HANDMADE TO LAST

Adriance Heirloom Furniture is handmade to last for generations using the time-honored construction methods of authentic Mortise & Tenon joinery and Hand-sawn Dovetails. These are the techniques epitomizing the strength found in Early American timber-frame houses.

Table aprons are squarely tenoned into deeply mortised legs for sturdiness.

Chair rails are tenoned into front legs and through back posts and wedged for extra longevity.

One-board, figured drawer fronts are accented with wood knobs. Drawer sides of seasonally stable straight-grain wood are joined with hand-sawn and chiseled dovetails.

Doors are built to last with mortise & tenon joinery and hung with mortised, solid brass hinges. Wide-figure door panels float in rift-sawn frames for seasonal stability.

Table Tops are secured to aprons with deep-thread screws in steeply angled pockets to allow for seasonal movement.

Dining Table Legs are gracefully Tapered or Hand-Turned on the lathe.

We select the best lumber from sawmills recognized by the Forest Stewardship Council for sustainable forestry. Beautiful wide-boards of native cherry and tiger maple are chosen to create highly-figured, matched-grain tabletops, drawer fronts, headboards, and door panels. Thus, together with our fine craftsmanship and joinery the life of the trees is extended another 200 years.

Adriance signed heirlooms are hand-finished with several coats of water-resistant tung oil-rich yacht varnish, then waxed and hand-rubbed to a lustrous satin patina, requiring no upkeep.

To assure genuine authenticity for discerning clients, our distinctive Starwheel trademark is hand-carved into each artform. 

Culminating decades of understanding exceptional craftsmanship, high standards of intrinsic merit set our work apart from the ordinary. Our unwavering dedication to fine hand-skills is a testament to the human hand. The subtle hand-tool marks found in old world furniture artworks are also evident in our hand-planed wood, hand-turning, hand-carving & inlay. Adriance museum-quality furniture truly represents enduring American value.

In 1970 Gary Adriance handmade his first furniture at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. In 1980 he and his wife Laurie built a post & beam cottage and workshop in the seaside Village of Padanaram. A 6000 square foot Workshop & Showroom was constructed across the harbor in 1990.