Do you know that a multi-million dollar construction project could be stopped dead in its tracks because a set of custom cabinets is less than one inch too large for the wall they are supposed to hang on? This is the result of incorrect millwork shop drawings.
When it comes to custom construction and woodworking, there is no such thing as “being too precise.” Precision is what will allow you to finish your project on time and within budget, and to the specifications of your design. Therefore, the most critical factor in your ability to achieve these goals will be the quality of your millwork drafting services. Millwork that is not dimensionally accurate will turn an exceptional architectural vision into an expensive disaster.
This article looks at the importance of having detailed millwork shop drawings and the consequential effects of inaccurate millwork shop drawings, and discusses the many advantages of utilizing millwork shop drawings to obtain guaranteed precision in your finished product.
What Are Millwork Shop Drawings?
Millwork shop drawings provide the essential connection between the original architectural design and the final fabricated product created by the fabricator/installer of the millwork product. Millwork shop drawings are so detailed that they serve as a highly technical representation of the design concept provided in the architectural sketches or specifications. They also provide millwork fabricators with a clear understanding of how to construct, assemble, and install the millwork in accordance with the architectural design intent.
Custom woodworking shop drawings differ from standard architectural blueprints in many respects. Custom woodworking shop drawings contain:
- Exact dimensions and elevation of the piece.
- Detailed material specifications, including the species of wood, veneer, laminate, and finish.
- Detailed joining methods, including where two pieces of wood will connect.
- Locations and cutouts of all hardware attachments, including hinges, drawer slides, etc.
- All notes pertaining to fasteners, clearances, and installers’ requirements.
For more information about this type of document, please read our article, What Are CAD Shop Drawings? A Beginner’s Guide.
Importance of Accurate Drawings
Accurate shop drawings are an essential part of the millwork process for all stakeholders. Accurate shop drawings provide the only reliable point of reference for everyone involved in the millwork process.
The main reason for the importance of accurate shop drawings is that they help to ensure that the final product is fabricated with the utmost precision. Having accurate shop drawings can reduce the possibility of mistakes being made with the wood after it has been cut, which can help to save thousands in both labor costs and raw materials. Accurate shop drawings also help to guarantee that they are able to fit together perfectly, and that each piece will have the proper clearance from the others.
Why Inaccuracy Becomes Costly?
One minor, unchecked mistake in a set of custom woodworking shop drawings can create a domino effect of errors throughout the entire system. This is when the true costs associated with low-quality custom woodworking drafting services become apparent.
Rework and Material Waste
Materials used for millwork that are manufactured inaccurately or with low precision will result in waste. If a measurement is incorrect, the cut piece will not fit, and the result will be scrap material. The bottom line for any project with high-priced custom materials is significantly higher because of the material waste associated with it. Rework is the process of re-manufacturing parts and causes an increase in labor costs and a loss of productive time in the manufacturing facility.
Project Delays and Schedule Disruptions
Millwork errors must be addressed by stopping the entire production process. All new dimensions and cuts created due to error or misalignment must be redrawn, recut, and sometimes re-ordered, and this delay causes a domino effect to ripple through the entire construction schedule. A late installation of millwork could affect other trades that depend on the millwork installation, such as floor finish, electrical connections, etc.
Budget Overruns
Every re-work instance, every hour of downtime, and each throwaway piece adds up to the total cost overrun. Mistakes that may seem minor in a large drawing set become major costs to both the contractor and client.
Benefits of Good Millwork Shop Drawings
The value that high-quality, accurate drawings provide in preventing rework and wasted materials would be comparable to a form of “insurance.” The benefits of this investment will be immediate and all-encompassing.
Seamless Fabrication and Installation
Millwork fabrication depends on accurate drawings to create a millwork environment where CNC machines can be seamlessly integrated into a fabricating flow. The quality of the drawings also minimizes the potential for uncertainty associated with fit coordination, ensuring that all of the interior part components are aligned perfectly to one another in the fabricating area and, ultimately, on the job site.
Clear Communication
In essence, a millworker uses millwork shop drawings as a universal language; they are a definitive, written communication that can be referenced by the individual fabricators, architects, engineers, and installers associated with the project. Because they provide this level of clarity, they limit the degree of miscommunication resulting from verbal or hand-drawn instructions, which improves the capacity for coordinating a project.
Risk Mitigation
Furthermore, creating high-quality shop drawing sets a standard for reducing the risks associated with project execution. By providing shop drawing clarity related to joinery detailing and confirming all dimensions against what exists in the field, high-quality shop drawing documentation considerably reduces the risks that can accompany millwork errors that may ultimately lead to structural, aesthetic, or functional concerns.
Conclusion
In a world of custom fabrication, millwork shop drawings represent the single most important document in all custom fabricating processes. They are the blueprint for your reputation.
High levels of dimensional accuracy in these documents represent an operational necessity, and, when done properly, provide significantly improved operational efficiency, cost control, and quality assurance. Therefore, by taking the time to provide the absolute highest level of dimensional accuracy in millwork drafting services, you not only support a seamless fabrication process and successful installation, but also ultimately support a happy client.