About Yosemite Wood and Stone

Thank you for your interest. I am Ron Setzer, owner of Yosemite Wood and Stone (CA Lic # 905320). I serve the tri-county area around Yosemite and also Santa Cruz, where I was previously located. I design and build fine cabinetry, furniture and doors. I also fabricate granite, marble and quartz counter tops associated with the cabinets I build.

My Background

Trained as a civil engineer I attended San Jose State and Humbolt State College. In the late 70s I received an invitation to sell furniture at the Renaissance Faire north of San Francisco. With the success there, I realized my passion for design and my love of working with wood. I moved to Santa Cruz, lived on a sailboat and worked in the harbor doing boat repairs and yacht interiors. I then started a business called “Cabinet Concepts” on 7th Ave in Santa Cruz. In 2000 I moved to my current location in the foothills of Mariposa County.

About the Work

What distinguishes this business from others is a dedication to excellent design and handcrafted construction. While other cabinet makers rely on outsourced doors and drawers, etc., I generally build all cabinet parts in shop because it allows for greater freedom to hand select wood for its grain and color qualities and build to exact custom sizes.

The work is typically finished with a two-part conversion varnish that is available in a variety of sheens. Its the premier product that outlast all others by far. I also do stains, glazes and other old-world effects on request.

My work is constructed in a way that's very different from factory built cabinets which are typically built form cheap, thin presto-wood materials. The factory approach saves on material cost and shipping weight, but does not produce a well constructed cabinet. Most factory cabinets come from the southern states where labor and materials are inexpensive; this allows local cabinet installers large markups and high profits.

In contrast, I offer an artisan quality cabinet and use only quality materials. My construction technique employs 3/4” thick pre-finished plywood for the tops, bottoms and sides, and 1/2” think pre-finished multi-ply for the backs. All parts are screwed together rather than nailed or stapled. In addition, all cabinet hinges, drawer slides, etc. are of U.S. or European origin. Factory production typically use inexpensive Chinese product.

I work in many formats, but specialize in a full access design where custom sized doors and drawers fronts are designed around your specific needs, not generic sizes. The doors and drawer fronts meeting with an 1/8” space between them, allowing for the best use of interior cabinet space. Everything is build to a complete custom layout that goes together precisely to location specific requirements.

Truly custom designed and completely handcrafted - it makes a difference now and in the future as this type of work will always be recognized for its distinction from mass produced work of factory origin.

So Let’s Work Together

With over 30 years of experience in handcrafted custom designs, it is still my passion to work directly with the homeowner.

So look over the gallery and my references for those around Yosemite, and I’ll look forward to discussing your special design. Finally, many thanks to my clients, my friends, who have given
me an opportunity to serve their woodworking needs.

Pictures from my shop are below.