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Earlier this summer, I made a series of posts on this blog about how veneer is made. The photos in those posts came from a trip I made in June to the Veneer Tech plant in North Carolina to serve as a judge in the 2010 Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge. This morning the winners were announced at IWF in Atlanta.
The Grand Prize winner, which was also the winner of the Cabinetry category was Scott Grove of Green Grove Design from Rochester, NY. One of the unique elements of this contest is that in addition to the prize money awarded to the craftsman, the veneer supplier and sales rep also receive a cash award. In this case, Certainly Wood and and Greg Engle of East Aurora, NY are also winners for supplying the veneer.
The size and scope of this project set it apart, but it was the attention to detail, and quality of the details, such as the mother of pearl pattern at the center of the cabinet that convinced us that this was the best entry. In the Architectural Woodworking Category, Albert Grant, of Melrose, CT won for a his “Bird’s Eye Maple Residential Library”.
In the Furniture Category, Abdolhay Parnian of Scottsdale, AZ won for his “Sunset Bed”. 
Parnian also took the top prize in the Store Fixture category for his “Parnian Reception Desk”.
Veneering is an art, and the winner of the Specialty Items category was a portrait of a girl’s face rendered in veneers, “Grace” by Rob Milam of VeneerImages from Atlanta, GA. This piece also won an award for Special Artistic Merit from the judges.
There was a category for Student Design, and the winner was Christy Oates of San Deigo State University for her “Wallpaper Chair”. The chair folds up, and when folded becomes a part of the piece hanging on the wall in the background. You can see the folded version in the gallery on her website, and there are videos of this and other pieces on her YouTube channel.
Congratulations to all of the winners and honorable mentions, and my thanks to the good people at Veneer Tech for inviting me to be a part of this. You can view all of this years entries, as well as those from previous years at the Veneer Tech website.
The October issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine features the first part of an in-depth look at veneer by Marc Adams. You can purchase the issue, or subscribe to the magazine online in our store.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
