Karl Forth's Page

The deadline to submit your best veneer work is June 1. The 8th Annual Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge competition rewards excellence in woodwork design and creation featuring natural veneer and wood applications.

Award categories are Architectural woodworking, Cabinetry, Furniture, Store fixtures and Specialty items. There is also a Student Design category. Category winning entries are awarded $1,000 each. One grand prize…

Time magazine recently ran a large article, Training that Works, that looks at vocational schools. The article, four pages in the May 14, 2012 issue, doesn't cover woodworking but does talk about the comeback of career and technical education (CTE) and looks specifically at a program on a Navajo reservation in Arizona.

I think it's important that this subject is getting some ink. Increased…

Woodworking equipment suppliers and distributors who took part in last week's annual Woodworking Industry Conference in Delray Beach, Fla., had one thing in common. They all survived the biggest downturn most of us will see. You heard again and again from people how they have slimmed down their business, done things in a lean manner, all with far fewer people. And that's not going to change.

We were part of a presentation with Chris Watson of Conestoga Wood Specialties, Henry…

A few observations from the KBIS show in Chicago this week: There were fewer cabinet displays, and fewer trends seen.

Affordable cabinets were one ongoing trend. LED lighting is coming into its own. More people noted dark colors were growing. Cabinet companies partnered with hardware companies to display new technology Rutt displayed a center lift in the Hafele booth. There were fewer domestic manufacturers displaying cabinets. We surveyed 20 companies for our annual cabinet style…

I visited the close-in, relatively affluent suburb again this week. The hammers and saws are mostly quiet these days, but I did see a few large residential structures still being built in this area that saw so many modest houses replaced with suburban castles. There is still a low level of work in cabinets and millwork. In the aftermath of the teardown boom you can see some curious sights, like the small wood-framed 1920s bungalow flanked by two large brick-and-stone mansions.