Conestoga news

April 29, 2022 1:29 PM

Woodworking skills highlighted at year-end student event

Graduating students in Conestoga’s Woodworking Technician program presented capstone projects on April 21 at a year-end showcase to determine Best in Manufactured Product. 

847906DA-B022-497B-9E99-B175372767EB.jpeg
Woodworking Technician student Nicholas Taylor was awarded top honour for Best in Manufactured Product with a media console crafted from a mixture of solid and veneered walnut components.

Open to the Conestoga community, the event was hosted at the college’s Woodworking Centre of Ontario at the Kitchener-Doon campus. Faculty judged projects based on product design and development, craftsmanship, and product presentation.

Nicholas Taylor was awarded top honour for a media console crafted from a mixture of solid and veneered walnut components. The piece was completed with roughly 100 hours of shop time over a four-month period.

“Ever since I started woodworking in high school, I wanted to make a lifetime piece of furniture,” said Taylor. “The media console gave me a lot of freedom in designing. The most challenging part of the project was assembling everything and having all the moving components work correctly.”

With his top honour, Taylor received a monetary prize of $300. Second place and a prize of $250 went to Trevor Fanning for a side table, and Songwoo Hong placed third with a whale toy chest, receiving $200. The awards were sponsored by long-time industry partner FS Tool.

“It was very satisfying having my project recognized with a first-place win,” Taylor continued. “It showed me that I can create a high-quality piece of furniture and that my skills in the trade have improved during my time at Conestoga.”

Students in Conestoga’s Woodworking Technician two-year diploma program receive a solid foundation in the skills and technology involved in manufacturing furniture, cabinets and architectural millwork and training in modern manufacturing techniques.

At approximately 52,000 square feet, Conestoga’s Woodworking Centre of Ontario is the largest facility of its kind in North America and ranks among the world’s top woodworking training centres. Students have access to custom woodworking and production training as well as the latest in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and computer drafting technology.