The Future Of Cabinet Sales?

The German company imos AG creates specialty software for the furniture and interiors industries. It provides shops worldwide with CAD/CAM software for design, manufacturing... and sales. A couple of months ago, imos AG opened a new technology center in Herford, Westphalia to give hands-on demonstrations of its imos iX design/build software. One of the high points of the experience is the ability to present both designs and modifications digitally through augmented or virtual reality, either in the showroom or at the customer's home. This technology will be going on the road to shows such as the MEM in 2020 in Mexico City. It allows a customer to see how a room will look with new casework, and how changes in the design will affect the overall space - and do so before a single woodshop machine is turned on.

Another Great Season with the Phillips on PBS

The American Woodshop's co-hosts Scott and Suzy Phillips are focusing Season 26 of their long-running PBS television show on a history in wood, and they're featuring custom creations from independent woodshops across the country. Thirteen new episodes, which began airing Saturday, January 19, feature the works of artisans in various mediums including woodturning, cabinet construction and carving. (Check your local PBS station for airtimes.) The show is produced by WBGU-TV in Bowling Green, Ohio, and is sponsored by Woodcraft, Rikon Power Tools, PS Wood Machines, FurnitureBank of Central Ohio, Armor Tool and Woodcraft Magazine. "Woodcraft’s continued partnership with The American Woodshop is a great fit for us," says Jack Bigger, president of Woodcraft. Shown at left is host Scott Phillips with a Sam Maloof inspired rocking chair. Work by Maloof, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 93, is featured in episodes 12 and 13.

'Cabinets & Closets' Show in March

The Illinois based exposition management company Hall-Erickson, Inc. says of the Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo that this is "the only focused event for this billion dollar market (that) features home organization systems, hardware and accessories, manufacturing equipment, educational seminars, and groundbreaking research." Hall-Erickson helped launch this event in 2006, providing total exposition and conference management. This year's event will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina from March 6 through 8, where it will be held alongside the Wood Pro Expo. The spectacular facility (shown) has 550,000 square feet of space.

A Weird, Wonderful Workbench

Izzy Swan is a remarkable craftsman, huge personality, accomplished woodworker, and inventor. He has a subscription website for members, and a YouTube channel. His latest offering is a huge torsion box based plywood workbench with an innovative vise that can grab oddly shaped parts. The torsion box provides strength, light weight, and tons of storage. On his website, woodworkers will find everything from money saving tips to woodworking projects (including a chainsaw saw mill and a table with four seats that folds up), plus jigs and some "completely wild contraptions". We first mentioned Izzy in the October 2018 issue. With a mind for beyond the box thinking and an unusual mix of art, design and engineering interests, one never knows what he'll come up with next.

Deadline Approaches For Woodworking Students

The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers ® will host its tenth biennial Fresh Wood student furniture competition at the 2019 AWFS ® Fair from July 17 through the 20th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The competition, once again sponsored by KCD Software and Wagner Meters, is open to high school and post-secondary students in accredited woodworking or related programs, and applications will be accepted until May 1st, 2019. This year, the special theme category topic is Sports and Games. Projects in this category must be at least 50% wood or wood composite, and need to relate to either a sport or a game. "We are really excited to see the entries for this category," said AWFS Education Director Adria Salvatore. "We’ve had several ping-pong tables and game tables entered in previous Fresh Wood contests, and they always attract a crowd". There are five other entry categories - Case Goods, Seating, Tables, Design for Production and an Open category. Finalist pieces will be on display at the AWFS ® Fair, adjacent to Turning to the Future which is a competition by the American Association of Woodturners that also showcases student work.

Magnificent Hand Tools

Australian master toolmaker Chris Vesper, well known to U.S. hand tool aficionados, has posted that he's going to take a few months to regroup while he catches up on orders. There are still many gorgeous tools for sale on his website - he's just not going to make any more for a little while until the back orders are cleared. Shown here is his ultimate Sliding Bevels set (about $1,050 US). These "have infills cut from the same block of timber and kept together through the production process to not mix them up with general production". Chris celebrated twenty years in business last year. He has a passion for fine woodworking, and the tools that make it possible, and he operates"a dream workshop" in an industrial area in south east Melbourne.

Set-Up blocks

Quality is in the details, so iGaging has introduced two new sets of set-up blocks for woodworkers. The company is based in San Clemente, California and distributes through retailers such as Rockler and Grizzly, and its own store. One set is standard (inch) and the other is metric, and either can be used on most shop equipment, including setting up the Z on a CNC. The blocks in each 15-piece set are extremely precise, and are designed for accurately setting up blades, bits and fences. The "Right On" blocks have solid aluminum construction with a blue anodized finish and bright white numbering so they are easy to read. Each set comes in its own protective case, and there is one base block for large increments. In the standard set, this is 1" x 2" x 3", and in the metric it's 25 x 50 x 75 mm. The interim blocks run from 1/16" thickness to 3/4", and from 1 mm to 20 mm.

Woodshop Air Quality Experts Renamed

Nortec Humidity is now Condair. With manufacturing facilities in Ottawa and Wisconsin and worldwide distribution, the company specializes in air treatment including humidification and evaporative cooling. There's an interesting article on its website about the need for humidity control in the woodshop. Condair's stated goal is "to create the ideal indoor climate while keeping energy consumption low and reducing impact on the environment". The Condair Group has been the world's leading manufacturer of commercial and industrial humidification and evaporative cooling products for more than 65 years. WoodEzine mentioned Nortec's natural gas fueled GS Series condensing high efficiency humidifier in its most recent AWFS special.

Floating Shelf or Cabinet Supports

Need to "float" shelves or cabinets the way they are shown in the photo, with no visible means of support? Federal Brace, which has locations in both North Carolina and Utah, has introduced five new brackets that allow such an installation. Included are (top to bottom) a U bracket with 8" long arms in four widths; a stud mounted bracket with a 10" arm; a stud mounted rod with arm lengths of 10" or 6"; a floating shelf rod in 10" and 6" lengths; and a single arm unit in an 8" length. The two stud mounted supports have a heavy duty carrying capacity of 100 pounds each. One can slide a box style or low profile shelf over these supports for a completely floating look.

Vero Software is Evolving

Furniture and casework designers who use Vero Software packages such as AlphaCam and Cabinet Vision may soon see some technological advances. The Swedish parent company, Hexagon, has just announced the formation of a division called Production Software which includes Vero Software, FASys and SPRING Technologies. The move sees the three acquisitions adopting Hexagon’s corporate identity, and reflects the corporation's broadening expertise in production technology. Hexagon acquired Vero Software, a specialist in CAD CAM software, in 2014. The 2017 acquisition of FASys brought tooling and resource management software, plus shop-floor automation and integration expertise, into the portfolio. And SPRING Technologies, acquired in 2018, provides CNC simulation technology for G-code verification and workflow optimization.

BauBache Line Is Expanding To Spruce

In 2012, the German hardwood company Pollmeier began building the world’s first hardwood laminated veneer lumber plant. North American woodshops may be familiar with the beech product from Pollmeier known as BauBuche, which is "the only construction material industrially manufactured from hardwood". Now Pollmeier is adding spruce laminated veneer lumber, which is used for non-visible standard components in structural timber construction. By contrast, beech laminated veneer lumber is primarily chosen for visible timber structures. The company plans to switch to three-shift operation in 2019 (photo courtesy of Pollmeier), and will soon offer the spruce product in various strength classes in longitudinal as well as cross plies. The new spruce LVL is being presented to the public at the Bau in Munich this month, where the company is one of 2,250 exhibitors.

Hands-Free Base Door Opener

Richelieu has introduced a hands-free option for recycling and waste bins called the Libero. It pushes out the waste bin when the cook just waves a foot in front of a sensor in the kickboard. That then triggers the release and opening of the cabinet or drawer. An integrated LED light indicates the sensor’s position. The low voltage device can be installed in the bottom of a base cabinet once a cut-out is made, and it is secured using only four screws. Extensions vary based on content weight and cabinet width. As a safety feature and to avoid any unintended openings, the device is equipped with a control that identifies obstacles. Settings for the lighting sensor and ejection force can be adjusted using the available smart phone app.

Get A Grip!

Here's an idea that's long past due. The Oregon company Handle Rite Tools has come out with what it describes as "the first and only Loop Handle Pliers". They have handles that resemble those on scissors, so the action is much more controlled. Inventor and fishing guide Bob Roberts was tired of loosing pliers overboard and developed the idea while fishing, but anyone who works with tools will appreciate the concept. It's hard to open a pair of pliers with one hand... well, it used to be until these came along. So far, there's a 9" needle nose, an 8" nips (which the company calls a side cutter), an 8" lineman's, a 6" needle nose and an 8" standard slip joint. Handle Rite's ergonomic take on handles is combined with a non-slip grip, which makes it quite difficult to drop the tools. The company sells the tools individually, or in a 5-piece set for $78.00, on its website.

The Hedgehog Can Now Be Stacked

The best ideas are often very simple, and always simple to use. One of the best new products for woodworking, the Hedgehog spiral featherboard, just got a little better with the addition of another simple upgrade. Featherboards.com now offers a pack of two Hedgehogs with a simple connector that allows a woodshop to stack them. That delivers a working height of 1-1/4", which makes the device usable on router tables for holding panels and small doors or drawerfronts against a fence, or for ripping thicker stock on a table saw, and it can even be adapted for re-sawing on a bandsaw. The original featherboard features a high-impact nylon body, a cast aluminum miter clamp that rides in the machine's standard miter slot, and a single large grip for adjustment. The idea here was that being able to move and re-align the device with just one knob in a couple of seconds would encourage woodworkers to use it, and stay safer by avoiding kickback.

Routing, Jointing Just Got Safer

The new INCRA PushGuard combines an oversized push block with both an integrated hand guard and a removable clear debris shield. The hand guard portion is always between one's hand and the cutter, offering protection for situations where a traditional guard can't be attached to the fence. The removable clear deflector shield blocks flying debris to help protect eyes as well as hands. The rubber pad on the bottom of the push block is thick, grippy, and generously-sized at more than 7" x 3", which is the perfect grip surface for smooth or rough cut lumber. The PushGuard’s handle has a large diameter and it’s big enough to get both hands on. The handle has been smoothed all the way around with deep ribbing on both sides for a comfortable, powerful grip. It's also slightly offset from vertical to better align with one's shoulder and provide extra clearance between the woodworker and the cutter. Online at $19.95.

Making 6,500 Cabinets With Lockdowel

Indiana based Bella IMC has won a contract to build the cabinets for a 25-story, multi-family, luxury housing unit in Washington D.C. The order will be completed by March 12th, using the tool-less, slide-to-lock Lockdowel fastening system. Deadlines and high quality requirements could only be met using this hardware as it can be 60% faster than traditional methods. An overseas company had been chosen for the job, but it was failing to meet deadlines. Bella IMC (Innovative Modern Cabinetry) is leading an industry move toward cabinets that can be assembled on site (AOS), a direction that has been enabled by Lockdowel's snap-in fasteners. AOS allows for quick changes in looks and designs by easily replacing doors and hardware.

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