How Custom Solid-Wood Furniture Is Made: From Sketch to Delivery

1. Brief, measurements and design

Every piece starts with how it will be used: who sits at the table, how many, what goes in the cabinet, the room it lives in. The maker measures the space (and the route into it: lift, stairs, doors), then produces sketches and drawings with sizes, joinery and grain direction.

This is where proportions are set for the people using it (see the furniture dimensions guide), and where the design allows wide panels and tops to move with the seasons.

2. Choosing timber

The species is chosen for the piece and the budget (see teak vs sheesham vs mango vs oak), then individual boards are selected for grain, colour and defects. Visible surfaces such as table tops get the best boards, laid out so the grain flows across the piece.

3. Seasoning and acclimatising

Timber must be dried close to the moisture content it will settle at in the client's home, usually by kiln drying, then allowed to acclimatise in the workshop. This is the single most important step for preventing cracks and warping later. See why kiln-dried wood matters.

4. Milling

Rough boards are flattened, straightened, squared and brought to thickness. Accurate milling is what makes later joints close tightly. Boards are often milled in stages, with rests in between, so internal stresses can show themselves before final dimensions are reached.

5. Cutting and joinery

Parts are cut to size and joints are made: mortise and tenon for frames, dovetails for drawers, and other joints chosen for the load each part carries. See our wood joinery guide.

6. Dry fit

The whole piece is assembled without glue to check that every joint closes, the piece sits square and flat, and drawers and doors fit. Problems found now are easy to fix.

7. Glue-up and assembly

Joints are glued and clamped in a planned sequence, checking for square. Tops and panels are attached with fixings that allow movement across the grain.

8. Sanding and preparation

Surfaces are sanded through progressively finer grits, edges are eased, and any defects are repaired. Most of a finish's final quality is decided here.

9. Finishing

The finish (oil, PU, lacquer or a traditional polish) is applied in coats, with drying and light sanding between them, on every surface including undersides and insides. The piece is then left to cure. See finishes for solid wood furniture.

10. Quality control

Checks belong at each stage: moisture content before milling, dimensions after cutting, the dry fit, flatness and square after glue-up, surface quality before finishing, and a final inspection of the finish, hardware and operation of every door and drawer.

11. Packing, delivery and installation

Pieces are wrapped to protect edges and finish, delivered, and placed or installed, with doors and drawers adjusted on site. Large pieces may be designed to knock down for delivery. For pieces travelling abroad, see shipping furniture from India abroad.

At SAAG

SAAG, Savistar's furniture brand, designs and builds bespoke solid-wood furniture in-house, with responsibly sourced, kiln-dried timber and documented quality control from raw board to finished piece. See our furniture portfolio, read custom vs ready-made furniture, or start a commission.