The Makers: Doug Tiffany, custom woodworker.

The Makers: Doug Tiffany, custom woodworker.

The Makers Series is a semi-monthly series brought to you by Preferred Credit Union.

By Kate Krieger, MCP Correspondent.

RIVERTON TOWNSHIP — “Maker,” the word according to Merriam-Webster means, “one who makes” and according to Urban Dictionary, “those who love to create things in their spare time.” Mason County Press is looking around to find those who consider themselves makers. Whether they make things for a living or as a hobby, we will uncover many who have a passion for creating things with their hands and sharing those items with the world.

Doug Tiffany, 36, owner and operator of Custom Woodworking is no stranger to working with his hands and making things. Ever since he was a young kid, Doug was going over to Ron Pedersen’s woodworking shop on South Schwass Road to create things and to help Pedersen out with projects he was working on as well.

“My mom had a daycare and watched Ron’s son, Nathan,” Doug says. “Nathan and I became really good friends and I went over to his dad’s house a lot. We just lived up the road, so I’d just ride my bike over here.”

Doug attended Mason County Central Schools and graduated in 2002. He took many wood shop classes while in high school and said he knew he really enjoyed the work from a young age.

“When I was 12, I basically started working with Ron full time,” he said. “In 1995, Ron built the current shop that’s here now. At first, I did it because it was nice to have a paycheck, but then I really started to like it.”

When Ron passed away in 2014, his wife, Ann had to make a decision about the business.

“I told her (Ann) that I was going to finish up some jobs we had going and then I’d be done,” Doug says. “She then told me that Ron wanted me to have everything and I ended up taking over the business and kept it going.”

Ann passed away in October of 2018, but Doug enjoys being able to keep the business going that gave him so much.

“Ron and Ann were like family,” Doug says. “He was like a dad to me. We did everything together, we hunted together, and we even helped me get on the Riverton Fire Department.”

Doug says he can basically create anything anyone could want at his shop.

“Anything that has to do with wood, I do,” he says. “I do cabinetry, furniture repair, countertops, refinishing, basically everything right here from scratch.”

One of Doug’s favorite things is being able to walk over and grab a board and then being able to make something for someone out of it. He stated that there aren’t really any standard projects or dimensions for projects anymore and that the nice thing with custom designs is that no matter the dimensions of a room or project, he can create it and it doesn’t have to fit into a certain size or look.

“A lot of time you walk into a big box store and they’ll tell you what to do,” he says. “If your project isn’t a certain size, they won’t be able to help you.”

Business is going very well for Doug and he says he is very busy working on many different projects. He is out in the shop most days, pretty much all day, but still has time to spend with his wife Linzie, 31, and their son Henry, 4.

“I do it all on my own now,” he says. “I will have a few guys coming in to help with some things over the summer, but I do almost everything by myself. There’s no such thing anymore as a typical kitchen. I’ve built kitchens with four cabinets to 40 cabinets. Everyone wants something different and that’s what makes it interesting. No project is the same. I’m lucky to be able to do something I enjoy, and I have Ron and Ann to thank a lot for that as well.”

Doug can be reached by calling 231-690-0895 or you can follow him on Facebook at customwoodworkingdougtiffany.

If you have an idea for The Makers, contact Kate Krieger-Watkins at kate@mediagroup31.com.

Preferred Credit Union is located at 266 N. Jebavy Drive in Pere Marquette Township; 231-843-3464.