A CNC and a plan

Terry Steffy of Dibbleville Woodworks in Fenton, Mich., has enjoyed a long run as a successful cabinetmaker. He opened his first shop in the early 80s, which grew to have 13 employees. Now, with a CNC and a plan, he’s beginning a new chapter.

Steffy is currently building a studio next to his new home as he transitions back to a one-man shop.

“My ideal goal is to design a line of high-end kitchen islands,” says Steffy. “I don’t want it to be a single cabinet. I want it to be very customizable. That way I can design it so I can do 90 percent of the work on the CNC.

“I’m trying to get out of doing any installation, being by myself. So, if I can do that, then I can sell that to other kitchen and bath designers, and that’s a cash flow item. That frees me up to do things that I want to do, (like) build a table or other stand-alone furniture.”

Initially, Steffy aspired to do architectural restoration, focusing on old homes, of which there are many in his area. He studied architecture at the University of Michigan until academic advisors steered him in another direction.

“I was going to be an architect and design and build single-family homes, and after being there for two years, I had two independent professors tell me that with what I wanted to do, I probably shouldn’t get an architecture degree. I should probably get my builder’s license and go into design classes because back then, you didn’t need an architectural stamp to do anything under 3,500 square feet and back then, 3,500 square feet was a mansion,” he says.

So, he took design classes, got his builder’s license, and started off doing renovation and restoration work on old homes with friends and other contractors.

After completing several remodels, Steffy took on building a new home for a friend. But the Michigan winter caused him to rethink his career path.

“We were out shingling in November in the snow, and I’m like, this isn’t really what I thought was going to be fun. So, we moved indoors and did all the trim and cabinetry and discovered that’s what I enjoy. That was last house I ever built.”

Steffy started in his garage before hiring two employees and renting a 1,700-sq.-ft. shop in 1995. Steady growth brought the employee count to a high of 13 and a 4,500-sq.-ft. shop by 2002.

“The early 2000s was probably the busiest for me, but those were also the most stressful times,” he says.

“Over the last 20 years we’ve had the same client base, high-end residential, where we mainly do kitchens. We used to do a ton of high-end closets. In the early 2000s I think we always had a contract for a closet that was over $150,000 on the books.”

Steffy has always preferred working directly with homeowners and providing the designs.

“Most design styles around here are traditional, but the only time I ever do a face frame is when it’s period appropriate or from an aesthetic standpoint when I’m trying to match something. A few years ago, we did an old 1920’s Tudor mansion, that house was a period piece and that was an inset face frame job.”

The Great Recession had a tremendous impact on his business, forcing Steffy to greatly reduce his labor.

“We were so busy. We were just humming along until 2007 when the economy tanked. I lost $1 million worth of contracts in two weeks, and so at that point it rather quickly went down to four of us, then three, for the next 10 years.

“Back when we had 13 employees, I was obviously running around a lot more than I am now, to keep everyone else busy. The recession brought miserable financial times, but that’s what made me realize the part I like about this business is working in the shop.”

With that in mind, Steffy and his wife purchased an 11-acre parcel on the Shiawassee River in Davisburg, Mich., to build their new home and studio. The original plan was to stay in his old shop and run Dibbleville Woodworks with a small crew for a few more years, but his landlords intervened.

“Our [old shop] was right around corner and I was putting in a really nice showroom, but our landlords broke off their partnership. So, after 10 years, I had to move. I’m 62 now, and at 65 I was going to basically sell the business and go back to working by myself.

“When we lost the lease, I had two employees – one left and another who was old enough to retire. So I said, ‘Well, I guess we’re moving up the five-year plan.’”

He’s been renting a temporary shop to fulfill orders from a post-pandemic boon. “My backlog is huge, and I’m trying to slow down and not take on too much work. I have five projects currently and two others I will probably work with.”

Most of his major equipment is set up, including a CNC router by CNT Motion Systems that he purchased during the pandemic, an investment he says took him about 20 years to decide on.

“I used to think that was cheating to have a CNC, but I do not make dovetail drawers anymore. I used to take pride in making a dovetailed drawer. But after the first how many hundred, it’s just tedious,” he says. “I don’t think there’s anything the CNC could do that I couldn’t, but it can do it in a hundredth of the time.

“In this day and age, I can call myself a woodworker because I can still do things by hand. It’s funny because that’s where I want to go back to. I have my CNC and I have all my Lie Nielson planes and other hand tools. I enjoy both ends of it. The CNC is just another tool.”

Steffy’s new studio should be completed later this year. It will be a one-floor,

contemporary building with black siding and white porcelain accents.

“I think it’s going to be close to 3,000 square feet, which is way more than an old, retired guy needs for a shop. I’m not getting rid of the CNC, sliding table saw or other equipment, so I guess I just need the space.”

The next step is to market the furniture he plans to build.

“Being in business and dealing with designers, I have a couple of different art galleries that I know of that I’m sure I could throw something in there, or I might want to go to the point of internet sales through a website or something like that.”

Steffy went to the AWFS Fair in July to look at machinery, attend educational seminars, and interact with fellow members of the Cabinet Makers Association.

For more, visit dibblevillewoodworks.com. 

This article was originally published in the September 2023 issue.