Dock Roots - MIKRADLE Was Born In A Cabinet Shop

[cuskit]

Right off the bat, I'll make this disclaimer - I'm not hawking my cabinet shop here - just showing what the guy (me) who came up with the MIKRADLE idea does for a living when not engaged in his MIKRADLE Cottage Business...



MIKRADLE Roots:
I thought those of you whom have either purchased a MIKRADLE (or just contemplated buying) might appreciate knowing that these are not just little "craft" objects being made in a home garage workshop. They are manufactured in the same 6,400 square foot shop in which I produced all of the following custom cabinets. I bring in raw timbers (as produced and kiln dried at a sawmill) and plane, joint, mill and cut to size all lumber and turn it into finished pieces. I do all of my own finish work in house - I have a full sized finishing room (15' x 22' spray booth). I use catalyzed lacquers for most of my work, utilizing an industrial German made spray system known as the Kremlin AAA System. This is a state of the art combination of spray guns, pneumatic pumps and hoses designed to place the precise amount of lacquer on the cabinetry without all the over spray produced by conventional spray systems.

No work is out-sourced - it's made either by hand tools or some of the larger machinery I have in my shop (my 24" planer weighs in over 3,000 pounds)! I do have employees - the number varies from 2-8 full timers (as well as some part timers) depending on my workload.

Hope you all enjoy viewing the installed work below. I sure enjoyed building every single piece. I usually start with my own designs (my clients traditionally give me Carte Blanc to design their commissioned pieces), build, finish and install all of my work - no piece leaves my shop without at least 60% or more my own labor into every job.

Some of you might recognize some of the photos - we have been featured in some magazines such as NJ Design, Better Homes and Gardens, House Beautiful as well as Architectural Digest (the teak dining room table pictured was one of those featured in AD). I can state that I'm quite proud of what I've done with my work, and would like to respectfully claim my Dad as the driving force behind most of my work - he taught me most of what I know about the wood industry. Though retired for some years now (many of you are familiar with the health issues he has endured as of late) he and I still consult on many jobs I commission - I have the utmost respect and admiration for his knowledge, skills and experience. He's been so much more than just a Father to me - for most of my life he has been my best friend.

And so, enjoy my photos, just a small representation of the thousands of custom cabinets I've fondly manufactured throughout my very satisfying career.



Custom Kitchens by Lubrich - the "mother" of MIKRADLE! A Portfolio Sampling:

[nphil]

That's some amazing work there cuskit. If you lived in Georgia, I would have made you design my custom kitchen cabinets! (for the house I will buy in the near future )

[atlharry]

Beautiful work!

[drowe]

I agree that is beautiful work. I especially love the doors beside the fireplace.

[wuyanks]

awesome background info thanks for sharing... i wish i had such a talent

[Backnblack]

Great looking work...My BIL does the same here in MD.

[Sparty83]

Wow! That is some awesome work. I stand in awe of that craftsmanship. Your father taught you well!! One pictures I'd like to see though is that planer. Betcha it takes a couple people to move that thing around!!!

[cuskit]

Wow! That is some awesome work. I stand in awe of that craftsmanship. Your father taught you well!! One pictures I'd like to see though is that planer. Betcha it takes a couple people to move that thing around!!!

Guys - thanks all for the wonderful compliments!

Sparty - perhaps I might show some of the equipment. The planer was unloaded and placed into position with my forklift and sling! I bought that used from a school woodshop that had closed down. This planer was made in Italy for Rockwell back in the 80's. It was made to last forever, running 8 hour shifts, every day all year long. Never even hiccups!

Seeing that so many are enjoying these pix, I've added another 1/2 dozen or so. For the sake of the real intent of these forums - I'll limit myself.. I mainly wanted to provide some background for myself so those interested would know just where I come from (industry). mikey

[Sparty83]

Sweet I didn't see anything there that I wouldn't be proud to have in my house. I think I'd better not show these to my wife!

[cuskit]

Okay - you saw my other work, now I'll post pictures of MIKRADLES being built in my shop. Some proprietary pictures will not be included (jigs, templates and some procedures) which I'm sure you can all understand I'd rather not share at this time.

You will note the original prototype I built when I first started thinking about this endeavor. It was made of oak, and I was only thinking of making one for myself, not even dreaming of selling them (that came later). You can see the rough prototype with the latest evolution oak model next to it. I still use that original prototype in the shop daily!

Meanwhile - enjoy the show! These should give you a small idea about the fabrication of a MIKRADLE! What the pictures don't show is all the hand sanding, polishing, etc. - the time consuming end of the fabrication. Carbon Case Mark will certainly sympathize with this aspect of the job!

MIKRADLE - The Big, the Small, The Pretty and the Ugly:





And now - just for laughs - here's another hobby of mine - I'm a real BBQ Grill Addict! I am a Moderator on a BBQ Forums http://www.bbqsource-forums.com/invb...ex.php?act=idx (yep - over 7,000 posts for me over there) and it's just one more thing I'm very passionate about. So - here's a couple of pictures of what the inventor of the MIKRADLE has for dinner when he goes home tired from building MIKRADLES!





Hope you enjoyed all this! Perhaps you now know a little bit more about where and how these little "church benches" I like to call MIKRADLE have been turned from blank pieces of wood into the finished product arriving in your mailboxes! mikey