It’s been a t… February 7, 2012

It’s been a tough stretch these past few years for most of us in the construction industry. Every week I hear of another shop closing up for good. There are fewer and fewer people out there who are able to spend the money on a new house or do improvements. Those who are spending are spending less, so of course there is tremendous pressure to lower the bottom line. Maybe the low bid ought to have a sinister warning label like they put on cigarettes and pool chemicals.

Liberty Woodworking Inc. stopped using Chinese plywood several years ago. The USA manufactured Maple plywood that I now use is more than double the cost of the Chinese birch.

A couple days ago I was reviewing a disclosure statement pertaining to a real estate transaction.

These two items I thought were worth reading twice:

37) Are you aware of environmental hazards on the property, including, but not limited to: Asbestos, lead paint, toxic substances, urea formaldehyde, radon, mold, Chinese drywall, chemical storage tanks either active or abandoned?

38) Are you aware of corrosion or damage to air conditioner or refrigerator coils, copper tubing, plumbing, or electrical wiring damaged by methane or sulfur gas from Chinese drywall?

 

It’s true the domestic material is a lot more expensive, unless you draw a comparison of Chinese plywood to Chinese drywall. I used to think that was a silly comparison to make.  I mean, they are totally different types of material. The one has nothing to do with the other.  At least that’s what I used to think.

St Peter’s Episcopal Cathedral June 6, 2011

Cross section slab from a camphor tree that grew in the courtyard at St Peters cathedral in downtown St. Pete. The 100 year old tree had to be cut down a few years back. Lots of people made all sorts of things with the wood, I’ve been commissioned to turn it into a table that will be used as an altar periodically in the courtyard where the tree once stood.

Two great reasons to contract with Liberty Woodworking Inc. April 14, 2011

I donate company time and resources in order to help with the fundraising efforts of important charities in our community such as The Abilities Foundation, the Police Benevolent Association, All Children’s Hospital, Saddle up Riding Club, and more. When you buy from Liberty Woodworking, you help perpetuate my ongoing support of these vitally important organizations.
And another thing,
For every $100 spent at a locally owned business,
$45 stays in the local economy, creating jobs and expanding the city’s tax base. For every $100 spent at a national chain or franchise store, only $14 remains in the community.

When you buy from me, you are making an investment not only in your home, but in the environment and the local economy as well.

hooker game March 6, 2011

directions to setup your hooker game:

custom cabinets March 3, 2011

One thing I hear a lot is “I really like your work but I probably can’t afford to hire you to do my kitchen”

My cabinets are not expensive.

As a matter of fact I can give you a lot more for your money than anyone else.

It probably makes it confusing that custom furniture is a lot more expensive than imported furniture.

That said:

Cabinets are a totally different ball game. Okay hold on. If you’re seriously shopping at IKEA or looking at the DIY cabinet section at the local home center, you don’t need to read the rest of this.

Factory cabinets are cheap to make, and therefore cheap for a middleman to buy and in turn sell to you, the consumer. A big retailer will buy the cabinets from a factory for less than half the sale price. When you buy from a retailer, most of your money does not go toward the cost of the wood or production; it goes straight to the smiling stockholders.

Even the more expensive lines and brands you know and trust are using the cheapest tricks to max out profits. They say “soft closing doors” and “all steel drawer slides” and that’s sort of true. its also true that Macdonalds burgers are 100% beef.  Look in the back of the cabinet and you will see how it’s attached to some thin particle board with a flimsy plastic bracket.

The friendly sales staff will assure you that the quality is “Top of the line” and “never heard a complaint about these”

That’s nothing more than sales 101. They have to say that. If they talked about the particle board and how it’s all stapled together with plastic brackets and hot glue with Chinese hinges no one would ever buy that crap.

They like to say stuff like “Don’t worry, everything’s backed by the strongest warranty in the business.”

Surely by now we all know cheap plastic stuff breaks easily and particleboard melts in the humidity here in Florida.

The warranty means you’ll be waiting around the house for a subcontractor to show up and then tell you they have to order a cheap plastic part from the factory. Go ahead, call the store to complain about this injustice. You can stay on hold for as long as you like.

Many retailers offer “semi-custom” cabinets. What does that mean? The answer is simple; it’s a shameless marketing scam. Semi custom is nothing more than a roaring rip-off. Semi custom means bigger profits and bigger smiles as they all laugh together hysterically.

Retailers cannot make the same profits on custom cabinets without selling at a ludicrous price point. It is contrary to nature that custom work can be produced by the trainload in a huge factory full of minimum wage workers, so naturally it is impossible to buy custom work at a trainload volume discount. I do not recommend trying to buy custom cabinets from a retailer.

  Although a good General contractor is key to the success of a construction project, custom cabinets, again, are another story. A custom kitchen is a reflection of your taste and personality. In my experience, a GC can be a weak link in the communication and an unnecessary tollbooth in the transaction. Let them manage the mason, the plumber, and the painter, but here’s where you may want to pull rank with the GC and point out whose writing the checks. Find a good cabinetmaker and deal with him directly.

Make sure your contractor is properly licensed.  In Pinellas County at least, it takes about 2 minutes. Go to the PCCLB online database. A license by no means guarantees that the contractor is a keeper. You still need to check references and see examples of their work in order to decide if you’ve found the right one.

As a Fiat is not a Mercedes, not all custom shops do equal quality work. I am familiar with a number of reputable shops in this area that do excellent work. Unfortunately, that isn’t the story with every small shop. For some reason, a lot of the “custom” shops out there are replicating and in some cases simply re-branding cheap factory cabinets.

Its true with everything, if you want the best deal, the best product, you have to get to the source. The source is right here. I build the cabinets in my shop and install them myself.

I keep a low overhead. I do not have a showroom or employ salespeople, and I carry no inventory. I build it myself and I only use the best quality materials and hardware and workmanship. I don’t do anything with particleboard. I only use USA manufactured NAUF plywood for cabinet boxes. The functional hardware I use is imported from Germany and Austria, operates smoothly, and is built to last. 

 I give you premium quality for the standard price. You don’t have to join a club to buy direct from me. LibertyWoodworking.com

Red Eucalyptus from Tarpon springs February 11, 2011

Plenty big enough to make a nice conference table 14 foot big slabs

there is no stain on this piece or any other on this site.. Clear varnish only!

St. Pete Times article February 11, 2011

BillyDunn_StPeteTimes1of2

BillyDunn_StPeteTimes2of2

online store February 7, 2011

please shop at my online store on Etsy

online store

local urban wood samples January 14, 2011

set of samples to show the incredible wood that grows right here in pinellas county

conference table January 10, 2011

Recently, Ive been commissioned to build several conference tables. All of these are about 48″ wide by 96″ long. I have used different styles of bases on each, one is steel, the other is clear acrylic, and then theres the wood, which is the one I think looks the best so far. I would like to come up with a steel base design that I like though. The rosewood table is in fact in a dining room, but i’ve included it here anyway. The Redgum eucalyptus is drying right now, and will be ready to make a nice table in about a month or so. Enjoy, Billy D.

australian cypress conference table

rosewood table

fresh cut redgum eucalyptus