About your furniture maker
We are an Ontario small business owned and operated by a carpenter with over 25 years of experience working with wood .
I bring my experience to your advantage and handcraft custom furniture tailored to your requirements
ABOUT ME AND THE START OF WESTERN PRIDE WOODWORKS
Western Pride Woodworks is a custom woodworking, custom furniture and solid wood dining table small business located in Innisfil, Ontario. We deliver personally across Ontario and can ship safely Canada wide.
The company name, Western Pride Woodworks, is derived from my family’s proud prairie roots in Saskatchewan. My proud Ukrainian side.
My Name is Derek N Lunau, a formally-trained artisan carpenter. I have been perfecting my craft for over 25 years. My work can be seen in various residences throughout some of the most prestigious areas of Toronto, the GTA and Simcoe County. I was born and raised in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Brought up from childhood in the world of General Contracting working for my father, a German master carpenter.
I became a finely tuned finish carpenter with a plethora of high-end custom building experience. I have built some extremely unique homes and commercial buildings in my career working for the man who trained me. I decided to leave a successful family business which I worked extremely hard to help make succeed for the majority of my career. I decided to make a huge, bold and scary change for my personal well-being and opened my own successful high-end renovation company. Then the pandemic hit hard. I was forced to pivot and this time the decision was made for me.
I have since broken everything right back down to my love of hands on creation and working with wood every day. It is my craft, my trade, and also my passion. I have opened Western Pride Woodworks and work full time crafting unique furniture pieces that are one of a kind and made custom to order for you. Sometimes returning back to basics is the most rewarding move you can make. It has served me well in all facets of my life.
Your satisfaction and enjoyment of your custom piece of furniture is held in the highest regard with me. I strive to make you feel included in the process, respected and treated equally regardless of who you are.
Derek N Lunau Owner and craftsman
how ancient woodworkers sculpted civilization
Humans have a remarkable relationship with trees. Trees not only provide the oxygen we need to breathe, but also wood in its rawest form. For millennia, woodworking by carpenters, turners, and joiners have transformed this basic material into objects that have made a huge contribution to the advancement of civilization.
Right up to the present moment wood is still being worked into buildings, furniture, and ornamentation. It’s more than likely you’re sitting on, working on, or sleeping on a wooden structure, despite the emergence of plastics, steel, and concrete alternatives.
Our amazing relationship with wood began with the Neanderthals and it’s never ceased. The origin of woodwork and its development throughout history is a fascinating subject. Woodworkers have enabled overseas travel , created communities, improved personal safety, and built everything we needed to live and flourish.
Why Carpenters Were So Important To Civilization’s Advancement
Every culture that has left evidence of its existence has recorded woodworkers in pictorial form or writing. Although we tend to picture carpenters as humble manual workers, they have held an important place in society throughout the ages and across the globe.
Pre-historic man created essential wooden tools and lined wells with joinery to serve communities. Later woodworkers made homes, ships, weapons, and furniture from one of the few materials available at the time, so it comes as no surprise that carpenters’ guilds were established in the Middle Ages.
These guilds created quality regulations, provided charitable gifts and pensions, and trained apprentices. One such guild was the Carpenter’s Company of London which protected member interests when the Great Fire destroyed London in 1666, and parliament decreed all houses be made of bricks. In 1685-94 the Carpenters Company took on 54 apprentices from all walks of life and kept a standard of work through quality inspections.
The Personal Account Of An 16th Century Carpenter
In 1999 the account book of a 1700’s American pioneer carpenter came to light.
The lucky finding, discovered in the concealed drawer of a Victorian bureau, provided historians with the daily accounts of a skilled woodworker helping to lay the foundations of modern-day America.
The account book records the life of a carpenter called Ezra Bryan. He made chests, tables, chairs, beds, clock cases, window frames, cheese presses, tool handles, and even buttons. A particularly interesting account lists the household furniture purchases of a newly married couple to the value of £10 (about $10 at that time). A few months later a coffin for the couple’s child is added.
In the cold months Ezra employed townsfolk to help cut trees, split planks, and weave rattan seats for chairs. He taught apprentices and paid employees. The carpenter Ezra catered to everyone and made no end of essential objects with his skills. In the summer months when presumably the harvest was king and townsfolk were busy, he made furniture without assistance.
Ezra’s account book is a valuable contribution to personal history. It indicates how woodworkers improved lifestyles and in the case of the newly married couple, Ezra catered to the fortunes and misfortunes of their life path.
Who could live without the skills of a good woodworker throughout history?
Source :
https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/woodworking-0011950
Canadian Made solid wood Tables & Furniture
Built To Last Many Generations – Very Durable But Able To Be Repaired – Can Change To Suit Different Needs Later
Below is an interesting little bit of information on Furniture waste “F waste”
F Waste , What is it ? It is the 10+ Million tons of furniture waste that fills our landfills each year. “Fast “Furniture” is the culprit.
Made as cheap and as light as possible for shipping it is usually flat boxed for you to assemble and comes from over seas. It is made to last 1-5 years and wind up in the landfill.
Sound like “Fast Food” ? same principal , quickly fills a need but leaves our body with no supply of good nutrients for future use.
Then comes a great question …
How likely are you to throw away something that holds great value ? Answer : YOU WONT !
Your table or custom piece of furniture is more often than not a 1 of 1 creation made by an artisan from the highest quality wood available. This translates to high value retained for money spent.
Nothing We Create is “Fast Furniture” It is made to last indefinatley with the right simple care.
HOW I PREFER TO WORK :
Respect and kindness that flows back and forth evenly between both parties is the KEY to a enjoyable custom furniture experience with outstanding results on delivery day. Being totally honest, at this stage of my career this is the only way I will work !
On a budget ? We love budgets !!!
Be open with your budget if at all possible ! We want to help you as much as we can ! This allows us to use our expertise to suggest options for you based on your comfortable spend. Everyone has a budget even if it is a large budget .If your budget is higher than what a fair price for your project is , I will tell you, ask some of our previous clients! I will do my best to get you as much as I can for your budget. Sometimes we cannot offer you our services for what we have to work with, thats ok too, we will be upfront and honest. We dont squeeze you to increase it, or shame you if your budget does not align with your ask. It takes alot to offend us , so dont be shy about being open, this is the best way I have found to do business over the years of my career.
Our Planting Program
We have created a small black walnut tree nursery on our property. We offer free black walnut trees 5-8 feet tall to all of our clients that purchase any type of custom table from us. We will bring a tree for you to plant on your property if you wish, or if not feasible we will plant a tree on our property or in our area in Innisfil on your behalf. We are grateful for the wood that is gifted to us to create your furniture. To participate in our planting program is to understand the bigger picture. For information about the Black Walnut Tree and how important it is in our ecosystem have a look at this link ” BLACK WALNUT A VERY SPECIAL TREE “
I hold the utmost respect for the beautiful trees that inhabit our earth. They are just as alive as we. We give new life to all of the sustainably sourced premium hardwoods we use in the form of quality furniture that is passsed on from generation to generation.
CONTACT US
Please use the contact form below or email/call me directly
Your First Step To Hiring The Right Craftsman And Purchasing Environmentally Responsible Furniture
CUSTOM HANDMADE FURNITURE AND CUSTOM WOODWORKING
We offer a 15% Discount to all women on all custom furniture orders , all year every year.
Canada and US Wide Shipping
Western Pride Woodworks is owned and operated by a master carpenter and located in Ontario Canada. We are a custom wood working and custom furniture small business.Our diversity ,expertise and personal customer service is what sets us apart from other wood shops in the province. We offer spectacular results at some of the best price points around. Contact us for a free and honest quote on your requirements. We are located in Innisfil Ontario at 7681 10 Sideroad.