Recommend good woodworking shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn?

August 26, 2013 2:47 PM

I am trying to get a custom plywood/laminate table top made, and I have other things I would like to create in the future. I would like to find a good, honest woodworking shop that does small, piecemeal projects like this that I can have a relationship with. I have been in touch with a few, including some I found on Craigslist, but they are all remarkably flaky; won't answer the phone, won't return calls, don't reply to emails, don't show up to appointments. Any suggestions?
posted by gentle to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

Have you considered doing it yourself at a workshop of some sort? I'm a woodworker (in Pittsburgh, not Brooklyn) and my guess is the reason it's hard to find someone is that little piecemeal made-to-order projects are really hard to make any money on.
posted by jon1270 at 3:06 PM on August 26, 2013

Response by poster: I do know that there are wood shops that do things piecemeal. It may not pay much, but they can set the price, after all.

Ultimately I intend to learn how to do this, and get myself set up to do everything myself. Right now, I don't have the time; and secondly, I don't have a car and my foreign license is not valid in the US, so I would not be able to transport the materials.

Places like Home Depot will cut plywood to order, but I doubt they do the sort of cuts I need. And again, I don't have a car, so it's moot.
posted by gentle at 4:17 PM on August 26, 2013

Try putting up flyers at art schools and other places where there are furniture-making classes, or contact an instructor and ask them to recommend a student.
posted by hydrophonic at 4:33 PM on August 26, 2013

try my brother's place, withers & grain. however, they're probably one of the places you've already tried - i know they're super busy but it's worth a shot. just don't be surprised by the price tag.
posted by ps_im_awesome at 4:58 PM on August 26, 2013

Hi- I know this is not a specific answer to your question, but you might want to try walking through the warehouse areas in Greenpoint on the other side of McGuinness Ave (from Williamsburg). There are lots of small woodshops there, and you might have luck walking by a few in person and just asking. They are always closed on nights/weekends so your best bet is during the weekdays.

Otherwise, you could post a flyer at 3rd Ward to see if you can hire someone who is a member there to do your cuts.
posted by catrae at 2:51 AM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Catrae's suggestion to just drop by a few small shops in person is really good. With very small jobs, the more formal you expect the process to be, with messages, phone discussions, appointments, bids, etc., the less likely anyone is to bother to respond. But if you just show up and are standing there by the door, it's very easy for them to look over your sketch, give you some quick feedback and get the ball rolling. This also gives you the opportunity to look around the shop and get a feel for how they run things, the quality of their work, etc.
posted by jon1270 at 3:54 AM on August 27, 2013

Maybe try "Gothic Cabinet Craft" they aren't in Williamsburg - they have stores on Flatbush and 5thave (park slope) and Maspeth (which is actually closer than the other two) - but they might/should be able to make that for you.

Before Ikea, I knew a guy, a designer, who would get stuff made by 'Knossos' - they are in Astoria - nice guys, happy to knock out plywood boxes for a competitive price.
posted by From Bklyn at 3:55 AM on August 27, 2013

A friend of mine has a studio in Brooklyn but I'm not sure they would do anything so piecemeal. You can drop them a note and see if they have time.
posted by Bunglegirl at 8:49 AM on August 27, 2013