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All of Mapleshade's air-dried Maple platforms, speaker stands, SAMSON audio racks and modular furniture are locally manufactured by an Amish family in Southern Maryland. Their shop uses contemporary woodworking machinery that has been modified to run using 1500 psi hydraulic power.

Because finding air-dried 2" to 4" thick, old-growth maple at ordinary lumber yards is impossible, Pierre turned to a local Amish sawmill in 2001. They find us logs of very special maple indeed: 75 to 100 year old Ambrosia maple that sounds distinctly warmer and clearer than Canadian rock maple. These old trees yield wood of gorgeous character: much tighter and more variegated grain, lovely nut-colored contrasts, subtly shimmering curl, birdseye and tiger stripes—and, strikingly, our tests show that variegated maple platforms sound better than featureless clear maple. After our rough-cut maple air-dries for 3 to 6 years, depending on thickness, our Amish craftsman Ben, with his sons Crist and Uri, meticulously plane, bevel, shape and sand our platforms. Their satiny lacquer finishes handsomely show off the dramatic character and grain of our hand-selected, old-growth Ambrosia maple.