The Difference Between Custom Woodworking and Customizable Catalogues
You’ve probably seen it online. A sleek furniture site offering “custom” tables where you can choose the size, wood finish, and leg style all in a few clicks.
Sounds like a great deal, right?
Here’s the truth: customizable isn’t the same as custom.
At YEG Woodcraft, we believe you deserve to know what you’re really paying for because not every "custom" label means craftsmanship.
Let’s break it down.
1. Customizable Catalogue = Pre-Designed, Slightly Edited
When you buy from a customizable catalogue, you’re selecting from pre-made designs. You might choose your size. Maybe a stain. Maybe a leg style.
But the form, structure, and joinery are already decided. It’s a production model with a few personal touches not a piece designed specifically for you.
2. True Custom = Designed From Scratch for Your Life
With true custom woodworking, you don’t start with a template.
You start with your lifestyle.
At YEG Woodcraft, we talk to you about how you gather, how your space flows, what materials you’re drawn to, and what story you want your furniture to tell.
Then, we build around that grain direction, thickness, joinery, edge profiles, finishes. Every detail is intentional.
Book a free design consultation
3. Materials Matter And So Does the Craft
Most catalogue-based pieces use engineered wood, veneers, or softwoods to keep costs low and shipping easy.
We don’t cut corners.
We only work with solid hardwoods oak, maple, walnut kiln dried for Alberta’s wild climate. And everything is crafted by hand here in Edmonton, not outsourced or flat-packed.
4. You Get to See the Wood. Feel It. Choose It.
One of the most powerful parts of custom woodworking? You’re part of the process.
You can come into the shop. See the wood in person. Approve the grain.
With catalogues, you’re choosing from a digital swatch and hoping for the best.
5. Timeline vs. Longevity
Yes custom woodworking takes longer.
But what you get lasts longer, too.
Most catalogue furniture is made to ship in weeks and last a few years.
We build pieces designed to live in your home for decades. Tables your kids will remember. Benches that tell a story. Consoles that anchor a room.
6. You're Not Just a Customer You're a Collaborator
When you work with a custom woodworker, you're not just another order in a queue.
You're part of the build. You ask questions. We send updates. You see your piece come to life, step by step.
That experience? You won’t get it from a 10-digit order number and a tracking email.
Custom Isn’t a Buzzword. It’s a Standard.
If you’re just looking for a table that fits a space, a customizable catalogue might do the trick.
But if you’re looking for something that fits your life your rhythm, your family, your story true custom woodworking makes all the difference.
It’s not about options.
It’s about intention.
Custom-built in Edmonton | Solid hardwood only | No templates. Just craftsmanship.
Ready to build something real?
Book your free one-on-one consultation today
Start your custom project with YEG Woodcraft