper, miter saws and a lot of hand tools to make the furniture. We spend a lot of time on sanding and finishing to get a great finish on the pieces. We have also been offering beaded inset furniture for a few years now. This is a lot of work but it is the way fine furniture was made years ago and it turns ordinary furniture into a conversation piece. We had to make a machine using a router and jig to that we can accomplish this look.

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