Dale Victor
“He’s a mad scientist,” LJ Dykzeul often blurts as Dale Victor fiddles with some wood-cutting tool he’s cleverly modified. When Dale isn’t leisurely researching the latest in scientific developments or spending time with his wife and cats, he’s woodworking. He’s a creative powerhouse and a good person. Dykzeul, a long time colleague and friend of Dale’s, describes him as a cross between Jerry Garcia and Albert Einstein. “He’s just brilliant.”
Several years later, Dale met his wife and the couple moved to the coast. This is when he found Overbay Houseworks in August of 2002. Ed Overbay quickly realized the great skill that Victor possessed and immediately knew he would make an exceptional addition to the shop.
“Ed is so fun to work for. He is so understanding and great at what he does. He is amazing,” Dale explains. “He is so talented and understands everything there is about building houses. He has this immediate knowledge that is just amazing.” Some of his favorite woodworking experiences have come from his time at Overbay Houseworks.
In high school, Victor’s first woodworking project consisted of making several bookcases to house his large collection of books. By the time he had finished college, he took a job at a furniture repair shop and worked there for 5 years before meeting another woodworker that agreed to become partners in business. Victor’s elaborate world of woodworking had unfolded greatly from here on out. He was able to craft many beautiful pieces of custom fine furniture, work on homes, connect with other established creatives, and even work on the Mormon Temple in Portland.
Dale Victor was born in Long Beach, CA. His mother worked as a nurse for public health service hospitals with a focus on Indigenous People Reservations. When he was 11, his mother’s job moved his family to Zuni, New Mexico where he lived for 3 years, learning the culture, practicing in ceremonies and bonding with the natives. He then moved to the Fort Belknap reservation in Harlem, Montana where he attended school here for 2 years before moving again to Crow Agency, Montana. During this time, Victor took a liking to woodworking when he enrolled in woodshop courses at his high school. He recalls that he was familiarly adept at subjects of the scientific and mathematic nature and was pleasantly surprised at how natural his skills and creativity for woodworking had developed for him.
Dale recalls with fondness a piece of furniture he designed and built for his mother in the 1970s. It was a drafting table. His mother was into calligraphy at the time, so this table was designed with this hobby of hers in mind. This beautiful table is made of the native Hawaiian koa hardwood, now too scarce to acquire. He included a lip to hold writing untensils as well as a large drawer spanning the width of the table.