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Corporate Home » Onsite Magazine By Lee Lumber » Cstm Millwork No Small Shop Job
Custom Millwork Not Just a Small Shop Job
Finding 100 matching doors is easy. Finding one door to match another you already have can be utterly impossible. "Impossible" is almost always the specialty of the small custom millwork shop. Almost, but not always.
"We can make or match anything using stock parts or subassemblies, all-new custom parts or a combination of both," said Randy Baumgarten of Chicago-based Lee Lumber & Building Materials Corp. Lee Lumber operates its own custom millwork shop with more than 20 employees at 633 W. Pershing in the city.
"Anything" includes crafting custom doors from scratch, assembling window sashes, pre-hanging doors, putting glass in doors, even creating complete door units from multiple sources and running custom molding patterns.
" Because of our size, we can handle any job - large or small." Right now, for example, Lee is fabricating 1,250 custom window sashes to be used in the renovation of a historic high-rise. Other past projects of magnitude include making mahogany doors and frames to match the originals in Chicago's Orchestra Hall.
At the same time, Lee can also do short runs, too - even "runs" of one. "If it's more cost effective for us to, say, make a door to match from scratch, we'll do that, too, often for less than it would cost at a door manufacturer, whose production runs make it uneconomical to produce one special unless they get major setup and custom charges."
Baumgarten credits the savings to larger shops having more resources than a one- or two-person custom woodshop normally has. "Just for starters, bigger shops get most of their materials via direct sourcing. They buy lumber directly from the sawmills, windows directly from the manufacturer." That's not to say smaller shops can't do the job. Often they can. "But the price is often way high by comparison due to sourcing through multiple channels of distribution"
Whether customers are involved in new construction, remodeling or renovation projects, Baumgarten said the best way to get what they need is to bring in a sample of what they want. "Any good custom shop can grind the knives and run the pattern on their molding machine. We use the same kind of high speed molder molding manufacturers use, we're just used to setting up frequently and running orders from one piece to thousands of feet."
Lacking a sample, customers can peruse a wide variety of books and catalogs for a picture of what they want. "Or you can work directly with in-house design staff. Like us, most of the larger custom shops have experienced designers, even people with the latest CAD training on staff and available to help." Whatever your needs, Baumgarten suggests you explore your options before letting out the job. "The small custom shop isn't your only choice, even for small custom jobs."
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** NEW EVENT
3250 N. KEDZIE LOCATION
773-509-6700
633 W. PERSHING LOCATION
773-927-8282
News***
Our Smartrooms location on CLTV
Click here
We can now offer FSC certified wood products!
We also host monthly EPA RRP Lead Certification Classes (Training provided by OTS, Inc.)
Date: Sept. 14, 2010
Time: 8a.m.-4:30p.m.
Price: $250 per person*
(*Includes breakfast and lunch)
Course must be paid in full before attending. Please make checks payable to Lee Lumber.
$250 cost of class but $300 of Lee Lumber certificates given to those attending the class
To register for one of the above dates, you may download the application, and contact Danielle Rivera at
(773) 927 - 8282 or danielle@leelumber.com
2010 Lee Lumber
Architect Lunch & Learn Series
Event Schedule
iLevel/Trus Joist
Residential Engineered Lumber
&
Evaluating Floor Preformance
This AIA course is approved for 2 LU's &
2 H/S/W's
Wednesday, Septeember 29th, 2010
10:30 - 1:00
For more information, or to reserve your spot
at an upcoming event, contact Steve at
(773) 509-6700 x 328 or shuff@leelumber.com
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