Ask three questions: where does the lumber come from, who cuts and assembles the piece, and will the maker publish a materials list naming the species and where each material is used? A shop that builds domestically answers all three without hesitation, because the answers are the reason its prices are what they are.
The questions that separate the claims
- Where does the lumber come from? A specific answer names a species and a region. A vague one names neither.
- What is solid and what is panel, part by part? Any maker who builds the piece can tell you which components are solid lumber, which are veneer plywood, and why. See solid wood vs MDF for why the answer is properly a mix.
- Is it built to order or held in stock? Made to order is a strong signal, because it means the piece does not exist until you buy it.
- Who do you speak to about a change? In a small domestic shop the answer is the person who will build it.
- What is the lead time? Real build time is weeks. Same-week dispatch of a "handcrafted" console generally means it was made somewhere else in quantity.
Joinery and hardware are quiet evidence
Look at the drawers. Dovetailed solid-wood drawer boxes on full-extension slides are slow to make and are not what a volume operation does. Named hardware, hinges and slides from a manufacturer you can look up, is another signal, because it means someone specified rather than sourced whatever was cheapest that month.
Then look at the back. A cabinet with a removable, vented back panel was designed by someone who expected the owner to reach inside it.
How it ships is part of the answer
Flat-packed furniture that the customer assembles is a manufacturing decision made long before the box reaches you. A piece that arrives assembled and crated for LTL freight was built as one object by one shop, and shipped the expensive way because it could not be shipped any other way.
How B&A answers those questions
- Lumber: Pennsylvania solid stock. Solid American 4/4 walnut, cherry or ash at a 3/4 inch finished thickness for the top, bottom, ends, dividers, fixed centre shelf, door frames and drawer fronts; solid American soft maple for drawer boxes.
- Panels: cabinet-grade veneer plywood for adjustable shelves, removable back panels and drawer bottoms, where a stable flat panel is the correct choice.
- Finish: conversion varnish.
- Joinery and hardware: dovetailed drawers on every model, on Hafele side-mount full-extension slides rated at 100 lb on the Monarch and Pennington; Salice soft-close hinges on the Majestic, Horizon and Monarch; Amerock inset, non-mortise hinges on the Pennington.
- Where: handcrafted in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, by Brian Adams and the shop, one piece at a time.
- How it ships: assembled, in a custom crate, by LTL freight, with ground-level threshold delivery included and nationwide coverage of the continental United States.
- Who you speak to: Brian, on (814) 919-2232.
See the consoles, read the ordering and warranty terms, or read about Brian's work on Standout Designs consoles.
Frequently asked
Where are B&A Woodworks consoles made?
They are handcrafted in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, from Pennsylvania solid lumber, and built to order one piece at a time.
Does B&A ship media consoles nationwide?
Yes. Consoles ship assembled in a custom crate by LTL freight to most addresses in the continental United States. Ground-level threshold delivery by one driver with a lift-gate truck is included in the price; white-glove delivery is quoted separately.
Talk to the person who builds them
Send your component list and the space you have. Brian will tell you which console fits, or whether it needs to be built to a different size.
Figures on this page are B&A's own published specifications, taken from the current product pages and the ordering and warranty terms. Equipment clearances should always be taken from your own component manuals.