Held April 25-26, the Great Lakes Log Crafters Association (GLLCA) Annual Meeting and Conference hosted members at the historic Gateway Lodge in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin. John Schroeder, IMTA board member, attended the conference and gave us a rundown on what he heard and saw at the conference.
Topics Covered at the 2025 GLLCA Meeting & Conference
GLLCA members Dan and Mary Wait of Frontier Builders, Inc., assembled an outstanding list of speakers.
- Epitome talked about composite foundations
- Wood treating was covered by Boodge
- H Windows educated us on the building codes, and insurance issues affecting the construction and manufacturing sectors.
Robots “Handcrafting” Log & Timber Homes?
One of the presentations that made an impression was Robotic Solutions, Inc. and ABB’s Robot Demonstration: Design to Log Panels.
Of course, there were varying opinions on the use of robotics in handcrafted log building, but the presentations overall were informative, innovative, and interesting to all.
Looking Ahead to 2026
While the robotic portion of the conference was held at the Frontier Builders, Inc. yard, most of the speakers and conference events took place at the historic Gateway Lodge, a nostalgic timber structure dating back to the 1930s.
The annual conference typically rotates between locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan each year. But the consensus was to return to the Gateway Lodge for the 2026 conference.
Ideas floating around are to host an educational fundraising build event to explore how to blend robotics and handcrafted techniques when it comes to crafting log homes and timber structures.
Find more information at www.gllca.org
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