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Olga Niyibizi, a senior at East Kentwood, demonstrated her knowledge and skills on the machine for other students, which she wrote three different lines of code for her Camp Blodgett plaques.
Stiles Machinery donated a dovetailing machine to East Kentwood High school in Kentwood, Mich., which will be adopted into the school's wood shop curriculum over the next year to be used initially for constructing frames.
In 2010, the company donated a Heian router to introduce wood shop students to the concept of CAD/CAM and better prepare the next generation of woodworkers. Since then, the program has grown to nearly 50 students, who use the router to create their own projects from plaques to stools to skateboards.
Students Brandon Douglas and Olga Niyibizi show off their woodworking designs.
“The woodworking industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years,” said Stephan Waltman, vice president of marketing and communications at Stiles. “The industry is already experiencing a shortage of well-trained, knowledgeable CNC machine operators and software engineers. We all have a responsibility to strengthen the future of our industry and begin educating our young people earlier about the technology that will allow us to compete globally.”
For more information on the company's woodworking machinery, contact Stephan Waltman at at 616.698.7500 or swaltman@stilesmachinery.com, or go to www.stilesmachinery.com.