YOU ARE HERE: LAT HomeCollectionsFurniture Industry MARIETTA, Ga. — Like soldiers at attention, dozens of rocking chairs stand still and quiet in a dimly lit room at the tiny factory.Freshly covered with various shades of stain or white paint, they all await pickup by customers at The Rocker Shop. They are Brumby rockers, and they may be the last brigade of the famous chairs.The large, comfortable rockers were first made here around 1875, and they have rocked countless babies, mothers and fathers on front porches and in parlors. The Jimmy Carter White House had five of the high-backed Brumbys.But the materials and machines that make them have become too difficult to find and fix.Carole Melson, president of The Rocker Shop, which produces the handmade oak chairs with woven cane backs and bottoms, said that work at the little country factory will begin shutting down when current orders are filled around mid-December, unless someone decides to buy the factory.Closing the shop that produces Brumbys will be like losing "part of America," Melson said.
Indeed, the factory, about 25 miles north of Atlanta, recalls a part of America of long ago. Snuggled in a building that resembles a garage, the shop is a museum of old industry, with gargantuan cast-iron machinery and saws, sawdust-covered floors and chair parts stacked in every crevice. No computerized robots, no precisely timed assembly lines here. The scene is fitting for the product: chairs that take you back to an era when there was time to sit and rock and think . . . of nothing and everything.Melson, rocking gently in one of the finished chairs, said it is "like a shoe. What's important is not just the way it looks, but the way it feels."Like craftsmen in most trades, many who make the chairs seem to take their skill for granted. D.E. Nickelson, the shop foreman who has made Brumbys for 16 years, said laconically: "It ain't that difficult."So many people associate the chairs with lavish living that many "don't believe me" when he tells them he makes the chairs, said Nickelson, who is fond of driving an inelegant 1970 Chevy pickup truck.
Known throughout the nation, the chairs provide a touch of the South to hotels and homes from Connecticut to California.Their road to endangerment is a well-traveled one, having been trod over the years by other Southern institutions like lye soap, handmade grass baskets and home-churned buttermilk.In the case of the Brumby rockers, increasing exports of U.S. oak, unreliable supplies of imported cane and a continuing inability to replace and repair old production equipment are dooming the chairs.Each chair requires a 12-foot slab of Appalachian red oak, weighing 300 pounds. The wood is aged outside for two years, and it takes about eight weeks to make a chair. Each costs $745 if stained, $100 more painted white.Because Brumby rockers so represent this region, one is displayed at the Atlanta High Museum as an example of Georgia's decorative arts.Donald Peirce, the museum's decorative arts curator, said that each of the exhibit's 3,500 pieces "can be identified with a particular, prominent maker," adding that stopping production of the Brumby "represents the end of an era."
The Brumby family of Marietta began crafting the oversized chairs about 10 years after the Civil War. At its peak of chair production just before the Great Depression, the factory employed about 400 people. World War II forced a halt in production in 1942 because the cane that lines the chairs' seats and backs came from the Orient and was no longer available.During the war, the factory converted to production of file cabinets, chairs, desks and other furniture that the government could use. After the war, the Brumby family retired and sold off the factory equipment.In the early 1960s, Melson was lent a Brumby to rock her children. That sold her and her husband, Frank, on resuming production of the chairs under license of the Brumby Chair Co. The Melsons hunted through several states to find the massive old manufacturing equipment, a task Melson said was "like Scotland Yard."Before they could bring back the rockers, Melson's husband died of a heart attack. Melson said she carried on "because I couldn't see his work go to waste."
Now, she says, she would rather close the factory than continue fighting the losing battle for supplies and machinery.She knows the Brumbys will be missed. "A lot of our rockers have gone to expectant mothers," Melson said. "A rocker is one of the few things besides a cradle that is so strongly associated with the family unit." Seizure Led to FloJo's DeathHis 104 scores make his caseRestaurant review: South Beverly GrillBrutal Murder by Teen-Age Girls Adds to Britons' ShockComaneci Confirms Suicide Attempt, Magazine SaysFor customers outside Canada and the USA - International sales are challenging to set up because there are so many variables. Because of this, we are unable to accept online orders from outside Canada and the USA. Our online store is of use to our international customers for searching price and product information. Once you have the information you need, you can place an order by sending an e-mail to us. For security reasons do not include your credit card information in your e-mail.
We will contact you with the shipping costs for your order. If everything is acceptable to you, you would then phone or fax your credit card information to us separately. If you have a local retailer stocking Razertip pyrography equipment we ask that you support them, for without their expertise and support Razertip products would not exist. The following companies have Razertip pyrography products available by online shopping. If located in your country it will usually mean that your shipping costs will be less. You will not have to deal with customs, possible brokerage fees and exchange rates, so you will know exactly what your purchase will cost when you place your order. Sue Walters' pyrography Stocks Razertip pyrographic tools and Sue's instructional books and DVD's. Carroll's Woodcraft Supplies Woodworking supplies and Woodworking Tools. Macwood International Where you can find quality machinery, hand tools, accessories and support for the woodworking enthusiast or professional.
They stock a large range of Woodturning supplies, wood turning tools, carving tools, wood polishes, exotic timber and a whole lot more. Artobi Welkom bij Artobi, Uw speciaalzaak voor kunstenaarsmaterialen, Airbrushartikelen, Inlijstingen en Maquettebouw. Welcome to Artobi, Your specialist for artists materials, Airbrush Products, Frames and Model Building. Lee Valley Tools A complete line up of wood working tools and supplies plus more. Chipping Away Inc A huge on-line wood carving catalog on the Internet serving thousands of customers world wide. Feather Animation Feather Animation Wood Carving Supplies features wood carving tools for the wood-carving enthusiast. Island Woodcraft Supplies in Comox B.C. carries an extensive line of Wood burners, Carving tools, Abrasives, Finishes and Woodturning tools and supplies. Art & Hobby Art & Hobby, your art and craft store. Sue Walters Pyrography Stocking Razertip pyrographic tools in her North American Pyro Shop.
Nutmeg Wood Working and Carving Shop in Oakville Ontario, offer a online retail service selling woodcarving products that support the budding and established artists in painting, wood carving, chip carving, and pyrography. Langevin & Forest The largest inventory in Canada with approximately 8,000 sq. ft. of high-quality wood, with more than 110 species from around the world. A major destination for cabinetmakers, sculptors, turners and handymen who share the same passion for wood. Black Forest Wood Company Ltd. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Carrying over 130 species of fine exotic and domestic wood including burls, instrument wood and carving wood. For the wood worker they carry Timberwolf bandsaw and D&B scroll saw blades, adhesives, SIA abrasives and finishes including U-Beaut products. They offer courses in woodworking, woodturning and carving in a fully equipped classroom. Leading Edge Hobbies Kingston, Ontario is a family owned, full line hobby store carrying all types of radio-controlled kits and equipment, plastic and wood models, model railroad, rocketry, kites, puzzles, paint by number, doll houses, slot cars in all scales, coin and stamp books and albums, many hobby related tools and accessories and much more!
Leading Edge Hobbies carries Razertip woodburning tools. Razertip's Online Store All Razertip products and specialty carving tools primarily for bird, fish and animal carvers. Our emphasis is on power tools. DBixen - Denmark Salg: hobbybøger, materialer til dekupørsavning, træhobby, Mødested. Razertip pyrographic tools and cushion sanders available here. Handverkshusio A wonderland of creativity with every imaginable tool and material for pyrography, clay, jewelry making, metal work, wood and glass working. Bellearti.it La versione telematica di una vera e propria "Bottega d'Arte" specializzata nella vendita di prodotti e attrezzature per belle arti da più di un ventennio: "Belle Arti Lizzani di Lizzani Saverio" con sede in Roma. 4WOOD 4WOOD, è l'emporio on line per la distribuzione di utensili d'ebanisteria e falegnameria di qualità, nuovi ed usati per professionisti ed appassionati. Baptist Arnhem is a specialty hardware and tool store in the city centre in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
Sutacelot Via internet verkoopt Sutacelot houtsnijgereedschappen, houtbrandaparaten en boeken voor en over houtsnijden, houtbranden, houtdraaien en figuurzagen. Timberly Woodturning Auckland New Zealand. Supplies wood turning tools, accessories and Razertip pyrography tools. WWW VERKTOY AS Norways leading supplier in woodworking tools. Please contact them for further information. E-HIRDAVAT Wood Carving, Wood Burning, Razertip Products, Scroll Saw, Scroll Saw Blades and Hobby Tools Specialist from Turkiye. Razertip products, Saint Petersburg Russia. Woodworks Craft Supplies UK based company offering online craft supplies and Razertip pyrographic tools. The Caning Shop Supplies and tools for basketry, chair caning and gourd crafting. Treeline The Woodcraft Specialists Offers only the finest tools and supplies. Sawdust Connection The Pyrography Specialists since 1999! Started in 1993 by Alan and Nedra Denison, their business has grown over the years to include a complete online store.
They carry a complete line of Pyrography supplies, tools and accessories including books and patterns by Nedra and free online tutorials for pyrographers and gourders. They also carry a complete line of craft and Gourd art supplies including: Ink dyes, Acrylic and Metallic paints, metal leafing, brushes, applicators, beads, embellishments, books; Mini Gourd and Jig saws and so much more. Check out their great products and prices! Craft Supplies USA features some of the finest woodturning tools, equipment and accessories available anywhere. Greg Dorrance Co. Started in 1972, Greg and Elaine Dorrance have built one of the most complete stores for all your needs. Antique Conservation, Restoration, Guilding (Gold and Silver Leaf) of Furniture, Frames and Paintings. Furniture Repair and Refinishing, Colonial Toleware Tin Trays, Custom Picture Framing, Art Supplies, Wholesale school supplies, Pottery Clays and Glazes, Tools, Kilns and Wheels. Chair Caning Materials, Decoy and WoodCarving Supplies, Reproduction Hardware, Complete AirBrush Supplies, Fine Cabinet Lumber, Boat and Tropical Woods, Plywoods, Veneers and West System Epoxy.
The Wooden Teddy Bear You will find a large number of patterns including Scrollsaw patterns, Intarsia patterns, Wood Burning patterns, fretwork patterns, to name a few. Bandsaw blades, clock inserts, music boxes, hardware, books, spindles, candle cups, finials, woodburning tools, acrylics and more.They carry an extensive inventory of products that meet the special needs of woodturners. The Welburn Gourd Farm The largest supplier of organic hardshell gourds and gourd supplies. Welburn sells Razertip pyrographic tools. Blue Whale Arts Gourd and egg art, tools and supplies. Woodworker's Emporium is the largest woodworking machinery distributor in Southern Nevada, occupying a 12000 sqft retail store in Las Vegas. Carrying an extensive line of tools for the woodturner. With major brands like Delta Machinery, Jet and Powermatic, Kreg tools, CTD, Ritter Mfg inc., Striebig saws and SawStop and many others. They also offer a complete line of power tools by Festool, Porter-Cable, Bosch, Dewalt and Tormek as well as Razertip pyrographic equipment.