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Company History
Western Dovetail Inc. is family owned and operated.
Western Dovetail began in 1993 as a sideline to the primary family woodworking business. Maxfield Hunter began his woodworking career early, working with his father George Hunter, as an apprentice since childhood. Max and George worked together since 1976 building arts and crafts style furniture and lighting. The business grew over the years and the focus went from fine custom furniture to commercial office furniture and eventually general cabinetry and millwork. Max's father, George, has an extensive background in design, architecture and graphic arts. His major influences were Greene and Greene, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Dirk Van Erp. These masters of Arts and Crafts have always stood as the benchmark of quality in the Hunter family.
One night, after a long day in the shop, Max and George were trying to come up with a way to start a new business that Max could run on his own. Ideas were flowing and then it hit! We had our first cabinet job that specified dovetailed drawers, but we couldnt find a local source to provide us with dovetailed drawers. After searching all across the country for dovetail drawer companies we realized that there was definitely a need for high quality dovetail drawers in "The West." So we came up with the name, "Western Dovetail" and the slogan "The Fastest Drawer In The West". And so began Western Dovetail. Having grown up on a farm in rural town of Sonoma, the image of the old west was a natural. Digging deep into what little heritage we have, the "Wild West" seemed all too appropriate for the new frontier in woodworking. In a sense, the industrial revolution has finally arrived in the custom woodworking arena, a century later.
"Max", the president of the company, has been developing and improving the product and process every step of the way. Joshua Hunter, Max's brother, has maintained and improved the equipment for many years. Josh is constantly building, buying or modifying equipment for each specific operation. Constant innovation keeps this company ahead of the curve.
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Western Dovetail Incorporated operates at 100 year old location.
The "Jointers Shop" at Mare Island has a long history of woodworking. Much of the original milling equipment is still in use, including the central dust collection. This historic facility allows the company to stock more materials, reduce lead-time and offer more options, while maintaining all operations in-house. Western Dovetail is now prepared to meet the growing demand for their products without sacrificing quality.
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Our Mission Statement
Western Dovetail is committed to maintaining tradition in the modern industry. Architects, designers and craftsmen recognize dovetail drawers as the hallmark of excellence in casework. By purchasing Western Dovetail solid wood drawer boxes, any shop can quickly see the results of increased productivity by reducing inventory of special drawer box materials, eliminating costly set-ups and tooling.
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Drawer Tip
Our standard drawers are made with the assumption that a front will be added and the back will not be seen.
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