BUILT BETTER: The LDV Woodshop

Working with wood requires patience, attention to detail and incredible skill. You have to understand the material and work delicately. Everyone has heard the phrase, ‘measure twice and cut once.’

And you should see the miters that come out of this woodshop. Have you ever tried to cut good ones?

Exactly.

This group of fourteen talented employees is responsible for many of the interior components in our custom built tool trucks, special service vehicles, bookmobiles, medical vehicles and more. On any given day, the team is busy building custom cabinets, repair stacks and knife displays, among other things.

If you own a tool truck, you have probably seen or at least heard about our split shelves. The Woodshop is responsible for those as well.

“We can basically create anything here,” says Markus Schuch, Lead Woodworker. “Our customers dream up something, and it is our job to make it happen.”

As you would expect, the team crafts many components from natural wood materials such as Oak and Poplar but they also work extensively with our SolidCore and ColorCore materials.

“Working with natural wood is always my favorite,” says Joe Stromski, Woodworker. “It’s satisfying to work with and the finished product looks exceptional in a custom truck.”

SolidCore and ColorCore are durable plastic materials that don’t chip, delaminate or show scratches. We offer both a solid black as well as a black with red core material. When you cut into or router the material, the red core is exposed for an aesthetically-pleasing look, especially in a Snap-on tool truck.

Given the “custom” (air quotes) nature of our business, complexity is the norm in the Woodshop. We asked a few employees what some their most complicated projects are, and they had this to say:

“The L-shaped desks with angled knife display and the hidden counter extension…that is a complicated one,” said Mark Enright, Woodworker. “There are so many pieces, cuts and things happening in one area. But the end result is a really nice functional desk.”

To add even more complexity to a project, often the Woodshop needs to work with Fabrication, Upholstery, Sales and the Build Crews to incorporate things like a custom counter top.

“On some trucks, we build the base cabinet and then our Fab Shop has to create the stainless counter top. Then we have to work with the Build Crews to integrate the broken tool chute so everything lines up like it should. We all have to work together,” said Markus.

Special Service Vehicles

In addition to projects for tool trucks, the Woodshop knocks out projects for mobile command centers, SWAT trucks, medical vehicles, bookmobiles and more.

“We create solid surface and laminate counter tops for special service vehicles,” says Mark. “They are all hand-done in house. The goal is to always make the seams disappear. The finished surface looks so nice once installed in the truck,” Mark told us.

The Woodshop also creates custom racks to house installed electronics equipment such as a matrix switcher, Cradlepoint and other gear. Typically, one of these racks will be installed in a cabinet within the interior.

See for Yourself

If you are planning a visit to LDV soon to tour our facilities, you’lll be able to check out the Woodshop, talk with our staff members and see the exceptional quality this group puts into the work they do.