Well, the 2014 Int’l Woodworking Machinery and Furniture Supply Fair (IWF) just concluded its bi-annual 4-day run at the Georgia World Congress Center, and as expected it was a show not to be missed. The IWF is the largest woodworking industry trade show in North America, and it takes almost the entire 4 days to see all the products and services being offered by close to 1,000 exhibiting companies. In addition, there were over 50 seminars and presentations dispensing advice and information on everything from production techniques to management and marketing. How fortunate we are to have this incredible resource right here in Atlanta every two years, allowing us to keep up with the industry’s best practices, stay on top of new product offerings, and catch up with peers and associates from around the country that we interact with frequently but only get to see occasionally. The show covers the gamut of woodworking from the one-man woodshop to the world’s largest factories, but there is always plenty to see that applies to custom closets and built-in cabinetry.
Enough talking – here are a few things we plan to offer our customers, or that I just thought were really cool:
We get a fair number of requests for charging stations for small electronics and a few for in-drawer electrical receptacles. These UL-listed in-drawer chargers and receptacles from DockingDrawer.com would fit the bill perfectly:
We get requests for charging stations all the time. This one fits neatly out of the way in a drawer.
These in-drawer receptacles are UL listed, and would be great for hiding small corded appliances such as hair dryers and curling irons.
Here is a line of pushbutton combination locks from TritecLock.com that offers a range of cool features – like a remote control, and bluetooth pairing to your phone – the lock can automatically unlock as you approach and re-lock as you leave! Perfect for closet jewelry drawers, gun safes, or even child-safety locks. Can even be retrofitted into existing installations. Easy battery change with 5-10 year battery life.
This pushbutton combination lock could mean the end of lost keys
This company, Element-Designs.com, showed a great selection of aluminum door frames and insert panel options, and also a line of solid acrylic doors – very cool and colorful:
These aluminum door frames come in 10 different profiles
Panel inserts are available in a wide variety of glass, acrylic and other decorative materials
The company offers solid acrylic doors in a wide range of colors that are UV resistant (won’t fade) and the color goes all the way through – meaning scratches can be repaired
We’ve always shied away from offering slatwall products made of plastic, however these HandiWALL PVC panels seem to compare favorably to the traditional MDF slatwall options. Attractive, very strong and durable, and available in a nice range of colors and woodgrains.
These solid color and woodgrain slatwall panels are perfect for garages and/or work benches
Eventually I suppose everything will be wireless, until then we’re always looking for creative ways to route and/or hide wires. CustomAccents.com seems to have us covered:
This exhibit showed a neat selection of wire and cable management solutions
Not that many people would need one of these in their closet, but this guy in the Hardware Resources booth sure knew how to attract attention:
This oversized caricature brings new meaning to the word ‘craftsman’
I have even more to share – stay tuned for the next installment!
