Custom Woodwoorking Services
Lessard Custom Woodworking, located in my home in southeast Denver, focuses on building furniture for customers based on their designs. Whether it be a unique piece for a specific place in your home or a utility piece, all aspects of the construction are determined by the customer. Wood variety, hardware and finish are all part of creating a handmade piece that will serve your needs for generations. With a focus on customer satisfaction and a passion for craftsmanship; Lessard Custom Woodworking stands behind every project with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. One part of this company that I am most proud of is that my children have all played a part in many of the things I have crafted. Lessard Custom Woodworking is a family run business that takes pride in the work we make.
Inspiration
I am inspired by the creativity of the people I work with. Building a piece of furniture that exactly meets the needs and wants of a client gives me great joy. I am also inspired by working with many different species of wood and turning it into what I consider as a piece of art that can be cherished for generations.
Strategy
Since every piece I create is unique, I take time to understand how to best design a product that meets the desires of my clients. In the end, I become deeply connected to projects no matter if I am building them for myself, a family member, or a client. Given this, I do not rush construction, but embrace the process so that the finished product meets my highest standards.
Focus
I like to work with one client at a time to understand exactly what they want. After accepting a commission I dedicate my entire shop to that project, even though many of my processes may take days to complete. In the end, a piece only leaves my shop once I’m satisfied with the result achieved. I will work to make sure that you are proud to own a Lessard original.
Project Gallery
Built-In Furniture
I’ve worked on a lot of built-in projects of varying sizes. I always enjoy the challange of creating a piece that looks and fits perfectly in a space. These projects have included a fireplace mantlepiece, a built-in desk with granet top, and an outdoor table with a lazy susan. I have even created and installed a built-in counter in my workshop to perfectly house all my various tools. I want to make something that is fuctional for your space and looks beautiful in everyday use.
(click to view gallery)
Frames
A custom frame is an easy way to add adition style to any photos or art you want to display. A beautifuly made frame can have a huge impact on the way that your objects look in a space. I love working with my daughter to create these frames because of her background in art and her experience in a large frame shop. If this is something that you’re interested in we can either just create the frame for you or we can also mount your photos or artwork in the frame with UV protective glass and archival quality products.
Kitchenware
Custom, wooden Kitchen utensils have come into style recently and I understand why! I love gifting people things they don’t have and I am a strong believer in a good cutting board. Cutting boards are also forms that invite a creative surface design and I have really enjoyed playing around with different patterns, woods, and styles with these objects. I get even more out of it knowing that people are getting so much use and joy out of an everyday object. My mother-in-law was a recipient of one of these cutting boards and has been using it for years. They recently had a crack in it so I took it back to my shop to repair it and she had it back in her kitchen the next day. I am truly committed to making lasting, heirloom quality pieces and am always happy to fix or make adjustments to any of my projects. They are always made with food safe wood and finished with a citrus oil that is hearty enough to withstand daily use. I’ve also made a special wood conditioner to be applied after washes that is made with wax from my own bee hives.
Tables
Getting a custome table, wether a desk or a dining table, is a great way to really showcase the art of woodworking and design in your space. Tables are also great pieces to highlight the beauty of your desired species of wood with the large surface of the tabletop.
Porch Swing
April, 2023
When my niece and her new husband bought a home I knew I wanted to do something special to celebrate their new life together and my daughter mentioned that she had heard her cousin dreaming about a porch swing. This is a project I am familiar with as I made my bride a porch swing for our own home about two decades ago. My son and I built and installed the swing. The reclaimed oak its made of will look great infront of their house for years to come.
Built In Desk and Bookcases
March, 2023
A Customer commissioned this large project to be built and installed in their home. This is a built-in desk and book cases that the customer had a piece of granite installed on to act as the desk top. We assembled and painted these cabinets in my workshop (and eventually my garage) and then we transported the pieces to the customer’s home and installed them. My son and I took great care in crafting, transporting, and installing these pieces so they would look would look perfect in this home.
Cherry Dining Room Table with Matching Side Table Extension
May, 2022
A client insisted that after 20 years of having a $40 Goodwill table she needed to upgrade to a “big girl” table and this is what she got. She wanted a table that filled the space and would allow for extra seating if more than six needed to sit for dinner. The table is a light brown stained cherry to match her chairs with a book-matched center and a matching side table that extends the table to 80 inches long. When not in use the table extension is used in front of the window to hold plants.
Mahogany Case and Workbench
April, 2022
A great friend of mine, both retired educators, has been a catalyst for me turning my passion for woodworking into a business. He has done the same with his guitar crafting and repair business, his business has taken off in the last two years. So much so that he needed to expand and needed front of house furniture that reflected his focus on guitars and quality workmanship. These two pieces are the result. The display case was fun for my son and I as it is the first time we have worked with glass and lighting in a significant way. The work bench on the right was fun as we got to craft a grain matching drawer. Both pieces are made from mahogany and have added a sense of professionalism to the shop that their clients appreciate.
Builtin Bookcases and Cabinets
January, 2022
My son has joined the business and this was our first project together. This very large installation includes 5 bookcases, one corner display case, and two cabinets, all over 100 inches tall. The project was so big we had to turn my garage into a work shop for a whole month. We learned a lot from this build and the client was amazed at how well it turned out. We made everything from the shelves to the cabinet fronts. They even commented, “Wow, this is just like fine furniture.” We have several more projects now with this client and their friends due to the success and quality of this installation.
Maple Kitchen Sideboard
September, 2021
Originally meant to be a painted birthday gift for my wife from my eldest son, this project turned out so well that she insisted that it not be painted. If my son and I would have known, we would have matched the boards a lot better. But this is a great example how we can fit your project into the space you want to fill.
Traditional Mantelpiece
January, 2021
A client showed me a picture and explained she wanted to cover much of the tile that surrounded her fireplace. This is the result. Made from poplar and painted to match her trim work this fireplace surround changed the entire look of her living room.
Walnut Midcentury Inspired Coffee Table
October, 2020
After looking around for a coffee table that fit a space in our home, I realized that it would be better to just make one. So, with my daughter’s assistance, we designed and produced this walnut coffee table. The wood that we used in this project was up-cycled, found wood. I hand turned the legs on this table which was my first time experimenting with wood turning in my current woodworking practice.
Custom Closet Cabinetry
July, 2020
This client was getting tired of having to get down on her knees to use her safe and asked if I could lift it off the ground. This built in cabinet was my answer. Painted to match her trim and with a lockable door, this discrete cupboard has given my client access to her valuables without the challenges of getting down on the ground every time she wants to lock something up.
Cedar, King-sized Picnic table with Built-in Lazy Susan
June, 2020
This is the project that got it all started. This client bought his parents house and wanted to increase the size of his patio table. What once seated four tightly now seats 10 easily. This 80 inch diameter cedar table was so big I could not move it from my shop to his house without taking it apart. To honor his parents I used the old table to build the Lazy Susan . The client painted the table black to match the benches. I also build three more benches so everyone would have a place to sit.
Found Wood Breakfast Bar and Under Cabinet
May, 2020
This little project was specifically designed to go into the home that my two sons live in. My eldest collected all the wood from discarded pallets and we built the countertop together. My younger son and I finished the cabinet together using more pallet wood. It fits the space perfectly and gives them twice as much counter space in their kitchen.
Cherry Corner Table
February, 2017
My bride of 35 years wanted a plant stand to fill a bare corner in our living room. This was my answer. This cherry corner table is perfect for a plant or other singular object. This project interested me a great deal as it allowed me to make a curved piece of wood for the first time.
Cherry Drop leaf Side Table
April, 2012
This dropleaf table was inspired by a table in my in-laws home that we continue to enjoy invaluable family time sitting around. As our family grew we needed to increase the size of our dining table so this project is the same height and width as the existing table we already owned. The tricky part of this project was creating the wooden hinges that allow for the legs to swing out and support the leaves. As it is made from solid Cherry, the table is continuing to develop a patina that gives the grain a deep rich look.
Alder, Corner Curio Cabinet
December, 2008
I have built many projects for my mother, and this is one of my favorites. A Christmas gift a few years ago is exactly what she wanted. Made from Alder, this cabinet was designed specifically for this space. I still remember my wife helping me finish this just before we went to visit for Christmas. Because of my career as a math teacher and coach I wasn’t able to dedicate much time to this project until winter break started. I think the finish was still a little soft when we brought it down which let to some damage, but my mom still loves it.
Dinner Table with Metal Feet
August, 2019
We had a great old oak table for this spot in our home. It was round and fit all five of us very nicely, but did not really fit the space. So long after the kids left our home I decided to make a table that better fit the space. Coming to help was my daughter who helped to design this highly angular solid rock maple kitchen table. Again, using upcycled lumber I was able to put this together, The interesting end to this story is that a friend of my wife loved this table so much she commissioned a smaller replica to use as a desk.
Cherry and Walnut Desk
August , 2020
When my daughter moved out of college dorms she needed a desk and asked me if I would help her build it. I said yes, if she designed it. She came up with three designs and this is the one we both liked most. Made, again, from cherry with walnut trim and bowties to stabilize the cracks that she wanted to incorporate. This desk features two drawers that “float” between the top and and ground with tapered legs and a beveled top. My daughter showed this to her art professor in class and he refused to believe she actually built this. Building projects with my children and seeing their commitment to detail inspires me every day.
Mahogany Frame with Cherry Matting
February, 2020
As a family, we love to frame our own work and work from others that we want to display. This map is of Colorado but done in the style of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The frame is from left over mahogany we used to build my younger son’s desk and some cherry strips left over from another project are being used as a frame liner. I enjoy being able to get the most out of the resources I have. Frequently this involves keeping scraps that I can then later use in other projects.
Oak Wine Rack
November, 2021
This oak wine rack was requested and was to hold 36 bottles. I was a bit surprised at the quantity of bottles, but jumped in with both feet. My customers, and friends, were amazed at how well it turned out and the next time I saw the piece it was, indeed, full of wine. I am happy to report I have been lucky enough to have a glass of wine from a bottle stored in this rack and was it was very tasty.
Gnome Doors
A friend asked if I would build him a Gnome door for a stump in his back yard. I didn’t even know what a Gnome door was at the time but have since gotten very acquainted with these magically entryways. No more that ten inches high, these art pieces are a great conversation starter. Since I shared pictures of the first Gnome door there have been over a dozen more magical gateways installed from Colorado to California from the Lessard Woodshop allowing Gnomes to better travel the country.
Cutting Boards
December, 2023
I love gifting people things they don’t have and I am a strong believer in a good cutting board. Cutting boards also are forms that invite a creative surface design and I have really enjoyed playing around with different patterns, woods, and styles with these objects. I get even more out of it knowing that people are getting so much use and joy out of an everyday object. My mother and law was a recipient of one of these cutting boards and has been using it for years. They recently had a crack in it so I took it back to my shop to repair it and she had it back in her kitchen the next day. I am truly committed to making lasting, heirloom quality pieces and am always happy to fix or make adjustments to any of my projects. They are always made with food safe wood and finished with a citrus oil that is hearty enough to withstand daily use. I’ve also made a special wood conditioner to be applied after washes that is made with wax from my own bee hives.
Kitchen Utencils
December, 2023
I was looking for a unique gift to make for some friends and family and someone mentioned to me that they loved a set of spatulas they had purchased from another woodworker. I thought that this would be another chance to bring some beauty into a tool that gets used daily. I had my son pick out some interesting woods I hadn’t used before and came up with these three unique shapes that I thought would be useful in different ways and that would highlight the different species of woods that were chosen for the project. These utensils are all made out of food safe wood and finished with a hearty oil finish that will withstand daily use. This is another example of a surface that my wood conditioner was designed for.
Pool Que Holders
December, 2023
In my retirement I have rekindled my love for billiards. It was something I spent a lot of time playing around with in my youth and I also have a lot of fond memories of getting beaten in a game of pool by my father-in-law. During my games I noticed there wasn’t a good place to rest my pool ques and my other tools so I whipped out some of these que holders using wood scraps from my previous projects. I’ve given some of these out to my buddies at the pool hall I go to and they seem to be a big hit! They are finished with a rubber bottom so they rest securly on the edge of any table.
Lessard Custom Woodworking 