My name is Kyle Lagarto and I am the owner of Straight Edge Woodworks. With about eight years of experience in the construction industry, working with tools and being hands on is second nature to me, although it wasn’t until my house purchase in January 2020 that I was introduced to woodworking. When my fiancé and I purchased our house, we wanted to add our personality throughout- starting with a desk, followed by a small console table, and eventually making raised dog feeders for our two dogs. I started making the feeders for friends and family, I was regularly being told that I should start a business and sell them. The idea to start a business stuck in the back of my mind, but with an upcoming wedding and the rise of COVID-19, the idea sat on the back burner.
Simultaneously, my father, Brian, was planning his retirement. He had been an executive for some large companies. As part of his impending retirement, he had decided that he was interested in taking woodworking classes in pursuit of a new hobby. He always had an interest, but never had the time between work and family. We started talking about the products I was making and soon the idea hatched of starting our own woodworking business. Not only would this allow me to help him to learn woodworking skills, but he would be able to educate me on the fundamentals of running a business. This was a win/win situation for both of us, with the additional advantage of father and son working alongside one another.
Initially, we decided to focus our efforts on epoxy resin and wood combinations, as well as exotic wood boards. This was a growing trend in the marketplace last year and continues today. We spent 2021 focused in this area and made many different products including charcuterie boards, cutting boards, and coasters. In the beginning of 2022, we were asked to make a dining room table and bench for a customer. The result was a high quality, well made table from a walnut slab that we procured from a wood wholesaler. The customer was extremely happy with our craftsmanship and we thoroughly enjoyed working on the table creating a beautiful piece of furniture from a slab of wood.
Although we are now very focused on tables and have been commissioned to make several others since that first table and bench in January, we have a high level of interest of venturing into other types of furniture.
For my woodworking projects, I get a lot of inspiration through day-to-day life and paying attention to what types of wood products that people need and/or want. This drives which lumber we decide to purchase and, inevitably, the types of products that we offer.
When the sawdust is flying in the workshop and product is being hand-made, there is no better feeling. We are driven to continue to make our customers extremely happy with our products and bring joy to their lives one product at a time!
