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Maple River Woodworks, LLC in Coward, SC is owned and operated by Tracy Yarborough. The company specializes in custom cabinetry and raised panel door production. Serving eastern SC and parts of NC, Maple River Woodworks opened its doors in March 2000. Tracy's love for woodworking began when he was a teenager. Being raised on a small farm in a rural community, his dad and grandfather both were of the mindset that if something needed to be done, then do it. Building items from wood, anything from a pair of sawhorses to a room addition on the family home, always generated a certain spark in Tracy's heart. "I always knew that I received great enjoyment from working with wood. I just didn't know how to capitalize on that until later in life", Tracy says. "My grandfather used to tell me to 'do it right the first time, and you won't have to do it again'. That's where the slogan 'built the way it ought to be' came from", Tracy added. After many years of working "regular" jobs and honing his skills at woodworking, Tracy chose to pursue a business of his own. "That was the hardest decision my wife and I ever made. Many sleepless night were spent discussing pros and cons, but in the end, I knew that I had to at least try or I would always wonder 'what if?'", Tracy noted. After spending 40 hours a week at a regular job and another 30 hours a week in the workshop, Tracy opened Maple River Woodworks in a 1600 sq ft building that he, himself, constructed on his property behind his home. Tracy has expanded that shop with 3 additions since then to allow for more equipment, storage, and finishing. As business grew, he expanded into a partnership with a friend that had a similar experience with cabinetmaking. Through many trials, including back surgery and the dissolution of that partnership, Tracy pushed forward with his ideals of making the business succeed. In 2003, Tracy began the daunting task of finding employees. "I tried a few guys that had good skills, but poor work ethics. I needed skilled personnel that were dedicated in producing quality". Tracy finally found that in 2 gentlemen. Wesley Foxworth came to work with Tracy after his dad retired from home remodeling, and Chuck Hutchinson found his way over to Maple River Woodworks after getting laid off from a remodeling contractor. "Both of these men came to me with eagerness to learn something different. I invested in them and they have proved to be very effective employees that I depend on heavily to get the job done", says Tracy. Early in the business, Tracy outsourced his doors and drawer fronts. Like other cabinet shops, he concentrated on the casework and let those with the specialized equipment produce these parts for his business. Then came the day that his door supplier suffered a shop fire with an order of Tracy's sitting in his finish area. "It was an immediate realization that I was not in control as much as I thought" says Tracy. It was this experience that began another path for Maple River Woodworks. Tracy began purchasing equipment to process his own raised panel doors, beginning with a Unique MDF door router table. "I really bought that piece of equipment to make doors for my own cabinets, but the work got out to other cabinetmakers and trim carpenters in the area. The next thing I know, I'm in the cabinet door business", Tracy explained. That started the process of acquiring other equipment to process hardwood doors. After some local market research, Tracy found there was only one other shop in the area that made raised panel doors, and it was a part-time operation using router tables. The next closest supplier was over 60 miles away. As with any production item, time is always the critical factor. A contractor, trim carpenter, or cabinetmaker is always being pushed when it gets to the finishing touches on a project. "Therefore", Tracy surmised, "If I can produce doors in a competitive time frame, I can eliminate the shipping factor, saving the end user freight and time. That's the philosophy behind starting the door making side of the business." The business continues to grow. "I was just recently told by a fellow CMA member, during a discussion, that business is either growing forward or falling backward. I want Maple River Woodworks to always be on the growing side of that divide" Tracy offers. From those humble beginnings as a one man operation, Tracy has expanded into a three man shop that now covers nearly 4000 sq ft. Equipment now includes, along with the Unique MDF door table, an Altendorf F90 sliding table saw, a Halsty wide belt sander, Jet cabinet saw with router table, Larrick door edge sander, Unique 250 hardwood door shaper, Grizzly 3hp shaper, Delta 3hp shaper, Castle pocket machine, Porter cable pocket machine, Blum, Grass and Hettich boring machines, Ritter line borer, Wilke mortiser, 2 Dewalt chop saw stations, Mattison rip saw, sanding station, and dozens of bar clamps. He is most proud of his recent purchase. "After many years of research, I finally got a CNC machine", Tracy beams.
Tracy had spent the last 3 years examining CNC machinery and programming. Tracy says, " I tried to not leave any stone unturned. I read every article, looked at every advertisement, checked out all the websites I could find, even joined a few forums along the way. After narrowing down my choices, I then contacted the dealers/distributors on the equipment that interested me the most. In the end, it was Biesse that he decided on. Almost immediately after the CNC flatbed, a commercial project came along that required a lot of edge banding. Not wanting to turn down a project that could lead to further profitable projects, Tracy had to answer the question of edge banding. He was able to locate a recently refurbished Holz-her bander that fit right in to his operation.
Most work that comes to the shop, arrives via referrals. Tracy believes that the best advertising is tell-a-friend. "No amount of signage can compete with a satisfied customer that is proud of their project", Tracy adds. The work load on cabinetry is evenly split between contractors and homeowners. The raised panel doors rely more on contractors and other cabinetmakers. Keeping a diversified customer base gives Tracy a unique point of view on current conditions. "I like all the different choices I see customers make on their projects. It keeps me and my employees on our toes to produce quality. It also allows us to use different techniques and materials from one job to the next", Tracy says. The shop produces face frame or frameless cabinets based on customers plans or choice.
Tracy uses KCDw for as many projects as applicable. "All cabinetry is designed in KCDw where I can show the customer a finished room with a virtual photo of their new room. It not only helps to sell the project, but also insures that each party involved is in unison with the end result", Tracy tells us. Pricing is then computed on spreadsheets and proposals are made. After contracts are signed and deposits received, KCDw generates parts list that Tracy sends to the CNC and the parts cut-out man. The CNC is used for the sheet goods and the cut-out man processes component parts for face frames, end panels, doors, and drawers. Finishing is done off-site by a sub-contractor. "When David Floyd, Jr. asked me about my finishing business, I was eager to allow him to do the work. I had seen his ability and was impressed. He also was willing to learn new techniques for the glaze and distressed finishes", Tracy offered. By outsourcing the finishing process, Tracy was able to see an increase in production at Maple River Woodworks.
When asked about his opinion on the CMA, Tracy didn't hesitate. "My business is better today because I have capitalized on my membership. All the information and advice received through the website and the roundtable discussions have more than paid for the membership dues. There are so many members that are willing to share their knowledge, that I consider them as council in times of need." Tracy has enjoyed his membership so much that this past summer, he accepted responsibilities as a board member with duties of secretary of the CMA. "I am excited to be able to give a little something back to an organization that has given me so much. As great as this organization is, I can see potential that has yet to be reached. As a board member it is my duty to stretch toward these goals to help make the CMA bigger and better" offer Tracy.
Tracy is married and has two daughters, ages 16 and 11. All of his "girls" help out with the business in one way or another. His oldest daughter seems to enjoy it the most, as she spends her summer daily in the shop asking, "What can I do?". (Maybe there is another CMA member in the making, or, maybe dad can retire earlier than he thought?). When asked about his goals, Tracy responds, "My number one goal is that my family is happy. Each day offers new challenges in all our lives, but at the end of each day, I want my family to say that they are happy that we are together and thankful for what we have". Tracy also says that his business goal is to continue to grow toward diversification. Since the acquisition of the CNC, new opportunities have been presented, such as signage, that can help the shop's profitability. When Tracy is not at work, he enjoys tending to a couple of horses and vacationing in the Smoky Mountains.
"Working out of your own backyard is both good and bad", Tracy says. "I never seem to be 'off' work. I work later hours than I would if I had a shop away from home, but I do get to enjoy my family while at work". Contact Tracy by phone at 8433899440 or email at mrwood@ftc-i.net or TracyYarborough@cabinetmakers.org.
Our all-wood kitchen cabinets are perfect for your projects due to their superiority in quality, unbeatable price and ease of assembly and installation.
We offer kitchen cabinets specifically made for apartments and other multi-unit projects.
CHERRY
Rich, luxurious and rather hard, cherry's grain is more subtle than some other hardwoods. The fine-grained wood has a smooth texture and satiny feel. Our cherry kitchen cabinets have a lustrous appearance that seems to glow. The sapwood has a creamy white appearance. The heartwood ranges in color from rich red to reddish brown, with localized color variations of green, pink or yellow streaks and may contain small knots and pin holes. It is usually finished in a medium or dark finish to bring out the mahogany-red tones.
MAPLE
Maple is the one of the hardest and second most popular of all the cabinet woods. Natural characteristics of maple cabinetry include gray mineral streaks and variations in grain patterns and color. Maple is generally responsive to light and its overall color will change (usually towards a light yellow shade) over time, particularly when exposed to light. The surface appearance of maple is a combination of soft, flowing grains, intermingled with different "patterns" caused by varying density. Maple is close-grained and well suited for use with enamel finishes and brown tones, and takes a polish well.
OAK
Finished natural oak is a durable wood, and is the most popular wood species for kitchen cabinetry. Oak is a very strong, open-grained hardwood that ranges in color from salmon-pink to almost white. The wood is mostly straight-grained, with a coarse texture. Oak can have dramatic variations in color, knots and grain pattern. The prominent flame-shaped grain pattern is beautifully enhanced when our finish color is applied.
WALNUT
Walnut is highly prized for its dark-colored true heartwood. It is heavy and strong, yet easily split and worked. Walnut wood has historically been used for gunstocks, furniture, flooring, cabinetry and a variety of other woodworking products. Walnut's strength, stability and beauty make it excellent choice for flooring and kitchen cabinets. Walnut is an exotic scarce wood. It is so valuable that so-called "Walnut Rustlers" have been known to harvest it illegally by posing as forestry officials, cutting trees during the night, and even using helicopters to take them away quickly. High quality logs are made into veneer. Slices of wood 1/28th of an inch thick are glued to cheaper woods to make it economically possible to buy walnut furniture and paneling.
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