ANAHEIM, Calif. — Forty students from high school woodworking programs across California competed on Saturday, April 11, in the SkillsUSA California Introductory Woodworking and Cabinetmaking state competitions, hosted at Ontario High School in Ontario, California.

The woodworking competitions were coordinated through a collaborative effort led by the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS) and the Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI). Together, the organizations supported the contests by developing the project plans, sourcing material and equipment donations, preparing gifts for the winners, and recruiting industry professionals and educators to serve as judges.

The students earned their place at the state level after qualifying through regional competitions held in February, bringing together some of the top emerging woodworking talent from across the state.

Equipment donors included Duckworks for shop drawings, Royal Plywood for solid and sheet stock, Blum for undermount slides, Decore-ative Specialties for drawer fronts, and Drawer Box Specialties (DBS) for dovetailed drawer box kits. Additional support came from Colonial Saw/Lamello, which provided judging support along with a Zeta and connectors; Leitz Tooling for saw blades; Eagle Tools for bandsaw blades; and Shaper for multiple Origin CNC Routers.

Further contributions included Palomar College, which helped cut materials; Frama-Tech for edgebanding; Grex Tools for 23-gauge pin guns; Surfprep for sandpaper and winner gifts; Inland Woodworkers for judges and safety monitors; DeWalt Tools for six miter saws; S.L. Fusco for wood glue; Howard Products for competitor prizes; Richelieu for winner gifts; Hafele for drawer knobs; SawStop for winner gifts; and Girl Buildrs for competition drinks.

Events such as the SkillsUSA California state contests provide students with valuable hands-on experience and help showcase the next generation of skilled workers entering the wood products and architectural woodwork fields.