Our pieces are made from classic North American woods such as Adirondack black cherry, sugar and red maples, hickory, poplar and oak.

Locating source trees for these woods means we personally visit local forests searching for these trees and use our contacts and network to find high quality working materials. Beth and I are both foresters, graduates of the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, School of Forest technology, Wanakena campus. I am a registered professional forester in the State of Maine (retired, #1087).

Once we find the right materials they are locally sawn and the lumber is carefully selected to fit the piece being considered with special attention paid to wood grain, color, strength, and intended finish.

After selection, we prepare the material to its rough dimensions before giving the wood some time to "rest" so that it stabilizes to existing ambient conditions, and then re-size the wood to semifinal dimensions.

Of course we use ordinary power tools, but the assembly of each piece is critical and we hand fit each joint to assure a long lasting functional piece. My most common working tool is a hand chisel sharpened to a razor edge, however, my favorite tools are a small cobbler’s hammer and a well-worn “try” square that were my great-grandfather’s. He was a carpenter and a cabinet maker born in Northern New York in1851.

We hand-make all our pieces. Legs are turned individually on a lathe by eye without a pattern. Based on our experience and craftsmanship, we tend to use time-tested joinery like mortise and tenon, and frame and panel. Minimal metal hardware and fasteners are used.

Every piece is hand-sanded after which Beth applies several coats of special finishing oils, and hand-rubs each coat to a polished finish.

And lastly, we have our final check of the piece, its joints, and all its “fits” and finishes, so we can bring this representation of traditional Early American craftsmanship to you and your family.

You should also know that we unconditionally guarantee our Shaker Tradition pieces.