The Shakers began forming villages in America in the mid to late 1700's. Shaker Oval Box making arose out of the Shaker villages at that time. All of the objects they made served a purpose. The function of an object was of paramount importance; its design simple. They did not make things that were merely nice to look at, each object had to have a useful purpose. The Shakers improved on the wooden "pantry box" design used at that time by adding the distinctive "swallowtail" joint. That improvement allowed for the expansion and contraction of the wood at the overlap without splitting. Shaker Oval Box Making is a true American craft. The oval box is widely recognized as quintessential "Shaker", encompassing both simple form and clear function.
Orleans Carpenters was started in 1976 by Dick and Phoebe Soule as a carpenter's shop with a focus on teaching troubled youths a trade. By 1978 our work consisted almost exclusively of Shaker inspired woodworking, particularly oval boxmaking. In 1986 we bought the business and began shifting the focus entirely toward box making. While many years have passed since we performed our last "carpentry" work, we have chosen to keep the name as an acknowledgement of our beginnings.
In addition to making boxes, over the years we have taken basic Shaker Oval Box design and applied it to objects useful in contemporary life: coasters, trays, waste basket, divided carriers, pin box and tissue box. Even though all of the pieces we make are useful, we suspect that many of the pieces we make are admired for their beauty but are not actually put to use. Whether your need is aesthetic or practical, for one box or many, each is made with great care and attention to detail. The simplicity of the Shaker oval box design makes them timeless. The practicality of the design makes them as useful today as they were 200 years ago. We enjoy what we do and take pride in continuing the American craft of Shaker Oval Box Making. You can find our reproduction Shaker oval boxes in many museum gift shops and specialty shops around the world or just a click away on our website.
Thank you for your interest in our work.
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