A Few Minutes With...
A Few Minutes With… Todd Herzog, CEO
Accu-Router, Inc., Morrison, TN
Politics silences a once-great U.S. industrial giant:
Tell the story as an impetus for change

Custom Shop
Sunset Hills, MO-based Midwest Woodworking
and Fixtures has changed its focus from building a fixture once never to be built again to concentrating on customers with recurring needs.

Hot Gear
Get descriptions and request information about products from our participating companies.

Drying and Roughmill
Some comments on hand-held moisture
meters in hardwood lumber drying. Dr. Fred Lamb examines the different types of moisture meters and their role in hardwood drying.

Material Issues
Bill Altman, president of the Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association gives us an update on global and domestic veneer markets.

Process of the Month
For Ernst Cabinet Works in Hamburg, Pa., the implementation of an advanced software program has simplified the complicated designs associated with high-end custom kitchen cabinetry, along with streamlining its production process. Meanwhile, Top Drawer Component in Apache Junction, AZ, has improved its margins with new optimization software.

Sanding Sense
The true end point of any abrasive belt should be when the sharpness of the cutting mineral is worn so that the belts no longer cut, not when they no longer cut due to sanding residue build-up. Howard Grivna explores the pros and cons of various belt cleaning methods.

Supply Side
New contributing editor Hector Henry, research engineer and faculty member for the Advanced Wood Products Laboratory at Georgia Institute of Technology answers wood products manufacturers’ prevailing question, “Which software is right for me?”

Think Lean
One of the fundamental ways to bring wastes and improvement opportunity to the forefront of your business is to think in terms of pulling inventory based on immediate demand rather than building to anticipated demand that pushes inventory through your factory. When push come to shove…. implement pull, says Ken Rolfes, lean manufacturing expert.

Trends
With outsourcing becoming offshoring, U.S. wood component manufacturers are learning to focus on their non-price, home court advantages.

Trends Extra
Wylie High School teacher Allen Morris introduces high school students to careers in wood, plastics, metals, glass and fabrication techniques. He also teaches an advanced level class that engages in competitions and special projects as an independent research class. At the heart of it all is CNC routing.

Words of Wisdom
The furniture manufacturing landscape has changed — not only with global sourcing, but also with retailing and with the consumer.