In this article, my goal is to provide information that you will find helpful as you educate yourself about pews. Each segment below provides you with general information about different aspects of furniture manufacturing.

• Do they have their own pre-drier facility?
• Do they have their own kiln-drier facility? (A pre-drier facility and a kiln-drier facility are used to remove the correct amount of moisture from the wood before it goes into the production process.)
• How do they control the moisture content during the manufacturing process?

Some companies will say they buy their wood already dried. Make sure to ask them how they control the moisture in the wood while the wood is being transported to their plant. Also, find out how they monitor the moisture while the wood sits waiting to be used.

Because the manufacturer has no control over the climate in which the furniture will be used, some companies in the worship furniture market have developed products to reduce this risk. These companies will use solid wood in conjunction with engineered materials like plywood, particleboard, medium density fiberboard and veneer to reduce the risk of the furniture warping or cracking.

When considering a company, it will be important for you to learn how they use solid wood and engineered materials. Certain parts of a pew should be made of solid wood, while other parts are best made of engineered materials to improve the long-term performance of the product.

c. Solid Wood / Plywood / Particle Board
As you learn about pew making, it is important to know the strengths and weaknesses of these different construction materials. Solid wood is usually believed to be stronger and more durable than other materials. However, if the moisture content is not monitored, solid wood will warp or crack.

Plywood is also considered to be a strong material because it is made by laminating layers of wood together. However, there are many different levels of plywood quality that can be used. For instance, some companies use roofing grade plywood, which typically is less expensive and contains many knots and voids. Furthermore, you will want to make sure that no pieces of the pew are joined together by screwing into the edge of a piece of plywood.

Particleboard and medium density fiberboard can also be used because they are totally dimensionally stable materials and will not cause warping or cracking. However, because these materials have been misused in the past, some people are hesitant to accept them.

d. Proper Use of Materials
While the materials used to make a pew are very important, materials do not tell the whole story. The way in which these materials are used will make a huge difference in the performance of your pews. The proper use of these materials depends on the company’s craftsmanship, engineering and experience. You can find high-quality and low-quality pews made of only solid wood, and you can find high-quality and low-quality pews that include engineered materials. Ultimately, the materials employed are secondary to how the materials are handled and used.

2. Comfort

a. A Good Fit
The study of seating ergonomics has proven that proper seating comfort is achieved by contouring the seat to fit the human body. For this reason, make sure that you understand how each company contours its seat. The three most common ways that a contoured seat is achieved are contouring the foam, placing a piece of wood under the foam at the front of the seat or contouring the structure of the seat itself. To understand which method is best, first realize that every company’s foam will break down and wear out over time. When the foam breaks down, consider what kind of surface you’ll be sitting on.

b.Foam
Another factor in determining comfort is the amount of foam that is used. Among manufacturers, seat foam thickness ranges from 2 inches to 6 inches. So what is the right amount of foam? Knowing a few facts about foam will help answer this question.

When discussing foam, furniture manufacturers use two main terms: density and indentation force deflection (IFD), also known as indentation load deflection (ILD). Density, which is the weight of a cubic foot of foam (typically measured in pounds per cubic foot), is the measurement that determines the quality of the foam. A higher density number represents a higher-quality foam that will last longer, regain its shape faster and prevent you from "bottoming out" or sitting through the foam. Most companies will use a foam with a minimum of a 1.80 lb. density. IFD, which is the amount of weight it takes to compress a 4-inch piece of foam to 3 inches, is the measurement used to determine firmness or softness. The higher the IFD, the firmer the foam.

3. Building Codes and their Effect on Seating Capacity

a. Seating Space
Before you begin the design of a new facility, or the renovation of an existing one, determine the amount of seating space per person you want to provide. Building code requires your architect to design the building based on 18 inches per person. However, have you ever considered how cramped it would be for several adults to sit together while each only occupies 18 inches? If your congregation is like most, on average a person (including purses, sweaters, notebooks, Bibles, items for small children, etc.) will occupy somewhere between 20 and 26 inches.

The next decision that you must consider is the amount of space you want between the back of a pew and the front of the seat right behind that pew. Building code requires a minimum of 12 inches. However, you may want to allow more room between pews to make it easier for people to move in and out of the pews. This will impact the design and size of your facility.

Ultimately, you will have several decisions to make that will give you an opportunity to customize your pews to compliment your facility: pew body style, pew end style, foam, fabric pattern and color, finish color, pew support style, pew end edge mold, and accessories, to name just a few. The bottom line is to select a company that will provide you with choices, and select a sales representative that will assist you in this process.

Bob Borcherdt is the national sales manager for Sauder Manufacturing Company. This article is an excerpt from Sauder’s comprehensive Pew-Buying Guide, which is available at www.sauderworship.com.