WESTERN DOVETAIL -
WESTERN DOVETAIL - Continued from page 20 As a wood species becomes viable for drawer assemblage, it too is introduced, though nothing trumps Hard Maple, affirmed Hunter. “What and why is driven by customers. Soft Maple satisfies the spec of Maple and is cost effective however, it doesn’t have the same beauty and luster as Hard Maple, which creates a better looking product and a warm color.” Next to No. 1 Eastern Hard Rock Maple and No. 2 Soft Maple, the wood species Hunter’s brother, Josh, who’s in charge of purchasing, orders in significant amounts is Pacific Coast Maple, known as Western Big Leaf Maple. Unique to the NW region it’s a less expensive alternative though not as stable as Hard Maple along with Aspen, another inexpensive alternative, though not as durable. Red Oak is used on some projects, while White Oak is increasing in demand, especially Rift and Quartered White Oak for high-end jobs in smaller quantities along with Cherry, Walnut and Mahogany, and for closet projects, aromatic cedar, all in upper grades, or for color as designated on specs. For economy products, Josh orders a large quantity of 9-ply Baltic Birch, which is adequately strong for drawers. Exclusively FSC certified, the species imported in large volume, is cost-effective and ecologically responsible. Western has maintained FSC certification since 1998. Josh has developed programs directly with mills, cultivated over years to get consistent quality and appearance, and best price, said Max. He purchases up to 300,000 board feet of lumber annually, down a bit in 2009, as sales matched the national downward trend. However, the company has resumed a strong and steady growth pattern responding to a demanding nationwide customer base of high-end custom cabinetmakers who appreciate the company’s level of product quality. The major portion of business revolves in the San Francisco Bay Area, extending throughout California, with key customers in Alaska, Florida, and New York. “Though we ship anywhere, it’s important to be strong in the home territory,” said Max. “Josh does an amazing job controlling quality, and is a demanding purchaser, if you can get his business. He’s not easy to please, which is part of what makes us who we are.” The other parts of what makes Western Dovetail what it is are many. Besides purchasing, Josh Hunter takes care of the facility equipment and materials, maintenance and production management. His goal is to keep the company running efficiently while maintaining high quality standards. Max Hunter, who founded the company, brought a lifetime of cabinetry woodworking experience and knowledge that is passed along to the 12 shop employees, trained to an expert level of craftsmanship themselves. They, together with the six administrative staff members, enjoy an atmosphere of freedom to self-manage, resulting in little turnover. Hunter attributes much of his and his brother’s expertise, translated into their multifaceted roles in the company, to what they learned from their father, George. He has an extensive background in architectural modelmaking, graphic design, and woodworking. He began constructing custom craftsman style furniture in 1975, later expanding into high-end custom millwork and cabinetry. Western Dovetail spawned in 1993 while Max was working for his father just as the business was bogged down making hundreds of dresser and bunk bed drawers for dormitory furniture. The dowel system was timeconsuming, and sending materials to distant dovetailing plants was expensive. So Max, who’d already gained varied drawer construction experience working in cabinet shops, invested in dovetailing equipment, and his father became his first customer for a 1,000-drawer order. Currently retired, his father was a major support in the development of the business. Hunter remarked, “Dad’s a big Victorian Era buff and likes to do things in period themes. The company theme represents the Wild West, uniquely American, connects with roots, craftsmanship, family tradition, old times, and associates with handmade higher quality the way they used to make it.” The move to the current location on Mare Island was quite a change from the family’s previous rural ranch community, complete with farm animals and a healthy dose of nostalgia décor to influence the theme. “We’re a lot more accessible,” said Hunter. The former navy base, one of the first industrial woodworking facilities on the West Ultimately, the company can be defined as a drawer service and guarantees 100% customer satisfaction. Hunter elaborated, “Sure, we send out a box, 5 pieces of wood jointed together, but we offer a service, to get a box made to spec, delivered to your door, that fits accurately, and is square. All who contribute to that box showing up on time make the company who we are.” 32 Hardwoods...The All-Purpose Material
WESTERN DOVETAIL - Continued Coast, was built in 1903. Strategically located halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco, it’s a hub to surrounding metro Bay areas, and less than an hour’s drive from a host of markets there. As a sideline, Western offers milling services to lumber distributors, handy to them on their way between the major cities. The main facility measures nearly 25,000 square feet and a small amount of inventory and equipment is stored in a separate 15,000 square foot warehouse. Max Hunter summed up, “Our motto is to leverage distribution as much as possible, store as little as possible, and deliver frequently. We combine the best of both worlds, direct communication with mills and convenience of distribution, providing transparent and consistent supply. Bought in single units, processed immediately, an order of wood turns into drawers in three to four days.” Expert craftsmanship is assisted by a Mereen Johnson select-a-rip saw, Whirlwind popup saws with Tiger Stops, Lobo doublesided planer, a COSTA three-head sander, and Dodds dovetailing equipment. Ten or more unique orders containing a total of about 200 drawers are shipped out each day of the week. The Hunters, specialists in drawer slides applications, don’t turn drawers loose without offering consultation on the best solutions for drawer and hardware combinations, including the latest developments in drawer hardware technology such as remote-controlled locks and touch-activated drawer opening. Western’s complimentary website, blumslides.com, is dedicated to Blum-manufactured Tandem drawer slides. Not only the drawers slide smooth at Western. What makes the whole system at Western Dovetail so efficient, explained Max, is the automation, not of machines, rather, of information and communication. An in-house developed network of as many as 20 computers throughout the shop connects to a database, providing real-time tracking of all drawer parts in circulation. Once a piece is cut, it’s scanned and associated with a barcode, which now contains all information about that piece at each machine it visits. In seconds and simultaneously throughout the shop, anyone can view graphical statistics on each job. Hunter emphasized, “It’s important when running 100 to 200 jobs simultaneously to know where each is moving throughout the shop. Our strongest feature is not our tools but information.” Ultimately, the company can be defined as a drawer service and guarantees 100% customer satisfaction. Hunter elaborated, “Sure, we send out a box, 5 pieces of wood jointed together, but we offer a service, to get a box made to spec, delivered to your door, that fits accurately, and is square. All who contribute to that box showing up on time make the Please turn to page 37 WINSTON MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT CO., INC. www.winstonmachinery.net 800-844-7680 Winston Machinery makes a variety of material handling equipment that is custom built, on-time and at a great price such as: • lumber stacker systems • tilt hoist systems • stick removal systems • conveyors • pull chains • lumber decks • unscramblers • even enders • singulating unscramblers • roll case and transfer systems • log handling equipment • saws Every customer of ours has always had different machinery needs, so call us for pricing on custom built, heavy, high production handling equipment built for your application. Whether you need one machine or a whole system, our staff is ready to serve you before, during and after the sale. winstonmachinery@yahoo.com • www.winstonmachinery.net 1281 West Main St. • P.O. Box 159 • Lynn, AL 35575 • 205-893-5487 • Fax: 205-893-2401 FEBRUARY/2011 33
