March 5, 2020

Total # of Attendees: 26

Notes:

  1. Meeting held at the Collingswood Architectural Millwork Company, located at 715 Taylor Avenue, Collingswood, NJ.

  2. Meeting started at 7:20 PM.

  3. Bob started off introducing the business

    1. Busy site, doing 2-3 deliveries a day

    2. About 18 people working for the company. Folks on the floor have 20 years experience

    3. Work is a wide range of product (from plastic laminate cabinets to custom foreign wood products, countertops and cabinetry)

    4. Can control a lot of work from the office (CNC machines, cutters, etc.) Plans the work upstairs, sends work down, people execute

    5. Uses no wood filler and instead insists on shop setups that ensure that the joints are that tight.

    6. Does complicated veneer work and panel work (book match, sequence match, etc.)

    7. Work in multiple media (e.g., Stair work and integrating with stainless steel)

    8. Did all the floors on the new Camden 1828 Triad building (the guild secretary, Kevin Drevik’s company building). Three different customers, each with different color schemes, designs, etc.

  4. Meg talked about concerns of estimating

    1. Multiple changes as project goes on

    2. Architects using exotic materials which have to be sourced & priced

    3. Work on getting similar product sourced locally (ex. Special Australian wood, found something similar in central NJ)

  5. Bob took group through shop and showed various pieces of equipment. Everything was on a massive, industrial scale, especially compared to hobbyist woodworkers’ shops and setup

    1. Strong emphasis on accuracy of cuts. Standard for company is 1/32” or less

    2. Italian crosscut saws – able to cut within ½ millimeter

    3. CNC machines

    4. Sheet cutter, which maximizes usage of sheet goods. Bob can send down cutting plan to machine, and machine can do 3-5 sheets at a time. Very accurate 5” blade, no splintering

    5. Edge bander – can do everything (PVC, wood, etc.). Glues up, cuts, rounds over.

    6. Wide range of other machines, finishing equipment, etc.

  6. Tour finished with Q&A, then pastries and coffee upstairs

  7. Woodworking show in Secaucus, NJ this weekend, Fri- Sun

  8. Bob (new attendee)

    1. Worked with wood for last 6-7 years

    2. Used to do construction

    3. Built kitchen cabinets a couple of years ago, now working on bathroom vanity

  9. Next Meeting will be on Thursday, April 2nd, at 7:20 PM at our normal location in Cherry Hill
    Note: Because of Covid-19 lockdowns and the need to practise social distancing, the meeting ended up not taking place.

  10. The meeting concluded at 8:55 PM.