Custom Bench

I hope to do another post soon showing off some other benches, but I need to take some pictures first. Stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for that, and also be thinking about any ideas you may have for a bench to fit your own needs. 

This was a custom project for a big city customer. I had a small sample bench (more of a stool really) with me at a Farmer's Market and the customer approached me and asked if i could make a custom bench. I assured him that I could and he took a card and told me he would email me some measurements. 

A few weeks later he emailed me the specifics. I found out later that he and his wife had gone around looking at benches that felt right and took measurements to get the best of all worlds. He also wanted something that would match a table that was already in his home. 

We were able to match the colour to his satisfaction, give him a firm price on the finished project and meet his measurements exactly. He was contacted and we arranged pickup.

He arrived on the specified day and was very happy (I could say thrilled, but we men are a bit more emotionally reserved when it comes to furniture) to see the final product. Sturdy, level, just the right colour, much better quality and a longer life expectancy than something from a box store (did I mention it's made from solid wood?) and all for a reasonable price. 

I like wood. Whether it's pine, cedar, poplar, oak, maple, cherry, walnut, mahogany or sumac, I like wood and I like working with wood; and my experience is that most folks out there like the way that wood looks and feels and even the way it smells.

I work with my clients to get them the best product for their money to meet their wants and needs. That might mean an indoor bench made from pine to keep the cost down, or a bench made from black walnut and curly maple to show off a dining room set or to sit in a living room. Maybe it's a cedar bench to sit on a deck with a good exterior finish, or maybe it's an oak dining room bench built to survive lots of rambunctious children at dinner time. 

Pricing is relative to size and materials but price estimates are free. Contact me at mapleridgecreations@gmail.com for a no commitment consultation for a bench or any other woodworking need. 

Custom Signs

Inside or outside, sometimes you need to advertise a little bit. Maybe it's a family name sign to tell friends where you live, maybe it's a company or small business sign or maybe it's a bit of fun like a mancave sign. 

No matter what you're looking for, we are happy to try and meet your requests with signs tailored to your needs and tastes. To help you decide, here's a few options:

Basic Signs: The basic sign has basic information, and is pretty, well, basic looking. Typically made from 3/4" pine and left unstained so you can paint, stain or finish it yourself, or leave it unfinished and keep it indoors and let a soft patina build up over time. 

Extra Option #1: Extra Information: Have a street number, address or other information added above or below the basic sign. This option will include fastening hardware unless otherwise specified by the customer. 

Extra Option #2: Stain: If plain pine isn't your thing then you may be interested in adding some stain to your sign. Choose from a Minwax stain http://www.minwax.ca/wood-products/stains-color-guide/ or another specified stain, dye, etc. I don't typically like to paint, but it is also an option (I suppose...if i have to).

Extra Option #3: Chains: Attach your sign to a post, tree or hang from a beam with chains. Typically this option includes 2 12" lengths of chains along with removable links. Chain lengths can be provided at different lengths as desired.

Extra Option #4: Finish: Exterior finish will provide considerable weather resistance to your sign and both interior and exterior finishes will bring out the colour and the grain of the wood. Interior finishes are available in matte, satin and gloss, exterior finishes are a blend of Helmsman Spar Urethane and teak oil, and are available in satin, semi-gloss and gloss. 

Extra Option #5: The Post: Posts are made from 4"x4" eastern white cedar and finished with a blend of Helmsman Spar Urethane and teak oil which both brings out the colour and adds to the already considerable weather resistance of cedar. Crossbeams are attached with notches and screws. I like to accent the posts by routing a cove into the edges. 

Extra Option # 6: Materials: Other woods can be used in lieu of those mentioned above depending on product availability. Costs will vary depending on the wood used. Western red cedar may be substituted for eastern white cedar if available. Cedar (white or red) may be used for signs, as well as various hardwoods. Please note that some woods may not perform as well in exterior conditions as pine. 

Why not add a little something to your front yard to give it a personal and distinguished touch?

For pricing and other information, contact Don at mapleridgecreations@gmail.com