From Saw Sharpening to Industry Leading Woodworking Supplier

The history of Canadian Woodworker goes back to 1967 when Mel Moore purchased a saw sharpening service called Borton’s Saw Shop. Prior to purchasing the business Mel had worked for both the T.S. Taylor Machinery Company selling woodworking machinery and then Norton Abrasives for almost 20 years. When an opportunity to own his own business arrived Mel borrowed $5000.00 each from his wife and best friend, and along with assistance from the original owner Fred Borton, the new Borton’s Sales and Saw Service 1967 Ltd was born. Mel with great success operated it for the next 31 years, eventually selling off the sharpening division and expanding his sales of industrial tools and machinery.

In 1988 Mel decided to purchase a competitor in Winnipeg called ‘Canadian Woodworker’. The company specialized in hobby woodworking machinery, which Mel thought would fit well with his industrial based sales business. In 1998 Mel retired and sold both businesses to his children, Cole Moore and Erin Thompson, who then amalgamated both companies to operate under the Canadian Woodworker Ltd banner.

Cole and Erin have both spent their entire careers working for the family business. Under their direction Canadian Woodworker has continued to expand, opening stores in Calgary (2005), Edmonton (2009), Saskatoon (2009) and Surrey (2010). In 2016 the Surrey store relocated to Coquitlam and is now their largest showroom and warehouse at 12,400 sq. ft. The store is run by Cole’s son Remi – the third generation of Moore’s in the business. The Saskatoon store has since been closed and is moving to the new location in Vaughan.

New Brand of Woodworking Machinery
On a business trip in 2013 Moore met a manufacturer who built high quality dust collection equipment who were willing to build custom machinery to Moore’s specifications. At this time Moore’s company had such a large and loyal customer base that it could justify purchasing container loads of machinery to service their clientele. The following year, in a fortuitous decision, Cole and Erin established CWI Woodworking Technologies and placed their first order for a container of DustFX dust collection equipment. Since then Moore has developed a number of new brands of specifically built machinery under the CWI banner from factories in Italy, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, China, Latvia, Viet Nam, Spain and more.

Looking Eastward
One of the biggest reasons for expanding into the Ontario market has been the steadily increasing demand for CWI machinery across Canada. With the establishment of the new store in Vaughan, customers throughout Eastern Canada will have access to a central dealer for personalized service, quicker delivery, and on-time service and repair.
The range and uniqueness of the tools and machinery offered by Canadian Woodworker is vast and Moore hopes the woodworkers of Ontario will see value to their expertise in a very competitive market.

It’s All About Quality and Value
After 40 years of working in the woodworking supply sector, Moore knows that quality and value are the most important consideration for woodworkers and their choice of tools. It is this experience which dictates the choice of manufacturers and the features and performance put into each machine of the CWI lineup. Moore thinks this basic concept will bring continued success in making the company very attractive to woodworkers in Canada.

Recognizing that the needs of woodworkers will vary depending on the type of work they do or the industry they are in is extremely important to Canadian Woodworker and CWI. This is why you’ll find such a large selection of equipment specifically designed to meet the needs of hobbyist woodworkers, educational institutions, and for the industrial sector. Moore says that their strongest areas are dust collection, CNC equipment, bandsaws, sanding equipment, and combination machines. Also popular are the Stinger carbide helical heads which are standard on the Scorpion jointers and planers and can also be mounted on 3rd party machinery. He also mentioned a really exciting new range of ShapeFX router tables and table saws with built in router tables which are now in production.

Open for Business
Canadian Woodworker is committed to the future of woodworking in Canada and are looking forward to entering the woodworking industries of Ontario. They hope to have many more years providing clients with fast, reliable, informed service and believe their range of tools are new, exciting and different. Canadian Woodworker will have a soft opening in early July 2018 and are targeting dates in September for a Grand Opening celebration. Moore hopes that everyone will come out to meet him and his family and see what they are so proud of.

Based on their five decades of woodworking machinery experience CWI has developed specific brands for each category of professional woodworking machinery, products and accessories. Each brand is focused on providing unmatched features, performance, and value to exceed their customers’ expectations. By focusing on these brands independently, CWI is able to ensure that the factories in Europe and Asia produce equipment consistently to the specifications and quality expectations which CWI demands.