Ridgeway Grandfather Clocks are heirlooms that can be handed down from generation to generation. What’s the difference in heirloom quality vs. something that is simply high quality? Let’s start by saying the Ridgeway grandfather clocks are made in the USA in Ridgeway Virginia, where entire families have grown up in the clock making business. Nothing makes a piece of fine furniture worth more today, and especially tomorrow, than a precision hand manufacturing process performed by American workers. But we don’t just rest on our laurels of being the oldest and most famous American maker of grandfather clocks. Ridgeway takes it a step further by building the finest and highest quality grandfather clocks in the world. We start with each clock case having a minimum of 2 structural cross members at the top and 2 more cross members above the base frame for superior support and rigidity. Nearly all Ridgeway Grandfather Clocks, but particularly the ones with mirrored backs have a third cross member across the mirrored back and movement area. Some larger Ridgeway clocks have as many as 5 cross members in the case, making Ridgeway cases the strongest, heaviest and most stable grandfather clocks ever built.

When looking in a furniture dealer or clock shop showroom, ask the salesperson to remove the sound escapement panel on the side, so you can reach in to feel the cross members. Examine and compare Ridgeway clock cases to other brands and you will easily determine which ones are built to last!

The part of a grandfather clock that has the most stress on it is the door. That is because it is opened each week for purposes of winding the clock. You will notice that the arch on a Ridgeway grandfather clock is always made from a single solid piece of wood. This gives additional strength and stability. Notice the arch of any Ridgeway clock – The door arch (see diagram A) is always built of solid one piece construction for stability and strength.

Each and every Ridgeway clock has unique shapes and turnings. At Ridgeway all designs are done in-house by expert craftsmen and are unlike any others (unless they copy us!). This ensures that every Ridgeway grandfather clock is unique and makes the clock more valuable. Notice (diagram B) how each turning and column is joined to the solid hardwood clock case with both screws and glue. This eliminates the chance of separation at some point in the future. You can open the door and feel behind the front columns on the inside of the case.

Notice the way the base is constructed (diagram C). The base of a Ridgeway Grandfather Clock is heavy and solid – a platform that is wrapped completely all the way around the clock. Ridgeway also uses an additional back rail added to the construction above the base and is doweled, nailed and then glued to last forever.

Materials: All Ridgeway grandfather clock cases are made of solid hardwood construction. On our pieces that use decorative veneers, the veneers are real wood and are located over solid hardwood underneath. The ultimate value of any piece of fine furniture including a grandfather clock starts with how the joints are constructed. All important joints in these fine clocks are doweled, and, under pressure, they are additionally glued.

The same treatment applies to the crowns and bases of all Ridgeway grandfather clocks, plus, a solid metal spline miter is used to pull and hold the joint as tightly as possible. This makes an even stronger joint than is possible with wooden dowel construction. In order to make these clocks as strong as possible, Ridgeway uses an average of 8 spline miter keys, nearly 100 individual steel screws and over 40 dowels, ribbed and of solid hardwood.

Appearance: Ridgeway grandfather clocks are finished by hand in order to create the best looking clocks you can find anywhere. Only experienced finishers are allowed to touch the exterior of a Ridgeway grandfather clock during the finishing process. Each case is sanded to perfection, and then prior to the final finishing the parts are hand-sanded again to make sure all is perfect. Every part of the clock goes through a rigorous process that includes a multi-layered sanding process followed by staining, sealing, more sanding and glazing with coat after coat of fine lacquer and highlighting. Many of these fine clocks are then gone over with steel wool, by hand, before another round of finishing is applied. Nobody builds a clock like Ridgeway!

There is no finer nor stronger grandfather clock case built anywhere in the USA or the world. That’s another reason why we say that these grandfather clocks are heirloom quality!