DURHAM, NC — Durham, NC-based ShopBot Tools is proud to announce that Randy Johnson, the long-time Editor-in-Chief of American Woodworker magazine, has joined the team at ShopBot as Director of Education. ShopBot Tools designs and builds digital fabrication tools (also known as CNC or computer-numerically-controlled tools) used in the manufacturing of everything from furniture, to parts used in housing, aerospace, transportation and countless other applications.

Johnson was the first among woodworking magazine editors to explore the broad capabilities of CNC technology and has written a series of in depth technique articles on the subject. Many of his past articles can be viewed at www.americanwoodworker.com/cnc. Ted Hall, founder and CEO of ShopBot Tools, said, "We're so excited that Randy has chosen to join us. He's highly respected by fellow woodworkers. He has been a champion of CNC from the beginning, and an inspiration to businesses and schools working to integrate CNC technology into their shops and classrooms."

Chief among Johnson's duties will be to provide practical advice and information to the communities of ShopBot's 100kGarages.com and ShopBot's soon-to-launch 100kSchools.org. 100kGarages.com is an online community where people with ideas for custom products connect with 'Fabbers' (digital fabricators) with ShopBot and other digital tools that can make these projects. 100kSchools.org will serve a similar function; connecting teachers with resources such as free projects and curricula, as well as mentorship connections to other educators who can help them succeed in bringing digital fab into their STEM, art and entrepreneurial settings.

Before his 12-year stint at American Woodworker, Johnson owned a custom furniture business and also worked as an Industrial Arts teacher. Johnson said, "This is a terrific opportunity to bring together my interests in technology, education and business and give something back. It’s important that industry help teachers adapt to new technologies. Teachers are a dedicated group, but also very busy. Through 100kSchools.org my goal is to help teachers integrate digital technology into their curriculum and to shorten the learning curve. In a similar way, 100kGarages.com will serve small businesses looking for ways to compete in the digital manufacturing economy that’s emerging in the U.S. For both teachers and entrepreneurs the new digital technologies provide an amazing opportunity to link high tech efficiency and precision with human creativity.”

About ShopBot Tools Inc.
Founded in 1996, ShopBot's unique mission is to make the empowering technology of digital fabrication widely accessible and usable. ShopBot's subtractive digital fabrication tools, working across a range of sizes, deliver the power, precision and reliability of digital tools traditionally costing thousands of dollars more.

With almost 7000 tools at work around the world, ShopBot Tools, Inc., is one of the largest producers of digital fabrication equipment for small-to-midsized manufacturing, DIY, and education markets. All ShopBots are designed and built in ShopBot's Durham headquarters.

ShopBot supports the growing DIY/maker movement with 100kGarages.com, a free resource that enables people with ideas for custom products to connect with others using digital fabrication tools to prototype and make them.

In 2008, ShopBot was named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in America and was recently named one of the top-25 North Carolina companies to watch by the Council for Entrepreneurial Development.

Source: ShopBot