About Us

Caprice MachineWorks is a locally-owned machine shop that can trace its roots of quality workmanship and trusted integrity back to the childhood of Dave, its owner. Dave’s dad owned a mechanic shop and he grew up watching and eventually working alongside his father in the shop. He spent many happy hours helping his dad and granddad fix cars and work on mechanical projects, learning not only practical hands-on skills, but also service to others, honesty, and perseverance. To continue the tradition, Dave’s daughter Bella now spends a significant time in the shop working alongside him.

Dave spent 13 years teaching at the University of Alberta — ten years in the mechanical engineering shop and three years as a supervisor in the physics department — yet he’s never stopped working in his own shop. He started off doing some personal projects, mostly restoring cars and trucks, a passion he continues in his spare time. In 2011 he opened Caprice MachineWorks as a part-time venture and began working part-time on different projects and parts for various clients. He built a reputation for quality, precision, and flexibility. In the fall of 2018, Dave left the U of A to run Caprice full-time.

Currently, Caprice MachineWorks has three employees. Sean, a longtime friend of Dave’s is a journeyman machinist who works masterfully on our lathe. He prides himself of precise and accurate workmanship. Megan is our office manager, handling pretty much everything not shop-related. And we have Jordan, our easy-going apprentice that has a great future in machining.