Working With a Millwork Fabricator: Shop Drawings, Submittals and Samples

Most of the problems in a millwork package do not start in the shop. They start when a design intent, a shop's assumption and a site condition each say something slightly different and no one notices until the piece is on the truck. For architects and interior designers, the way to avoid this is a clear exchange of information before fabrication. Here is how that exchange normally works.

What to issue for pricing

The most useful package includes plans and elevations, enlarged details for anything unusual, a finish schedule with manufacturer references and the specification. If the project calls for a named quality standard, such as a grade under the Architectural Woodwork Standards, state it at this stage, because the grade directly affects the materials, tolerances and price. If something is still undecided, flag it as an allowance so that everyone prices the same assumption.

What the shop should send back

Expect written questions and clarifications, not just a number. A good fabricator reads elevations against plans and raises anything that does not reconcile: a dimension that is assumed rather than stated, a detail that cannot be built as drawn, a finish that will not hold up in that location. Those questions are valuable. They are far cheaper at the bid stage than as a change order after award.

Shop drawings are not a redraw

Design drawings show what a piece should be. Shop drawings show how it will be built: joint positions, substrates, hardware, scribes, how long runs break for access, and where services pass through. They are the document that fabrication runs from. Review them for design intent, dimensions and coordination, and be clear about who is responsible for what in your approval stamp. At SP Fabrication, nothing is cut until shop drawings are approved.

Samples and mock-ups

Finishes should be approved on the actual material, at a reasonable size, and under light similar to that of the final room. The same stain looks different on oak and walnut, and a color approved on screen often changes in the room. Keep a signed copy of each approved sample, because it becomes the reference for anything produced later. For complex or repeated details, a mock-up can settle questions that drawings cannot.

Details worth settling early

• Scribe allowances. Walls and floors are rarely true, so decide how the millwork meets them.
• Blocking in the wall. Heavy panels and wall-hung pieces need structure behind them before the drywall closes.
• Services. Power, data and lighting need to land exactly where the millwork expects them.
• Access panels. Anything that needs servicing should be reachable without taking the piece apart.
• Stone and glass. Confirm who supplies them, who templates them and when.

Site measure and sequencing

Field dimensions should be verified before fabrication, against the latest drawing revision. Sequence matters too: millwork that arrives before the floor is finished, or after a ceiling has closed off the route, creates problems no amount of shop accuracy can solve. Finished millwork generally shouldn't go into a building until wet trades are done and the environment is stable, since timber moves with humidity.

Starting a conversation

If you have a package ready, send it through our commercial bid form. If you are at the concept stage and want a view on buildability or budget, our trade program is the best route in.