Wood Industry Hiring, Expanding; Table Saw Safety Top News
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Wood manufacturing news was topped by hiring and expansions this week, as cabinetry manufacturers Armstrong Industries and Norcraft's UltraCraft cabinetry unit announced addition of shifts with plans to hiring more than 130 people.

Table saw safety developer Whirlwind Tool has created a whirlwind of interest with the news that it was awarded a patent for its "proximity sensing" machinery safety system. It's designed to retrofit on a variety of machines, including band saws, and it can be retrofit in the field.

Financial incentives for woodworking industry expansion lured Stanley Furniture to consider three sites for its new headquarters, including High Point, NC. A Quebec wood products firm was offered $1.2 million to open a plant in Vermont.

Here are the most viewed wood industry reports this week:

 

New Table Saw Safety Patent Issued
By Bill Esler | Updated: 04/03/2012 8:05:00 PM
A former woodworker has received a patent on a flesh-sensing table saw safety braking system. David Butler, principal of Whirlwind Tool, has spent years developing a system to prevent serious injuries among table saw users. Read more

 Lumber pricing and sales

Sawmills Could Deliver Glut of Hardwoods
By Andy Johnson | Updated: 03/29/2012 1:08:00 PM
In the hardwood industry, concerns are growing about the potential for overproduction. Mills in the Northern U.S. are rushing to process as much “whitewood” (hard and soft maple, hickory) as possible, to control stain. Read more

   

U.S. Home Systems Income Spikes; Home Depot Tests Cabinets By Michaelle Bradford | Updated: 04/02/2012 4:24:00 PM
Cabinet refacer U.S. Home Systems says 2011 revenue rose 18 percent to $146.9 million, while net income more than doubled to $4.7 million, up 123 percent from 2010. It is testing a kitchen replacement line with Home Depot. Read more

 

Furniture Maker Aaron's in $6 Million Harassment Settlement
By Bill Esler | Updated: 03/29/2012 1:34:00 PM
Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN) said it entered into a $6 million settlement of a sexual harassment lawsuit with a former employee who claimed she was sexually harassed by a former co-worker in 2006. Read more

 Sino-Forest Homix

Sino-Forest Bankrupt; Files $4 Billion Defamation Suit
By Bill Esler | Updated: 04/01/2012 5:14:00 PM
Wood-flooring and forestry firm Sino-Forest bankruptcy filing; files $4 billion defamation suit against financial analysts
Read more

 

Stanley Furniture Wins Funds To Exit Stanleytown
By Bill Esler | Updated: 04/03/2012 10:03:00 AM
Stanley Furniture won approval for financial incentives to relocate headquarters to High Point, NC. State and county aid are also on the table for a January 2013 relocation from Stanleytown, VA, with two other sites also in the running. Read more

 

UltraCraft Adds 40 Jobs to Cabinet Finishing Line
By Karen Koenig | Updated: 04/04/2012 11:09:00 AM
UltraCraft cabinetry, a division of Norcraft Cos., will add 40 workers and a second finishing shift at its Liberty, NC, facility. Read more

 Royal Woodworking Flex Curves

Alexandria Mouldings Acquires Royal Woodworking
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 04/01/2012 2:56:00 PM
Alexandria Moulding, a manufacturer and distributor of mouldings and related millwork products, has acquired Royal Woodworking of Bradford, ON. Read more

 Appalachian Hardwood Flooring

Vermont Gives Canada $1.2 MM To Open Wood Flooring Plant
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 03/28/2012 1:36:00 PM
Appalachian Flooring Inc. of Cowansville, QC, will receive $1.2 million in financial aid from Vermont to create a new 26,000-square-foot production facility in North Troy, VT. Read more

Armstrong Wood Flooring Adds 95 Jobs
By Bill Esler | Updated: 03/29/2012 8:27:00 AM
Armstrong World Industries, Inc. will add 95 jobs to its Jackson, TN wood flooring plant with the addition of a third production shift targeted for completion by the end of May. Read more

Wood Manufacturing Webcasts

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Table saw safety developer Whirlwind Tool has created a whirlwind of interest with the news that it was awarded a patent for its "proximity sensing" machinery safety system. It's designed to retrofit on a variety of machines, including band saws, and that it can be retrofitted in the field. Financial incentives for woodworking industry expansion lured Stanley Furniture to consider three sites for its new headquarters, including High Point, NC. A Quebec wood products firm was offered $1.2 million to open a plant in Vermont.

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