IWF 2012: Finding Paneling
How is Your Wood Business Impacted by Referrals?

At my company, we have built many torsion boxes for dining tables, TV stands, and floating shelves. We construct these using 1/2″ MDF skins and 1″ thick euro-ply grid work. The process can be time consuming and I have always wanted an option for pre-made honeycomb panels.

J Alexander Fine Woodworking Jared Patchin  

Jared Patchin's
IWF 2012

>>Discovering Metallic Veneer

>>An Edgebander Buy

>>My First Woodworking Fair

>>IWF Planers, Jointers, Spiral Cutter

>>Staple and Nail Guns, Tool Organizers

Thankfully, I ran across the PanoLite products. The honeycomb panels manufactured by PanoLite use particle board skins and a cardboard cellular grid sandwiched and glued together. They are lightweight, stiff, and strong. Their panels will not work every time I need a torsion box, but they are another resource I can turn to when the time is right.

There are a few things I will do differently next time I attend either IWF or AWFS. I will focus much more on networking at the various gatherings that take place in the evenings, rather than just calling it a day when the show closes. With so many industry professionals in one place, it is a waste not to meet and share stories with other people who are going through the exact same thing you are.

I also will try and attend a few of the dozens of classes that are offered. I was eyeing three classes in particular - a shop automation class, a lean manufacturing class, and a regional sales and marketing class - but did not attend them because I got so distracted while out on the showroom floors.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at IWF 2012 and visiting the hundreds of vendors was far more beneficial than I had imagined it being. I discovered so much about new tools and products, and was introduced to new ways of approaching many aspects of my business that could only have happened at an event like IWF.

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