From the Furniture Capital of America to Modern Craft Shops: How American Manufacturing Changed

There was a time when Grand Rapids, Michigan, was known as the Furniture Capital of America.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the region became one of the most important centers of furniture manufacturing in the United States. Local hardwood forests supplied the raw materials, and early factories used water power from nearby rivers and later steam engines to run the saws and woodworking machinery.

Skilled craftsmen and emerging factories worked side by side, turning Michigan hardwoods into furniture shipped across the country.

Over time, however, the furniture industry changed. Many large factories moved toward high-volume production and global supply chains, while the traditional network of regional manufacturers supplying furniture stores began to disappear.

Today, a different model exists alongside those factory systems, small craft shops focused on quality materials and traditional construction methods.

McClure Tables is part of that tradition.

Inside the McClure Tables Workshop (2013)

The following video was recorded in 2013 and shows early footage from our shop along with scenes from the Grand Rapids Furniture Museum.

While some equipment has been updated since then, including improvements to our planning and sanding machinery, the overall process shown in this video remains largely the same today.

Shuffleboard playboards are still laminated from hardwood boards, cabinets are still built and assembled by hand, and finishing is still done with the same focus on bringing out the natural beauty of the wood.

Over time, we have refined the process and improved certain techniques. For example, some table components that were once built using veneered construction are now made from solid hardwood.

But the philosophy behind the work has not changed.

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Continuing a Grand Rapids Tradition

Although the large furniture factories that once dominated the region have largely disappeared, Grand Rapids still has a deep connection to woodworking and craftsmanship.

At McClure Tables, we continue that tradition by building shuffleboard tables using locally harvested hardwoods, including:

• Michigan Hard Maple

• White Oak

• American Black Walnut

• Rustic Hickory

These woods are selected not just for their beauty, but for their strength and durability — qualities that have made them the preferred materials of furniture makers in this region for generations.

Craftsmanship in the Details

Much of the difference between handcrafted furniture and factory-produced products comes down to the small details.

In our shop, hardwood playboards are laminated and machined before being carefully prepared for finishing. Stains and dyes are mixed and applied to enhance the natural grain of the wood rather than covering it with heavy coatings.

In earlier years, some boards were even hand-stamped with markings, including the familiar instruction:

“Do Not Drop Weights on Board.”

This traditional marking was once used on many older shuffleboard tables. Today, these markings are often engraved using modern equipment, but the goal remains the same: preserving the small details that connect modern tables to the craftsmanship of earlier generations.

Rock-Ola shuffleboard tables were also stamped with serial numbers on the side of the playboards. We continue that tradition today by hand-stamping the sides of the boards on our Rock-Ola tables.

The original Rock-Ola shuffleboard tables from 1948 and 1949 were produced for commercial locations such as VFW halls, taverns, and arcades following World War II. While these designs became iconic, many of the materials used at the time were chosen for mass production in factories.

For example, the horse collar and leg components were often made from poplar. Some manufacturers still use poplar today but refer to it as “tulipwood.” While tulipwood technically refers to the species of the tree, most cabinetmakers simply recognize it as poplar.

Poplar is a softer wood that machines and sands easily, making it well-suited for factory production where efficiency matters. It can be finished to resemble mahogany, which is the look many original Rock-Ola tables were known for.

Today, we build these same components using hardwoods such as Michigan hard maple, American black walnut, or American cherry. Walnut and cherry are often left natural to highlight the wood's character and beauty rather than covering them with heavy stains.

Craftsmanship That Evolves Over Time

Like any craft, woodworking evolves gradually.

Better machinery can improve accuracy. Experience improves efficiency. And over time, certain design elements may change as builders refine their methods.

In our shop, those changes have been incremental rather than revolutionary.

For example, earlier tables featured veneered leg construction in certain designs. Today, those same components are built from solid hardwood, reflecting improvements in both materials and construction techniques.

But the core process, selecting hardwoods, laminating boards, machining playfields, and assembling cabinets by hand, remains fundamentally the same.

The goal has never been mass production. Instead, it has been a steady improvement while preserving the craftsmanship that defines the product.

Grand Rapids may no longer have the large furniture factories that once defined the region, but the woodworking tradition that built the industry has not disappeared.

Today, small craft shops continue working with the same regional hardwoods and many of the same techniques that once made this city famous as the Furniture Capital of America.

At McClure Tables, that tradition continues in every table we build

The following video transcript accompanies the workshop footage recorded in 2013.

Video Transcript (2013 Workshop Footage)