KINGSTON — Northwest Millwork & Door Company owner Bob Ruch takes great pride in the fact that he and co-worker Chris Braund can take wood from its raw state and turn it into a quality piece of craftsmanship, whether it be cabinets, furniture or doors.

“What we emphasize here is quality from the beginning to the end of the project — with wood selection and manufacturing,” Ruch said. “From design to wood selection to manufacturing.”

The company, located within the Kingston Business Park just east of George’s Corner, provides a unique service for those interested in custom-manufactured furniture, millwork, doors and cupboards.

Ruch, who was a general contractor and a finish carpenter for years, decided to “do something a little more interesting and diverse,” he said of starting the company about three years ago.

Braund began his career in woodworking by building houses and creating a workshop in his backyard before working for Northwest Millwork & Door Company. As an engineering and art major at Purdue University in Indiana, he loved doing sculpture.

“This is a way to do that and make a living,” he said. “I like taking a project from beginning to end, and everyday, I get to see what I have done.”

What they design is varied — anything from interior, exterior and entry doors to inlays on countertops plus cabinets and furniture. Their initial intent was to work only with architects and designers but now the company has the capabilities to serve both commercial and residential customers.

European tools are used in the shop, primarily because of the machines’ precision, Ruch said. He is proud of a new tool they will be soon receiving — a five-headed molding machine from Germany, which will allow the company to do millwork runs of any type of wood and of any profile.

“It’s something we’re really excited about,” Ruch said. “It will allow us to do custom jobs or reproductions of existing moldings.”

There isn’t another business in Kitsap County like it, Ruch said, as the staff takes the wood from a very raw state and processes it through to the very last step as the final product. Examples of items that have come out of their shop include unique wine cellars and other customized cabinetry.

“People’s concepts and ideas that formulate for cabinets and things like that, we can execute here,” Ruch said.

Their final products are showcased in both commercial and residential locations, from Seattle to Port Ludlow. One noticeable commercial structure in the area that is the work of Ruch and Braund is the law office of Tolman, Kirk and Franz on Front Street in downtown Poulsbo — from the exterior woodwork to the interior, using Honduras mahogany. Another current project is the designing and building of 60 windows for a new home in Kingston.

The shop is kept organized and clean, and the men are environmentally conscious about product waste. Scrap wood is used for firewood or for smaller projects and wood chips are sent to Tucker’s Topsoil in Suquamish.

“We try and recycle our scrap as much as we can,” Ruch said.