Ordering Custom Furniture

The ordering process begins with an inquiry from you for a particular idea you may have. I prefer to meet with you in your home so I can design the piece to match the theme of your home and blend in elements of your personality. I will then research my library of Early American Furniture books and other reference materials to identify several examples for you to choose from. Often, a chosen design will include elements from different examples. You will then choose the species of wood, color, and finish and I will prepare an estimate. Once the estimate is accepted, I require a 50% deposit before starting on your custom order.

I will then choose the lumber from my stock or visit the local specialty lumber warehouse. I prefer to hand select lumber to insure the highest quality of grain and color for your custom order. I use the widest boards available to avoid gluing up several boards for table tops and case sides. I use solid woods for all furniture parts to include drawer bottoms and interior parts. Secondary woods (pine, cypress, and poplar) are used for drawer sides and bottoms, case sides and backs and other interior parts. The 18^th century cabinetmaker would use secondary woods for interior parts to preserve his supply of rare hardwoods. Often, secondary woods used would include softwoods that are abundantly found near the cabinetmaker’s shop.

I use industrial quality machines to mill and dimension the lumber and then turn to hand tools to remove machine marks and to fit and finish the surface. The result is a product of superior quality to the mass-product technique found in today’s market. The furniture you see on this website are examples of the quality and craftsmanship of my work. The methods I use to construct your custom order require the use of many hand tools such as hand planes, files, scrapers, and chisels. The time-tested hand tooling techniques are more time consuming than the modern mass production method, but the quality of construction and appearance is far superior and will last for generations. I complete all work from design to finish in my custom shop. Handwork is more time consuming and orders may take 3-6 months to complete and deliver.