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Chesapeake Woodcraft was established in 2001 as a full time venture (though in operation part-time for many years) and is a family owned and operated business (my wife and I). With over 20 years of experience in carpentry, cabinetry & furniture making, as well as paint & finish work I'm certainly not new to the woodworking profession. I'm actually a 3rd generation woodworker and owe my start and continued endeavors to my father Vernon Tawes a respected builder & contractor for more than 60 years before finally retiring at the age of 77. My workshop is located my home in Crisfield, MD.
Each and every piece that is produced in the shop is designed, built and finished entirely by me alone. This process may ensure quality but is also a factor when ordering custom work as my schedule is controlled by work load, since I am only one person doing a multitude of tasks. You can rest assured that no matter what jobs are pending yours takes the highest precedence and absolutely nothing is rushed just to get it out the door (I seldom pair jobs but see a single clients project through from start to finish before starting another). I like to think that my customers can take pride in knowing that their project was built from scratch, just the way they wanted it and know that it was painstakingly built by a single craftsman with traditional joinery, machines and hand tools and intended to last a lifetime. I've always said that as long as you find your work rewarding & truly enjoy it, then it can never be called a job. I'm blessed to be able to do the things I love and take pride in. Handcrafting something for someone that will be loved and appreciated for years to come is truly satisfying and rewarding in itself. My shop is professionally equipped to handle every facet of milling and fabrication, nothing is is outsourced for projects as all work is done in house. With the exception of some furniture legs that are lathe-turned that I order, everything I build is handmade by me... from raised panel cabinet doors to dovetailed drawers and large edge-joined solid wood table tops (few so-called custom cabinet shops or unfinished furniture warehouses can say the same). All of the wood used in construction of furniture & cabinets is purchased from a variety of mills throughout PA & NC in the rough (I only purchase #1 clear grade, kiln dried wood and most boards start at 10" & wider in 12' or longer lengths). All of the material is milled (jointed & planed) in the shop as needed for each project. We always have a few hundred board feet of Cherry, Maple, & Poplar, Basswood & pine as well as numerous sheets of cabinet grade plywood on hand at anytime stored in our cargo trailer right outside the shop (photos of our wood storage shown below). We of course special order any species of wood needed for a specific piece as well. Photos of our Workshop...My Shop is ever changing in layout & machinery and always evolving to meet my needs. (click thumbnails to enlarge)
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