Wood Doors, Custom Furniture

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by “forging” the metal; i.e., by using hand tools to hammer, bend, cut, and otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form. Usually the metal is heated until it glows red or orange as part of the forging process. Blacksmiths create such products as wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, tools, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils, and weapons. A skilled blacksmith can, with minimal effort, make a sophisticated product that looks good and demonstrates ingenuity. A blacksmith who works primarily with horses, especially making and fitting horseshoes, is called a farrier.

Prior to the industrial revolution, a “village smithy” was a staple of every town. Mass production techniques have reduced the marketplace for blacksmith work except in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and South America where large numbers of artisans continue to do traditional work. In more industrialized regions, an increasing demand for custom metalwork has given rise to a new breed of smiths commonly known as Artist-Blacksmiths.


In recent years the forging of stainless steel has given rise to a fresh approach to architectural blacksmithing. Hephaestus (Latin: Vulcan) was the blacksmith of the gods in Greek and Roman mythology. A supremely skilled artisan whose forge was a volcano, he constructed most of the weapons of the gods, and was himself the god of fire and metalworking.


In America the largest producer of products made in this age old tradition is Scottsdale Art Factory. Scottsdale Art Factory offers an apprentice program that offers to train individuals in the age old art of true blacksmithing. Scottsdale Art Factory has been producing products such as iron gates, furniture, door hardware, custom lighting and much more for over nine decades in the United States of America. They can also trace their roots to Italy were the founding of their company began.

This church entrance for Stillingfleet Church in Yorkshire dates from 1185. The solid wood door is famous for its Viking ironwork and representations of a viking ship and other signs meant to act as charms. The exterior door is 4″ thick solid cedar and is “still” being used today.

Scottsdale Art Factory builds exterior doors today in the very same way they did in the 12th. century. We harvest from the North wood’s tall stands of Northern cedar. We air dry all of our timber naturally on the desert floor for a year or more prior to the final milling of your exterior door or interior door project. Once you have placed your order, we mill again to final dimensions required by your custom interior door or exterior door order. After this final milling we let it cure dry again. This is to insure that when we join and press these solid wood planks together they never warp, bow or split after the door has been joined together to make a solid wood door slab or blade.

Most materials used today are fast kiln dried. This is performed by force drying the material to a percentage of humidity level then joining. The rest of the drying time occurs after the product is delivered to your home. Usually warping and bowing and always shrinking all in the name of production speed and profit.

We at Scottsdale Art Factory (also known as scottsdaledoorfactory.com) do not rush anything we produce in the name of profit. We have the attitude that our reputation is on the line with each product produced so we simply build the old fashioned way, much like this historic exterior wood door that was built in the 12th century. By using the finest materials, the best master craftsman, along with methods and technology not much different from when the Vikings built this entry door has stood in working order for some 800 or so years. Proving as we always say, “if you build it right with pride of craftsmanship it will never need a warranty and will stand the test of time.”

We at Scottsdale Art Factory “guarantee all of our products forever” - no questions asked. All backed by our over nine decades of fine craftsmanship. We also have on staff some of the worlds best blacksmiths. Using these same techniques as the Vikings did on this door hardware. We still hand make fine hardware in any style. All finishes are patinas not faux or paint. See hundreds of interior and exterior door examples and our blacksmiths at work using hammer, anvil and forge all built to these specifications.