LAS VEGAS - Matt Buell, owner of M. Buell Design in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is taking in the tools and trends at AWFS Fair 2017 in Las Vegas. Buell, who came to town to participate in the Wood Industry 40 Under 40 Awards event July 18, decided to stay on and tour the show for three days.
Buell founded m.buell Design in February 2011, offering high-quality furniture and wood accessories for residential and commercial properties in Northwest Arkansas. His company has developed a growing base of clients nationwide.
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Buell’s design-build pieces include chairs, desks, countertops, conference and dining tables, beds, credenzas, display cases, miscellaneous ornamental pieces, and a variety of other tables for all kinds of interior needs.
His work also includes commercial projects for businesses and municipal buildings, including the Fayetteville, Arkansas, City Council Chambers. It was local acclaim for his work that earned Buell a 2016 Wood Industry 40 Under 40 Award, that group staged a reunion right along with the 40 Under 40 Awards for 2017, held last night at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Matt Buell
Buell says his designs feature sensible, fluid lines that flow naturally and create a warm, organic aesthetic. Although eclectic at heart, many of Buell’s pieces have been characterized as mid-century modern with subtle traces of various traditional styles.
Working primarily with walnut and cherry, Buell employs the venerable methods of joinery that he believes exceed the quality achieved with fasteners. He and an apprentice create aesthetic and utilitarian pieces at his shop is located outside Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the edge of the hardwood Ozarks.
His preference for traditional methods has brought him to rely greatly on the hand-held router and template routing, in his work, and he has made it a mission to test a wide number of available models. Buell, who sometimes refers to himself as a "router template maniac," will make a presentation on template routing on October 19 at Wood Pro Expo in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
"I'm going to discuss some do's and don'ts of template routing," says Buell. "I'll cover different methods of clamping or fastening workpieces with templates." Buell will explain why he prefers to template rout furniture parts."It's a great way to maximize product output in competition with people using CNCs."
The next edition of Wood Pro Expo takes place October 19-20 in Pennsylvania, at the Lancaster Host Expo Center. Wood Pro Expo is a regional show that brings education, and equipment and supplies demonstrations to cabinetmakers, millwork firms, home storage businesses, and custom woodworking firms at locations closer to their business. Launched in 2014 in Baltimore, the show moved this year for the first time to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the heart of woodworking country.
"Wood Pro Expo will put you face-to-face with your local equipment and supply dealers," says show manager Lewis Goldman. "You don’t have to spend time traveling to the major industry shows in Atlanta and Las Vegas and wade through booths trying to find your local dealer. We're bringing them right to your front door."
The site for the 2017 event will be in the newly remodeled Lancaster Host Expo and Conference Center. Under new ownership, the facility has just completed a multimillion-dollar revitalization. This investment will give Wood Pro Expo attendees the professional atmosphere to take advantage of an expanded educational program and exhibit hall featuring the latest in operating machinery and supplies. www.woodproexpo.com
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