Why handcrafted?       Handcrafted, custom furniture and cabinetry is specifically designed and built, by hand, for you and no one else. It can't be bought off the floor of a furniture showroom or out of a catalog. It's one-of-a-kind and must meed your requirements, look and feel the way you want, and generally make you proud to own.       I build one project at a time, slowly and with a constant eye for detail. I build to your specification with prime American hardwoods and top-grade, veneered plywood with matched grain patterns. I join wood the old-fashioned way with mortise and tenons, dovetails, dado and rabbet joints to ensure fit, strength and durability. I stain and finish your project by hand, with custom colors and varnishes, to a look and feel that says quality.       Large manufacturers and small woodworking shops like mine use power tools. But that's where the similarity ends. They fabricate for the mass market, in standard and traditional styles, using, at best, lower-grade hardwoods with sprayed-on finishes or, at worst, particle board covered with thin veneer.       They employ semi-skilled, low-paid workers, who essentially do piece work on an assembly-line process. Why custom?       Most people come to me after they've been shopping for a while and can't find anything that fits their needs or that they truely like. They're often referred by existing customers. Usually they have a budget figure in mind as a result of shopping around. Normally, it's too low for custom woodworking.       Simply put, most ready-made furniture and cabinetry passes through middlemen before you buy it. A small percentage of the price you pay is for materials and labor. Markup is a major portion of your cost. In short you're not getting very good value for your money.       Purchasing genuine, handcrafted antique furniture or commissioning me to do custom work is smarter. Why? Because you're getting full value. You're paying only for top-grade materials and expert design and craftsmanship, not for middlemen who add no real value to the piece.

Jim Bestul Jr.