The International Woodworking Fair closed Friday at the Georgia World Congress Center after four days under the theme “Power Up Your Business.” The biennial show remains North America’s largest woodworking event, drawing a global mix of cabinet, furniture, millwork and closet manufacturers along with machinery and materials suppliers. Pre-show projections pointed to numbers similar to 2024, when roughly 26,500 people and more than 1,000 exhibitors filled more than a million square feet.

The floor felt a bit livelier than two years ago. Many North American hardwood suppliers exhibited including Cascade. One exhibit that stood out was Banks’ “guess the species” unit booth with each unit perfectly ripped, surfaced, end-pained and logo ’ed. For us this was great to see as we are now inventorying Alder at Banks’ main location, offering their customers the option to fill loads with Alder or Cascade customers to source mixed loads.

As expected, TFL from suppliers around the world was prominent, and again TLF exhibitors stepped up their game. A new Mass Timber and Prefabricated Construction Products Showcase in Building A added another layer, highlighting CLT and glulam technologies.

Cabinet assembly drew extra attention. Door and drawer box manufacturers were out in force, selling quality, consistency and speed to finish for custom shops. The value proposition was getting more units out the door even when finding enough people remains hard. Stained wood is coming back into style, which is good news for Alder. Kitchen convenience was another clear theme, underscoring how central the kitchen still is to home design.

Machinery makers kept pushing CNC panel production for flat-panel TFL doors and faux 5-piece shaker looks. That matches the labor reality many shops face.

Cascade introduced to a solid reception our Alder Core panel offering at the show. Available in mid-October, the panels start in Prime/Superior (A/B) book-matched and Premium/Rustic (STK/D) plank-matched versions in 3/4″, 5/8″ and 1/2″. The 3/4″ includes a 1mm HDF layer between face and platform. Cores are solid finger-jointed Alder edge-glued from 1-1/2″ staves for stability and lighter weight. Veneers come from Cascade Hardwood, so the look stays consistent with our lumber. Feedback was strong. Customers liked having a new Alder panel option. Initial sizes are 4’x8’, with work underway on 4’x10’ and 4’x12’ volume. Small 8”x8” samples are ready through your Cascade salesperson. The show confirmed that shops want reliable material that helps them finish faster and look good. We are ready to help with lumber, rips and in the very near future sheet goods.