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Bill Esler
ConfSenior Editor

Bill wrote for WoodworkingNetwork.com, FDMC and Closets & Organized Storage magazines. 

Bill's background includes more than 10 years in print manufacturing management, followed by more than 30 years in business reporting on industrial manufacturing in the forest products industries, including printing and packaging at American Printer (Features Editor) and Graphic Arts Monthly (Editor in Chief) magazines; and in secondary wood manufacturing for WoodworkingNetwork.com.

Bill was deeply involved with the launches of the Woodworking Network Leadership Forum, and the 40 Under 40 Awards programs. He currently reports on technology and business trends and develops conference programs.

In addition to his work as a journalist, Bill supports efforts to expand and improve educational opportunities in the manufacturing sectors, including 10 years on the Print & Graphics Scholarship Foundation; six years with the U.S. WoodLinks; and currently on the Woodwork Career Alliance Education Committee. He is also supports the Greater West Town Training Partnership Woodworking Program, which has trained more than 950 adults for industrial wood manufacturing careers. 

Bill volunteers for Foinse Research Station, a biological field station staddling the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland, one of more than 200 members of the Organization of Biological Field Stations.

Swanson Manufacturing, lumber

Pricing & Supply

Lumber Firms Lose Right to Expand Logging as Court Overturns Ruling

Two lumber firms - Swanson Manufacturing, and Rough and Ready Lumber - suffered a reverse as a Federal court in Washington DC overturned a lower court's ruling. At issue was a claim by the logging and lumber firms - both based in Oregon, that they suffered damages when the Bureau of Land Management restricted the volume of wood they could harvest.
By Bill Esler, June 14, 2015 | 3:25 pm CDT
Arrister-Parsons-Tables.jpg

Furniture

Furniture Buzz: Parametric Modeling & Online Configurators

Accompanying the move to Batch One production - each chair, cabinet or table custom built in an automated setting - are initiatives to launch scaled down configurators that allows furniture and cabinetry to be infinitely scaled in height, width, and depth. The enabling application is parametric modeling, allowing a catalog of furniture designs to be greatly scalable.
By Bill Esler, June 11, 2015 | 10:28 am CDT
Doucet, Alain Boulanger, Paul Goulet

Woodworking Industry News

Doucet Names Canada/Northern U.S. Sales Manager

QUEBEC, Canada - Wood industry machinery manunfacturer Doucet Inc. named Alain Boulanger  territory sales manager for Canada and Northern USA. Alain was hired to succeed  Paul Goulet, who will retire in a few months.Boulanger has over 30 years of experience in the industrial woodworking industry,  more than two decades in the development of markets, sales and sales networks around the world in different industry segments.
By Bill Esler, June 10, 2015 | 9:48 am CDT
Weinig, Holz-Her, LIGNA 2015

Woodworking Industry News

Weinig Sold 190 Machines at LIGNA 2015

HANNOVER, GERMANY - Weinig's solid wood business unit solid sold a total of 190 machines and systems at LIGNA 2015, the big German trade show held in Hannover last month. "Buoyant interest throughout the entire duration of the event translated into a high order inflow," Weinig reports, with "an increase of 21 percent compared with the previous LIGNA."Weinig says its Holz-Her subsidiary, which specializes in panel processing and edgebanding,  recorded a 5 percent increase in orders, selling 75 machines. 
By Bill Esler, June 9, 2015 | 11:53 am CDT
Lumber Liquidators

Woodworking Industry News

Changing Subject, Lumber Liquidators Opens New Stores

Lumber Liquidators announced that it has opened or remodeled 18 new stores in the first five months of 2015. The positive news turns the subject away from a challenging series of revelations about its flooring manufactured in China. Separately, the EPA says it is not investigating formaldehyde emissions by Lumber Liquidators.
By Bill Esler, June 8, 2015 | 10:15 pm CDT
Amerock Splash Hardware

Cabinets

Amerock Launches Custom Colored Cabinetry Hardware

MOORESVILLE, NC - Amerock Hardware launched Splash, an interactive design and shopping site that lets users customize decorative hardware for cabinets and furniture. Pulls and knobs are offered in more than 20  colors with 400 different combinations.The interactive site for a first-of-its-kind product line lets buyers test various colors and shapes of cabinetry hardware, then view the various looks on different style and color cabinets. Uses include kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and living areas.
By Bill Esler, June 8, 2015 | 9:29 pm CDT