Townsman, 1991-07, Page 22fact that Murray will do his best to
design a project to fit a budget. He
says people will often hesitate to order
a custom-made product as they antici-
pate they cannot possibly afford it, a
misconception as there are many ways
to work around the bottom figure.
Actually, he said with some amuse-
ment, when he gives people a quote,
he will offer them a price range to
work within and he is seldom sur-
prised anymore by the outcome. "It's
interesting, but given a price range,
most people go for the high end."
In doing kitchen cabinets, Mur-
ray says he has an advantage over
many as he is just one of a few cabinet
makers to make their own doors. "It
gives me a versatility that others don't
have," he says, explaining that as cab-
inets are not made the traditional way
today, there are few people with the
training to design the doors. " Making
cabinet doors is labour intensive, the
mechanics are not something you can
find just anywhere. There is no com-
mon place to go today to get the expe-
rience. We arc shuffling towards
factories and the people are becoming
more like assemblers than cabinet
makers." Having been in the trade for
so long, Murray learned from the off-
set how to make cabinet doors to fit
his cabinets, so the technique is to
him, no mystery. "It's familiar. Things
like this come down to basic pro-
gramming. When time is money, you
don't want to search around to learn
how to do it."
This is not to suggest that Mur-
ray is a pioneer, crafting his work by
hand plane and saw. "I have modern
equipment. In the old days, a lot of the
boring jobs would have been done by
the apprentice, but the world is mod-
ern, and like any progressive business,
there's modern equipment." He even
has his own drying facility, incorpo-
rated into the upstairs of his shop, for
the wood he cuts. The rest he purchas-
es from lumber yards in Kitchener and
Toronto.
Another customer -pleasing
advantage of Huron Woodcraft's
kitchen designs is that the customer is
not limited by size, unlike factory
designed cabinets. Murray doesn't use
filler strips and they are made to fit
20 TOWNSMAN/JULY-AUGUST 1991
anywhere and any situation. "That's
when I get to use my brain power,"
says Murray. "Pushing a planer, doing
the menial, laborious tasks are
rewarding, but particularly so when
you know where it's going in the end
and exactly how it will look there."
There are so many niches to be
filled that Murray is often given the
chance to test himself. He recently
completed doors for two area church-
es, one in Ripley and the Anglican
Church in Kingarf, about 10 kilome-
tres north. Another recent accomplish-
ment, which he describes as a
personal "test of his talent" was a
Boston rocker, one of the most diffi-
cult things for a woodcrafter to make.
It took 20 hours to complete and was
something he wanted to prove to him-
self he could make.
The time spent on projects is an
intricate balance he says, like walking
a fine line between drying -up and
expanding. "It's something I have to
be careful of. I don't want to overex-
tend myself, yet I don't want to find
myself sitting with nothing to do."
Most projects he tries to complete in a
week, while kitchens take about one
month. He has had a full-time
employee for the past three years and
a co-op student from F.E. Madill Sec-
ondary School in Wingham, also
helped out this past year. "I don't want
to get to the point where I need more
help. The way things have been over
the last few years, have been perfect.
If I can maintain that I'll be pleased,"
said Murray.
This could be a problem as
more and more people become famil-
iar with the workmanship done by
Murray. While he willingly listens to
his clients' wishes, he won't sacrifice
the quality of the craft he believes in.
"I find that if an idea is pointed out to
them and they are told it won't work,
most will listen. I've never had a situa-
tion where I couldn't convince some-
one otherwise." However, when it
comes to a matter of taste, it isn't
always that easy. "If someone has
their heart set on, for example, a dark
stain, which I personally dislike,
there's not much I can say to dissuade
them. People's tastes are groomed to
what's available commercially, so
dark stains tend to be used. Actually
though, their only real use is to hide
colours that don't match."
Murray says, usually he has a
sense or awareness of the customer's
likes and dislikes. "I tend to key in
with what a person would be happy
with. There's financial gain to be had
in being a success, but there's more to
it than that. There's no more joy for
me than doing a project bang -on and
knowing the customer will be happy.
You need that to stay in business. I've
been lucky. Even now, after all this
time, I still look forward every day to
coming to work."
irinrinhrr 113hrn .. .
170 DINSLEY ST. W.. BLYTH. ONT. NOM 1H0 523-9554
41! I . .
_ General Line Antiques & Collectibles
44 A
Doll House Miniatures & Supplies
Homestead Heritage Milk & 011 Paints
Antique Reproduction Cards & Paper Products
Quality Canadian Porcelain Dolls
Old -Fashioned Looks In Tablecloths
Runners - Doilies - Pillow Shams - Collars
in Cut Out Work - Tatting
Batten & Tuscany Lace
Bath Products - Pewter Jewellery
Tasty Treats
and we hope a few different items
that you haven't seen before!
Where you will find....