The SkillsUSA Cabinetmaking Championship, recently held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, challenged students to construct a standing leg cabinet in eight hours. 

This project, designed for transportability, required competitors to build a cabinet with removable top and leg sections. All poplar wood, including pre-milled components, was provided.

“Any parts that we thought were too time consuming to produce during the competition were supplied pre-milled,” said Kent Gilchrist, technical chair of SkillsUSA and a member of the Woodwork Career Alliance Board of Directors. “This included things like coved poplar mouldings and poplar door stock with a groove already grooved in it.”

Once again, Gilchrist designed the prototype for the annual contest. He noted that the competitors – 15 postsecondary and 42 high school students from around the country-- were tasked with demonstrating a wide range of skills, with a particular emphasis on precise measurement, layout, and material optimization. Constructing intricate joinery and effectively utilizing the limited wood supply were crucial for success. 

The most challenging aspect of the competition, Gilchrist added, proved to be the creation of the cabinet door, which required precise cutting of a figured eucalyptus veneer panel to achieve a specific grain pattern. 

Despite the many challenges and deadline pressures, approximately 40% of competitors completed the project, with varying degrees of accuracy and aesthetic appeal. The competition highlighted the importance of both machining skills and foundational knowledge of layout and measurement, areas often overlooked in carpentry and construction programs, Gilchrist said.

“I tell school woodshop advisors that layout and measurement are just as important as machining skills.”

The winners of the 2024 SkillsUSA Cabinetmaking Championship were:
High School
Gold Steve Cantu, Medina Valley High School, Castroville, Texas
Silver Peyton Frazier, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, Shawnee, Kan. 
Bronze Isaiah Powers, Fort Wayne Community Schools Career Academy, Fort Wayne, Ind.

College
Gold Ethan Jacobsen, Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah
Silver Ethan Dalton, Fort Wayne Community Schools Career Academy, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Bronze Itsuki Langley, Eastern Maine College, Bangor, Maine (an EDUcation member of the Woodwork Career Alliance

Interestingly, Gilchrist said that the Gold and Silver college medalists reversed their places on the podium from last year’s competition. He also noted that this year’s contest had its first-ever participant hailing from Alaska. 

Industry Support Increases
Gilchrist said it has been especially gratifying to see more woodworking companies and suppliers support SkillsUSA by supplying equipment, materials and supplies used in the competition. It underscores the growing support from the woodworking industry to help foster skilled trades education.

The Architectural Woodwork Institute is the lead organizer of the SkillsUSA Cabinetmaking Competition. Contributing AWI manufacturing members companies included:

• Aubin Woodworking
• Fremont Interiors
• Riverside Architectural Millwork
• Rowland Woodworking
• Volpe Millwork

Companies providing services, equipment and products for the contest, included:

• Blum
• Boyce Highlands
• DeWalt Power Tools
• Flexible Materials
• Grizzly Industrial
• Irwin Industrial Tools
• Lamello/Colonial Saw
• Richelieu
• Rockler Woodworking
• Rugby Architectural Building Products
• SawStop
• SCM North America
• Shaper Tools
• Widgetco
• Woodwork Career Alliance

                 -- WCA sponsors are highlighted in bold.

In addition to their medals, the top finishers were presented prizes from industry partners, including: 

Grizzly -- 14” Stationary Bandsaw, awarded to each Gold medalist; 6-1/4”Track Saw Bundle awarded to each Silver medalist; and Quick-Release Hex Shank Drill Bit Set awarded to each Bronze medalist 

Sawstop – Compact Table Saw awarded to each Gold medalist 

SCM -- SCM Maker CNC router awarded to each Gold medalist’s school 

Shaper Tools – Shaper Origin Hand-held CNC Router awarded to each Gold medalist 

Students and their advisors also participated in a tour of SCM’s showroom. In addition, advisors learned more about the WCA’s skill standards and credentialing program, as well as its new partnership with the National Woods Board. The NWB plans to offer scalable curriculum that school woodworking programs of any size and anywhere can use to instruct students using industry best practices.