A Few Minutes With...
A Few Minutes With… Jeff Meyer, President
Baillie Lumber Company, Hamburg, NY
Differentiation is the challenge.

Custom Shop
Although Ace Woodworking, New Bedford, Mass., has been in business for 40 years, the company has experienced a metamorphosis in the last decade.

Finish Line
What are finishing system manufacturers doing to address the demands of a changing marketplace? Modern Woodworking interviews Adam Verse, president of Giardina Finishing, to gain his insight into issues surrounding today’s finishing systems.

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
Hard maple and soft maple ride the wave of white wood popularity.

Production Line
Dallas, TX-based T.L. Horton Design, an Exhibitgroup/Giltspur company, engineers its unique products for the shopping center industry to maximize the use of its CNC equipment and a state-of-the-art laminating line.

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.

Proving Ground
It’s a nice predicament when you can’t think of anything bad to say about something. But that’s the situation Pete Long, president and owner of Upland, CA-based Cherokee Wood Products, finds himself in when he’s talking about German beech from Pollmeier, Inc..

Sanding Sense
Bottom side sanders present major problems and challenges that will negate any perceived production advantages to employing them, says sanding expert Howard Grivna. Read why he believes you are better off turning parts over and always sanding on top machines.

Supply Side
With more and more wood processors turning to automation in order to go head-to-head with overseas competition, speed is the driving force behind many of today’s cutting tool trends. In addition, the widespread use of man-made wood substitutes by wood products manufacturers in order to produce a quality product at a competitive price has brought about even more changes in today’s tooling marketplace.

Think Lean
Traveling along the “Lean Journey” can be trying at times, and if you go it alone, quite lonely. Lean manufacturing expert Ken Rolfes has found being able to network with peers in the same and different industries to be invaluable. One such source of peers is the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME).

Trends
The design trends spotted this year at the NASFM 34th Retail Design Awards were geared toward bringing balance back into complex, over-committed lives and environments. Additionally, as retailers try to utilize every square foot to the max, dual or multi-purpose fixtures continue to be in demand.

Trends Extra
Wood products manufacturers responded to an upswing in the economy in 2004 with an increase in investment in major woodworking equipment and machinery. Machining centers lead the way with the biggest increase.

Words of Wisdom
“The more you know about retailers, the better you can plan and execute your part of the process of producing sellable products,” said Mary Frye, president of the Home Furnishings International Association. After 25 years of conversations with furniture retailers, Frye says what they really want can be summed up in one word – success.