What We Can Do
CAWP is well positioned to assist manufacturers with industrial wood finishing skills education. Finishing and surface protection have became major areas of research and development within our organisation, and we are fortunate to be able to draw from both in-house expertise and established external networks to provide customised training ranging from basic practical skills courses to high-level technical and managerial seminars. Training programs to date have covered a wide range of issues, including but not limited to those listed below.
- wood finishing automation
- wood finishing cost reduction strategies
- environmental compliance
- drying methods for wood finishes
- flat line wood finishing technology
- new and alternative wood finishing technologies
- wood finishing solutions for small shops
- creating speciality wood finishing effects
- wood finishing stains and lacquers
- surface preparation for wood finishing
- wood finishing spray systems
- finish testing procedures
- water based wood finishing and other specialty materials
CAWP personnel have worked with companies of all sizes, ranging from small enterprises such as Old Country Wood Turning (described below) to large manufacturers such as Dynamic Windows & Doors and Winnipeg giant Palliser Furniture. For more information on how CAWP might assist your organisation, please contact Iain Macdonald.
Wood Finishing In-Plant Training – A Case Study
Old Country Wood Turning is a small but rapidly-growing Victoria, BC producer of accessories for wood mouldings. The company had been shipping products with just a primer finish layer, but were moving toward offering a full finishing service to their clients, including several large US wholesalers.
Owner Dave Conway contacted CAWP in December 2001, requesting an in-house course that would provide his employees with an overview of all the key aspects of finishing, while including as much hands-on practice as possible. After receiving an inventory list of Old Country’s existing equipment and discussing training goals in more detail, CAWP created a customised course outline in consultation with Conway and his colleagues.
The following February, instructor Robert Fuerst spent two days at Old Country’s plant working with eight of the company’s staff.
The first morning of training was spent covering topics such as surface preparation, sanding and abrasives, and discussing the finishing process flow. The PM session outlined stains, bleaching; and application methods, colour matching, drying and mixing. Oils and waxes were also covered, with hands on practice in application of all of these materials.
During day two Robert switched the focus to glazing, nitrocellulose lacquers, polyurethanes and pre-catalyzed lacquers. He described the correct ways to apply these coatings and explained how to correctly use and maintain the spray guns, pressure pots and other relevant finishing equipment. His final classroom session described various drying systems and the benefits and limitations of each.
Robert also involved a local finishing materials distributor in parts of the sessions to provide an additional perspective. The course culminated in hands-on practical sessions covering application, curing and finish testing.
Having been through the in-plant training, Old Country Woodturning are now realising better material utilisation, reduced waste, and have greater in-house knowledge about the whole finishing process. Owner Dave Conway is considering bringing Robert back for further training as his company continues to expand.