WWPA gradestamp assures lumber quality

strategically throughout the Western woods producing region.

WWPA's system requires that each mill be checked at least once each month by a WWPA inspector, a practice maintained even during the "lumber depression" of the past three years.

In a typical mill check, the inspector takes random samples of work of the mill's graders.This means looking at enough stock from inventory, in various grades and items, to indicate the mill's graders are holding to grade tolerances.

"Bear in mind," Spannaus notes, "we're working with human beings and human judgment. Every retailer realizes the extent of variations that can occur in wood, and can appreciate the fine expertise graders must develop. But where a WWPA inspector detects a grader's line has begun to waiver, he immediately ceases being a monitor and becomes a teacher-working with that grader until things are right again."

The inspection disciplines go still another layer deeper- for special inspectors employed by the American Lumber Standards Committee make periodic rounds of mills and shipment destinations to make certain inspection agencies such as WWPA are doing their job. And associations like WWPA payALSC to providethis extra oversight. "It is one more backup to assure the integrity of the system, " Spannaus says.

But with 12 billion board feet being produced across a third of the conti-

Story at a Glance

WWPA oversees quality con. trol for Western lumber... writes rules...checks mills provides for reinspection.

nent, how does WWPA assure uniformity in grades of all that lumber? In several ways, according to chief Inspector Spannaus:

(1) Periodically, all WWPA inspectors gather for an intensive course. Concentrating on the "gray areas" where adjacent gradelines come together. "Just about anyone can learn tograde the middle part of a given grade in a hurry," Spannaus reports. "Inspectors must be readily able to determine where one grade stops and the next beginsand do so correctly every time. And, as a team, to do so the same whether they are working mills in New Mexico, Mon-tana, Washington or California. Or on a reinspection in Kansas City or New England. So it takes collective fine-tuning by the entire inspection team-everyone has to be on the identical wave length."

(2) Spannaus, Deputy Chief Bill J. Hill and two regionally located assistant chiefs spend considerable timein company of inspectors traveling mills on their regular schedules. "We check the checkers, so to speak," Spannaus says.

(3) The at-the-mill grader coaching sessions, which are conducted by inspectors when circumstances dictate and may occur during regular inspections, are supplemented annually with WWPA "Group Grade Meetings." Each year, some 30-40 such gatherings are conducted. At each, graders from surrounding mills come to one "host mill" for the educational program conducted by WWPA senior inspectors and highlighted by agrading competition participated in by as many as 75 or 100 persons. Winners in each meeting are awarded a special "championship" belt buckle, and their photographs

(Please turn to page 45)

Housing to Stay Alive, Well

Housing riill hold its own until the 1'ear 2000 despite a I'eu' tremors lrom the babl' bust in the last fcu lears of the 20th century.

Data Resources, Inc. forecasts that hclusing starts will average 1.73 million in 1983-85; 1.66 million in 1986-90; 1.54 million, 1990-95, and l.'13 million, 1996-2000.

Rcl.rcrrting in Lurrtber and Panel I'lurkets T'ltrouglt 2000, the anarlysts predict that thc go\ ernment rvon't crush thc current recover]', hrrt r,lill \l()\\ it (l()\\lr hr nrairrtaining l'airll high interest rates to neutralizc thc stirnulative ef'lect of' the 1'ecleral deficit. Nluch o1'the 1980's strong housing demand rvill be pushed into thc carly l990s by tl.ris action. In tlris period thc adult popr,rlation gro\\'th (30-4,1) u'ill sr asnare hecarrrc ol'tlrc blbv btr:t riith an actual loss resulting in the period 1995-1999.

Nearer to the present, they predict thc huJget deficit imparre lroldirrg until after the 1984 elections rvith mortgage rates averaging 12.50/o in 1984 -89 and llVo from 1990-2000.

TIrr:r Iorcrcc product prices nol reachirrg levels necessary to make present western timber contracts viablc bcforc 1989-90. Lumber consunrpli(rn per housing start riill de.lirre rr itlr .nluller trnit. being built, but grouth in non-re sidential rernodeling and repair shoLrld compensalc for this, DRI savs. Thel also predict the end of grorith for sheathing plr*oocl riith *aferboard, oriented strandboard and olher rceon.t itrrlcd parrcl. tukirrg market share.

Erports of sofnvood lumbcr fron'r North America are erpccted to reach 4.76 bbf in 1985; avcrage 4.8 bbf annualll' bet'nveen 1986-90, arrd 5.2 bbi, l99r-2000.

SPECIALIZED TREATMENTS NOW AVAILABLE o Wolmanized Lumber r Heavy Oil Penta r Waterborne Penta

. AWPB.FDN Stamped for Quality Control

PRODUCTS AVAILABLE r Cedartone@

. Landscape Timbers o Railroad Ties

. Poles

. Posts r Dricon Fire'Retardant Treated Wood

. All Weather Wood Foundations-

For information on quick service call the treating experts!

Longtime Lumber

Firms Cited

Ilurrrett & Sons Lumber Co., Sacramcnto, Ca., founded in 1871, artd (-avanatrglt Lumher. lorrnded in Petalurna, C a., in I 869, lr ere among thc11carll (-alifornia businesses honored during Historic Busincss Dar at the California State Fair b1 the C'alifornia Historical Societl.

Membership Home Center Opens

Home Club. a new warehouse/home center chain with a unique approach has opened two California outlets, one in Norwalk and one in Fountain Valley.

Robert J. McNulty, home center veteran, is co-founder and president of this new operation which combines warehouse pricing, large customer-service staff and membership program in a totally computerized inventory format.

Billing it as "America's do-ityourself warehouse," McNulty describes his operation by saying "we are a wholesale, cash-and-carry home improvement center, and a membership operation. Nonmembers are welcome but pay 590 above the posted member price. That 590 is still far below any competitor in the marketplace."

Members will pay a maximum annual fee of $15. Groups and associa- tions will pay $10 per membership.

The company buys most of the products on a direct basis. They handle merchandise "full pallet," truckload quantities and are 10090 computer-managed. Each 100,000 square-foot warehouse stocks over 25,000 brand-name items and employs over 110 people with a three million dollar plus inventory.

McNulty and his partner, executive vice president/marketing George J. Handgis have more than 30 years experience in the do-ityourself home center field. Most recently McNulty was president of Neiman Reed Lumber City and Handgis was vice-president, merchandising/advertising for W.R. Grace Home Centers, western division. The Home Club was incorporated with four venture partners, New Enterprise Associates II L.P., First Interstate Capital, Inc., U.S. Venture Partners and Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette Capital Corp.