Lines were winding at registration and bunched at booths, while young industry leaders were honored, challenge-solving technology was showcased and honored, and a full array of educational programming was kicked off with symposia on closets and organized solutions and a boot camp on CNC technology.

A showcase for new machinery, materials, supplies, and services, the International Woodworking Fair plays host to an international audience of professionals involved in the production of cabinetry, furniture, architectural millwork, retail fixtures, closets, components, and other industry segments. Owned and sponsored by the Wood Industry Association, the biennial woodworking trade show, and conference runs through Friday, with show hours in halls A, B, BC, and C from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday. Building A opens at 7:30 a.m. each day.

“People come to IWF to see what’s new, to see how they can grow their business,” said Chris Hacker, 2024 IWF show  chairman. “In a four-day period, you get to experience hundreds of different machines and products, exhibitor booths, and educational seminars.”

IWF Atlanta not only features demonstrations by leading vendors but also offers educational sessions and workshops. Monday, Aug. 5, kicked off with concurrent day-long conferences these included Woodworking Network’s CNC Bootcamp, sponsored by KCD Software, and the Closets & Organized Storage symposium sponsored by CCF Industries. Other all-day sessions include the Quantum Lean symposium, and Using Design to Add Value, Opportunity, and Profits, sponsored by the Architectural Woodwork Institute.

Throughout the event, the IWF Education Conference offers sessions on business management, manufacturing
and design, marketing and business development, workforce maintenance and organizational culture, and exhibitor
EDUs. Additional information is available at IWFAtlanta.com.  

While these educational events were ongoing, the exhibitors were continuing their setup duties such as Mereen Johnson (pictured below) utilizing some heavy machinery to move and set in place some heavy machinery. 

The day ended with a reception honoring Woodworking Network’s Wood Industry 40 Under 40 Class of 2024. This year marks
Woodworking Network’s 9th annual awarding of the 40 Under 40, which celebrates industry professionals who are making an impact at their jobs, in the community, and on the North American woodworking industry. Due to a tie, there are 41 honorees this year.

“Once again, we are so impressed with the remarkable talent, dedication, and commitment shown by this year’s honorees. It
is so satisfying to realize that this level of talent continues to be drawn to our industry, providing us with the reassurance that all that we have worked so hard to achieve has such a brilliant future at the hands of these young professionals. We are truly honored to recognize each of them and welcome them into the fold of the more than 320 alumni who represent the best and brightest among wood products manufacturers,” said Tim Fixmer, president of CCI Media.

Tuesday, August 6
On Tuesday, August 6, the show floor officially opened to the thousands of attendees who had traveled far and wide to attend the show.

A highlight of the day was the naming of the IWF 2024 Challengers Award. From engineered woods to unique finishing systems and countersinking tooling systems to advanced gluer technology, some of the unique products on display at the International Woodworking Fair have been named winners of a prestigious industry award.

Perry Fails, president at Dura Supreme Cabinetry, a MasterBrands company, who chaired the Challengers Award judging process announced the winners at a special ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 6, during the show. The winners were presented the awards at their booths by members of the judging panel riding in trams through the showroom aisles.

“The Challengers Award judges want to thank you all for your participation in this process,” said Fails. “You make our jobs very difficult as judges because there's just a lot of great, great entries again this year.”

Fails announced the seven winning products from six companies. The winners were selected from 20 finalists, narrowed from a field of 92 initial entries from 75 exhibiting companies who vied for the IWF Challengers Award that “recognizes innovation in products, services, or manufacturing techniques that will advance the woodworking industry overall.”

IWF 2024 Challengers Award winners in alphabetical order:

• Current Composites Inc. — Liberty Wood – Booth C664
  Liberty Wood is a compressed wood made from 1/16″ thick birch veneer and a phenol-based resin system, offering durability, dimensional stability, and an aesthetically pleasing finish. It can be customized in thickness, color, and shape, and is machinable, resistant to water and humidity, with minimal swelling and shrinking. Its natural beauty is enhanced by sanding and polishing, with no need for additional coatings, making it suitable for various applications
• Make it Snappy Tools Inc. — iCARB Indexable Carbide Countersinks – Booth C771 
  The iCARB series of countersinks feature solid carbide cutters that can be indexed to a fresh edge and be replaced when needed. This revolutionary new design provides industry leading performance with unmatched durability and service life. The tool’s superior wear resistance makes it perfect for use in the  toughest and hardest of hardwoods and other abrasive materials.
• Northtech Machine LLC – iGlue by Northtech – Booth B6052
  The Northtech iGlue is a new gluer that quickly and accurately applies glue to dovetail and similar joinery. A part is placed in the machine and the iGlue scans and applies glue all in one pass, in seconds with no required setups, no mess and no wasted glue. The machine has auto thickness compensation and can apply glue to either the mortise or tenon at the rate of over 100 dovetails/minute. The iGlue works with standard PVA white glue and can be used for any material.
• Timber Wolf Forest Products – Fast-Snap by Timber Wolf – Booth BC1107
  The patent pending Fast Snap product line is “revolutionizing how to decorate and change the look of your kitchen with minimal cost and tremendous flexibility.” The cutting edge application of wood and metal using a magnetic connection is available in five different corbels, six posts, and seven unique designs of metal inlays available in four finishes.
• Total Finishing Solutions LLC – VD Simple Dynamic – Booth A11309
  The VD Simple Dynamic series for streamlined, effective finishing. Perfect fusion of simplicity and advanced technology. Different from traditional spraying-systems, the dynamic spraying concept allows a perfectly linear application trajectory avoiding the overlapping of the spraying coats
• Total Finishing Solutions LLC – Walcom TRUE LIGHT 2.0 – Booth A11309
  The Walcon True Light 2.0 is a tool designed to change the way you paint. You can mount it on spray guns for painting to directly illuminate the surface to be painted and thanks to the high-resolution color rendering of the selected LEDs, the light you will get will be as close as possible to sunlight, thus guaranteeing you the best painting results both in terms of base color check, and optimum lighting even in darker areas.
• Unilin Panels – Unilin Master Oak – Booth C1330
  Unilin’s Master Oak product is a sustainable alternative to oak that radiates natural charm and warmth and feels like a real oak panel or veneer. Master Oak combines the look and feel of natural oak with the matchless quality of melamine and HPL: it is scratch-resistant, color fast and easy to maintain.

And, that was just the start of the show. Stay tuned for more updates on IWF 2024.