Northern Prairie Woodworks

Custom projects

The piece you keep picturing

Let's talk about building it. One pair of hands, solid hardwood, a shop in Virden, Manitoba — and a piece that will not exist anywhere else.

Most of what leaves this shop started with someone reaching out about something that wasn't in the catalogue: a memento box for a friend's 70th, a shadow box for a flag that flew over the Peace Tower, a Compass block sized for a particular island. If you've got a picture in your head, that's enough to start.

How it works

  1. A conversation. You tell me what you're picturing. I reply within two business days with questions, ideas, and a rough range.
  2. Design, drawings and a firm price. Not a range — a number, in writing.
  3. The build. A 50% deposit puts your piece in the queue, fully refundable right up until I start cutting and buy the materials. You get progress photos from the bench.
  4. Delivery. Photos or a video call before it ships, tracked to anywhere in Canada or the US. Within driving distance of Virden I'll bring it myself.

Good to know

  • Every piece is one of one.
  • Solid hardwood only. No veneer, no MDF core, no plywood.
  • I don't turn wood. No lathe here — no turned legs, bowls or spindles. Everything is flat stock, joinery and CNC.
  • I won't copy another maker's design. Bring inspiration, and we'll make something that's yours.
  • Lead times from design approval: boards and blocks 3–4 weeks · cribbage and small carved pieces 1–2 weeks · furniture and one-offs 6–8 weeks. For Christmas, a one-off needs to be agreed by mid-November.

What it costs

Wood, size and thickness, joinery, detail work and finish set the price — so I can't quote before the conversation. A memento box in walnut with a fitted lid lands in the low hundreds; a shadow box with conservation glass and an engraved plate runs $650–900; furniture starts around $1,000. Tell me your budget in the form and I'll design to it honestly, or tell you straight if it won't stretch.

Tell me what you're thinking

No commitment and no sales pitch. I read every one of these myself and reply within two business days.

Up to 5 photos. Links are fine in the box above.