They are true craftsmen who build the custom cabinets that look as if they appeared in the pages of a kitchen design magazine. They turn fine cherry and oak into raised panels and beaded edges, classic crown molding and large corbels that grace living spaces in homes across mid-Michigan.

Several local cabinetmakers use Old World craftsmanship to create custom cabinets, shelving and furniture for the home or office. Their talents are often the centerpieces of a homeowner’s dream.

“We really do make the dreams of many people come true,” said Perry Salyer, owner of Centennial Woodworking in Laingsburg. “These are creations that people have often dreamed about doing someday.”

Salyer has 3,500 square feet of working space in his shop filled with rip saws, circular saws, squares, chisels, lathes and other woodworking instruments. He plans an expansion this spring of another 1,600 square feet to make more room for two other woodworkers and him.

“We focus on quality over quantity and specialize in kitchens, entertainment centers, built-in bookcases, mantles and other high-end items. We concentrate on doing very intricate and detailed work, including millwork and trim,” Salyer added.

Salyer founded Centennial Woodworking in 2000 and began working full time in the business in 2004 after retiring after 20 years as a regional manager with Sohn Linen Service in Lansing. At Sohn he learned the business philosophy he still employs today.

“The only way to make a good product and stay in business is to have good equipment and give the customer good quality and good service so you can fetch a higher price. We do the best work we can and give the customer the finished product when we say we will,” Salyer stressed.

A craftsman is someone who knows a trade and has a passion and desire to do it the right way, Salyer said.

“You really need years of experience to do this right,” stated Salyer, who started working with wood nearly 20 years ago building things for his wife.

Centennial Woodworking, which also offers unique design services, has steadily grown through word-of-mouth advertising.

“When we do a job it typically leads to another one or two projects. Once people see our work they are sold on it. We just keep getting busier and busier, despite the gloomy economic picture,” Salyer said. “We do a lot of work for professional people.”

Customers are welcome to come to the shop to see their creations come to life, Salyer added. Many leave the shop admiring the skills of cabinetmakers Tom Bebout and Mark Baird.

“The most enjoyment I get out of this is when the project is done and installed and the customers are just ecstatic. These are things people have dreamed of for a long time,” Salyer said.

Steve Parisian, owner of LWP Cabinetry in Dimondale, learned woodworking from an elderly craftsman while living in Santa Ynez Valley, California, in the early 1970s. Today, he still applies the techniques he learned then to turn out fine custom cabinetry from his 1,200-square-foot shop.

LWP Cabinetry has done commercial projects all over the state, including case and cabinet work for the Sparrow Cancer Center in Lansing and recently completed a project for the Michigan State University Foundation’s offices.

“Our focus was primarily commercial up through a few years ago. We did a lot of reception desks and architectural millwork. We even built some furniture, though the market for custom furniture in this area has dried up,” Parisian said. “Now, we are doing high-end custom built accessories for residential to finish out dens and kitchens.”

While the economy is hurting just about everyone, Parisian said many of his customers are in a position to spend extra for the custom elements a woodworking shop like his can provide.

Parisian said while his business was booming during the burst of home construction across mid-Michigan through about 2005, the past several years have been tough on any business affiliated with the construction industry.

“It has hurt us. We have been busy enough, though. We have done a few basement bars and dens with built-in bookcases. Entertainment centers are popular,” Parisian said, “and we are still doing commercial millwork for a few of the bigger construction firms in town, including Granger Construction.”

Parisian said one way he judges the state of the economy is by the number of bid invitations he receives, which are typically for projects six to 12 months down the road. The number of bid invitations steadily rose through late 2007, which is a “good sign things are maybe getting better,” he said.

LWP Cabinetry practices environmentally friendly craftsmanship when possible, including using lumber harvested from managed forests.

“We know the damage inflicted by clear-cutting and unsustainable forestry practices. We try to stay away from exotics and think green whenever we can. Reclaimed lumber is sometimes an option, too,” Parisian explained.

According to Parisian, cherry remains the wood of choice for many of LWP Cabinetry’s customers, and there’s been a transition from oak to maple for many custom projects.

“Being versatile is what keeps us going, and the fact that we stress quality. It’s not just about product going out the door with us,” Parisian added.