In Lock Step
Oak Ridge Cabinets in Chico, Calif., part of the northern Sacramento Valley, is continually refining its manufacturing process through savvy production management and automated equipment.
Features
Figuring It Out
As outsourced parts keep getting better and often less expensive, a woodshop really needs to know whether it’s more profitable to buy components, or still make them in-house.
Coloring Our World
One of the most interesting trends in the coatings industry is the way in which robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming traditional application technologies.
Perfection with plywood
Columbia Forest Products named the winners in its seventh annual PureBond Quality Awards competition, which recognizes interior furnishings built with PureBond hardwood plywood that are visually and functionally distinctive.
Is your business plan on the money?
The new year might be a bumpy one, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad one. 2019 is just around the corner, and woodshops gearing up for it have more to think about this year than most.
Do we still need to measure twice?
Measuring accurately is a cornerstone of our trade, and the means to do so has evolved quite a bit over the past few years.
All the right moves
Suppose you have a cabinet shop in, say, the upper Midwest, and you’re looking to relocate.
A Shining Example
These days there’s a certain energy being generated at Lantz Custom Woodworking in Harrisonburg, Va.
Design it Digital
The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers introduced the first Design it Digital contest at IWF 2018, a CAD competition open to students in North America.
Choosing a small shop CNC
Form following function is a weather worn adage, but its inverse is perhaps more relevant when choosing a CNC router.
Sanding solutions
This is a big category, and a woodworker often has to wade through a lot of peripheral information before zoning in on an appropriate piece of equipment.
The Right Combination
Having one machine complete several tasks is more of a European than an American notion.
Cleared for Takeoff
With a young and motivated new owner about to take over operations from a partner, New Horizons Woodworks of Ashland, Ore., has a bright future ahead.
Urban renewal
Understands, a company that designs one-of-a-kind computer stands and laptop supports, is introducing a line of urban wood stands that organize and elevate home or office desktops with natural beauty.
WIRC formed to spark workforce growth
Eleven wood industry associations have announced the formation of a coalition, the Wood Industry Resource Collaborative, aimed primarily at perpetuating the long-term growth of the industry by sustaining an engaged workforce.
Are we swapping tenons for toolpaths?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that there are 163,500 professional woodworkers in America, and as of May 2017 their average pay is $30,850 a year.
Making Safety Second Nature
Over the years, the word ‘left’ has become somewhat synonymous with liberal politics.
Finding that magic number
Henry and Sara Leggett run Design Trifecta, a name chosen for their belief that a woodworking business needs three sources of income to operate successfully.
Doing it right
It’s hard to believe Mark Richey Woodworking in Newburyport, Mass., started as a one-man shop. Specializing in architectural millwork, the company has 110 full-time employees and anywhere from 50 to 300 subcontractors on the payroll.
Out from under
Even plywood gets its moment of fame from time to time, thanks to a recent contest hosted through a partnership between Rockler Woodworking and Hardware and The Modern Maker Podcast.
Bits & Blades for every occasion
It can be hard for a woodshop to keep current with bits and blades.