Thursday, August 22, 2013
Woodcraft’s AWFS Fair participation this year included support for two student competitions – SkillsUSA and Fresh Wood. Woodcraft provided tools for the SkillsUSA event and a financial contribution for Fresh Wood.
“Woodcraft congratulates the SkillsUSA and Fresh Wood winners – and their competitors – as passionate young woodworkers who will keep their craft alive while continuing to develop their skills,” Jody Garrett, Woodcraft president, said. “Providing competitions to measure their skills and gain public attention for woodworking is important and worth supporting in whatever way possible.”
SkillsUSA is a national organization that supports and promotes skilled trades and is the qualifying organization for the WorldSkills International competition. WorldSkills is an international career technical education training organization. Students from around the world compete for gold medals and recognition in their field of training. During AWFS, Jacob Wozniak, a graduate of Cattaraugus-Allegheny BOCES in Ellicottville, New York, won the qualifying trial and will represent the USA at the 2015 WorldSkills International competition in São Paulo, Brazil.
Wozniak and two other students displayed their cabinet construction and woodworking skills in a three-day (21-hour) competition that required building an advanced cabinet with hand-cut dovetails, veneer, domino and biscuit joinery, edgebanding, hardware and more. As winner, Wosniak received a Kreg Router with table, a Festool Power Miter Box and other Festool items, and his school received a General International Mortiser.
Woodcraft, one of 15 exhibiting sponsors, donated a little over $5,000 in tools, as well as paying shipping costs.
In another AWFS event, Mollie Ferguson of Oakland, California, a College of the Redwoods student, and Kristoffer Edlund of Sandy, Utah, a Brighton High School student, led the list of 2013 Fresh Wood Student Competition winners. Ferguson won Best of Show and first place in the post secondary chair category for her chair, “dulcius ex asperis”, and Edlund won the People’s Choice Award and second place in the high school tables category for his wood and glass table, “Wrapped Walnut.”
Tags: SkillsUSA
