About Troutman Chair Company

Founded in 1924 in the foothills of North Carolina, Troutman Chair Company has long been known for making the best oak rocking chairs, chairs, and stools. Our products are constructed without glue, using a technique called swelled joint construction. Having our own sawmill allows us to use this technique. Larger posts (front and back) are seasoned 6 to 9 months and smaller rounds (rungs) are kiln dried. With the variance in moisture content, the small posts absorb moisture from the large and swell, while the larger posts lose moisture and shrink, making a much tighter fit than if they had been glued together. A Troutman chair will get tighter over time.

Our "tight fit" also come from interlocking joinery. This process is one in which the front and back frames of the chair and rockers are assembled separately. When these two parts are snapped together, the boring on each frame notches the dowel on the front post and back post making it near impossible for the front or back assembly to be pulled apart.

These processes are just two of the many that make our products built for lifetimes of use. We consider the art of rocking a time honored southern tradition and are steadfast in our mission to preserve that tradition and share it with the rest of the world. Our products are designed an built to be handed down as heirlooms. We find our chairs in antique shops and we are not 100 years old...yet!

Troutman Chair Advantages

NO GLUE is used in our North Carolina made products. Shaker design and construction techniques are used in putting together our chairs. Which is why our chairs are tomorrows heirlooms.

SWELLED JOINT CONSTRUCTION - a technique of furniture construction borrowed from Shaker design. Larger posts (front and back) are air dried 6 to 9 months and smaller posts (rungs) are kiln dried. With the variance in moisture content, the small post swell and the larger posts shrink, making a much tighter fit than if they had been glued. A Troutman chair will get tighter over time.

INTERLOCKING JOINERY - the front frame and back frame are assembled separately. When these two parts are clamped together, the boring on each frame notches the dowel on the front post and the back post making it nearly impossible for the front assemble or back assembly to be pulled apart. This is another technique of shaker construction. No one else uses this technique. Consumers expect to pay more for quality handcrafted items.