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A Hatton-Brown Publication

Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone: 334.834.1170 FAX: 334.834.4525

Volume 45 • Number 10 • December 2020 Founded in 1976 • Our 469th Consecutive Issue

Publisher: David H. Ramsey Chief Operating Officer: Dianne C. Sullivan Editor-in-Chief: Rich Donnell Senior Editor: Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor: David Abbott Senior Associate Editor: Jessica Johnson Associate Editor: Patrick Dunning Publisher/Editor Emeritus: David (DK) Knight Art Director/Prod. Manager: Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coordinator: Patti Campbell Circulation Director: Rhonda Thomas Online Content/Marketing: Jacqlyn Kirkland Classified Advertising: Bridget DeVane • 334.699.7837 800.669.5613 • bdevane7@hotmail.com Advertising Sales Representatives: Southern USA Randy Reagor P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 904.393.7968 • FAX: 334.834.4525 E-mail: reagor@bellsouth.net

Renew or subscribe on the web: www.timberprocessing.com

NEWSFEED

Third Quarter Goes Down In History

SAW SHOP CENTRAL

DREAM COME TRUE

CUTTING TOOLS

MACHINERY ROW

EDITORIAL INDEX

Rex Likes Running In Circles

Vaagen Timbers’ New CLT Facility

Latest Technologies In Saw Filing

Minda Forms North America Business What We Covered In 2020

PRODUCT SCANNER 10

Cameras, Dust Collectors, Scales

COVER: Rex Lumber’s circle saw shop in Dothan, Ala. keeps its SYP sawmils producing at a high pace. Story begins on PAGE 12. (Dan Shell photo)

Midwest USA, Eastern Canada John Simmons 32 Foster Cres. Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 1W1 905.666.0258 • FAX: 905.666.0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.timberprocessing.com Member Verified Audit Circulation

Western USA, Western Canada Tim Shaddick 4056 West 10th Avenue Vancouver BC Canada V6L 1Z1 604.910.1826 • FAX: 604.264.1367 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca Kevin Cook 604.619.1777 E-mail: lordkevincook@gmail.com

International Murray Brett 58 Aldea de las Cuevas, Buzon 60 03759 Benidoleig (Alicante), Spain Tel: +34 96 640 4165 • + 34 96 640 4048 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net

Timber Processing (ISSN 0885-906X, USPS 395-850) is published 10 times annually (January/February and July/August issues are combined) by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscription Information—TP is free to qualified owners, operators, managers, purchasing agents, supervisors, foremen and other key personnel at sawmills, pallet plants, chip mills, treating plants, specialty plants, lumber finishing operations, corporate industrial woodlands officials and machinery manufacturers and distributors in the U.S. All non-qualified U.S. Subscriptions are $55 annually: $65 in Canada; $95 (Airmail) in all other countries (U.S. Funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE: 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.timberprocessing.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Processing magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorse nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Processing. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to reject any advertisement which it deems inappropriate. Copyright ® 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in U.S.A.

Postmaster: Please send address changes to Timber Processing, P.O. Box 2419, Montgomery, Alabama 36102-2419 Other Hatton-Brown publications: Timber Harvesting • Southern Loggin’ Times Wood Bioenergy • Panel World • Power Equipment Trade

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THEISSUES

Rich Donnell Editor-in-Chief

SOMEBODY FIX MY REARVIEW MIRROR

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he year began with this magazine’s announcement of Georgia-Pacific Lumber President Fritz Mason as the annual Person of the Year. We had grand plans to present the award to Mason at the Timber Processing & Energy Expo in Portland, Ore. in late September. It’s old news that the show was canceled due to the virus, and instead we mailed Mason a Person of the Year package that contained the award plaque and a cookie with his likeness on it. Many best laid plans went astray in 2020, most noticeably in the event industry. But other than a couple of months when the nation went into lockdown in late spring, the forest products industry, once it was deemed to be “essential” in the grand scheme of things, picked up the pace and didn’t slow down through the remainder of the year. The catapult was six consecutive months (and counting) of increased housing starts, which ultimately topped 1.5 million in October. With so much virus talk, there’s a tendency to forget some of the business that was had in our industry. A glance back through our magazines in 2020 jogged our memory. —Resolute Forest Products acquired three sawmills in the U.S. South (Cross City, Fla., Glenwood and El Dorado, Ark.) from Conifex Timber. —Salvage effort following the October 2018 landfall of Hurricane Michael along the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia petered out, with officials citing a 1016% wood salvage. —Weyerhaeuser sold 630,000 acres of timberland in Montana to a private firm. —Forest products companies stepped up big time to implement safety policies at their mills to address the virus, while courageously maintaining operations and employment. —The sawmill industry’s most acclaimed author, Kevin Hancock, CEO of Hancock Lumber in Maine, wrote and had published his second book, “The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership.” —U.S. housing starts, after soaring at the beginning of the year, sank under the weight of the virus, dipping below 1 million in April. —Scanning technology company Microtec purchased Lucidyne Technologies. —Canfor purchased three sawmills in Sweden from Bergs Timber. —For $61 million, Austria-based Binderholz won the bid for the acquisition of the bankrupt and long-troubled Klausner Lumber One sawmill in Live Oak, Fla. —Sawmill machinery and technology companies adjusted quickly and efficiently to implement mill project startups via remote. —FiberPro was formed to build and supply wood yard and lumber handling equipment. —Wood products mills for the most part sidestepped major damage from Hurricane Laura in late August, but timberlands weren’t so fortunate. —Neiman Enterprises purchased the idle sawmill in Gilchrist, Ore. from Interfor. —Many forest products companies reported record earnings in the third quarter stemming from record high lumber prices. —Numbers started coming in, and the loss of timberland from the massive fires in the Western U.S. was staggering. —F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber formed an affiliate company to build a CLT plant near Columbia Falls, Mont. —Tolko Industries and Jasper Lumber announced a partnership at Jasper’s existTP ing sawmill operations in Jasper, Ala. Contact Rich Donnell, ph: 334-834-1170; fax 334-834-4525; e-mail:rich@hattonbrown.com TIMBER PROCESSING

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NEWSFEED THIRD QUARTER RAINED DOLLARS Who knows what the future will bring in the building products industry, but the third quarter of 2020 will go down as one for the record books. Several companies knocked it out of the park in terms of reported earnings. Most likely, many privately owned companies that didn’t have to reveal their earnings experienced a similar boost. Weyerhaeuser Co. reported third quarter net earnings of $283 million on net sales of $2.1 billion, compared with net earnings of $99 million on net sales of $1.7 billion for the same period last year. And that included aftertax charges of $103 million for special items, primarily a non-cash timber casualty loss associated with Oregon fire damage. Excluding special items, the company reported third quarter net earnings of $386 million, compared to net earnings before special items of $59 million for the same period last year and $77 million for the second quarter of 2020. Adjusted EPITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) for the third quarter was $745 million compared to $308 million for third quarter 2019 and $386 million for second quarter 2020. “In the third quarter each of our businesses delivered outstanding operational and financial results despite disruptions from severe weather, unprecedented forest fires and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” comments Devin Stockfish, president and CEO. “We achieved record Wood Products adjusted EBITDA, surpassing the previous high by nearly 60%.” The company noted that benchmark prices for lumber and oriented strandboard reached record levels in the 6

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third quarter, and average sales realizations for lumber and OSB improved 54% and 65%, respectively, compared to the second quarter. As to the remainder of the year, Weyerhaeuser stated it is increasingly confident that the recent strength in U.S. housing will continue notwithstanding ongoing “macroeconomic headwinds.”

CANFOR Canfor Corp. reported sales of $1.550 billion and net income of $218 million (Canadian dollars) compared to net income of $60.7 million in the second quarter and a loss of $88 million in third quarter 2019; operating income of $299.6 million compared to second quarter operating income of $96.9 million, reflecting a marked increase in lumber segment earnings. After adjusting for countervailing and antidumping duties of $50.7 million in the lumber segment, the company’s operating income was $347.3 million for the third quarter of 2020. Adjusted lumber segment earnings of $387.4 million, an all-time record, were up more than five-fold quarter-overquarter as a significant surge in demand outpaced available supply in the quarter following widespread industry curtailments earlier in the year in response to the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, North American benchmark lumber pricing jumped to unprecedented levels in the third quarter of 2020, resulting in record results for the company’s southern yellow pine and European spruce/pine/fir operations and a significant improvement in the results for the company’s Western SPF operations. Earnings were driven by the sharp rise in U.S. housing starts at 1,430,000 units, up 33%from the previous quarter, due to a significant uptick in both single and multi-fami-

ly housing starts, and to a lesser extent strength in the repair and remodeling sector driven by increased home center demand. Canadian housing starts followed similar trends with third quarter starts averaging 239,000 units, up 25% from the second quarter of 2020. The North American Random Lengths Western SPF 2x4 #2&Btr reached an alltime high of US $955 per MBF early in September before dropping in October as prices began to correct. The North American Random Lengths SYP East 2x4 #2 price rose for a record consecutive 24 weeks beginning in the second quarter and into the third quarter, reaching a high of US$1,025 per MBF at the end of September, and a record of US$1,035 early in October, before declining sharply. Commenting on the company’s third quarter results, Canfor President and CEO Don Kayne comments, “We are extremely impressed with the exceptional efforts and relentless execution of our teams to ensure a safe work environment during these unprecedented times. While we were very pleased with the significant increase in global lumber pricing and the performance of all our operations in the third quarter, we anticipate a moderation in prices through the fourth quarter. Although we forecast lumber demand to remain strong in 2021, we will continue to focus on strengthening our balance sheet to mitigate future potential volatility in global markets.”

INTERFOR Interfor recorded net earnings of $121.6 million compared to $3.2 million in the second quarter and a net loss of $35.6 million in third quarter 2019. Adjusted EBITDA was a record $221.7 million

on sales of $644.9 million versus $42.8 million on sales of $396.8 million in the second quarter. Interfor’s average lumber selling price increased $264 per MBF from the second quarter to $910 per MBF. The key benchmark prices rose significantly quarter-overquarter with the SYP Composite, Western SPF Composite and KD H-F Stud 2x4 9 ft. benchmarks increasing by US$320, US$361 and US$349 per MBF to US$748, US$711 and US$764 per MBF, respectively. The company’s production in the BC region increased to 193MMBF from 115MMBF in the preceding quarter. The U.S. South and U.S. Northwest regions accounted for 331MMBF and 118MMBF, respectively, compared to 230MMBF and 76MMBF in the second quarter. Interfor expects lumber demand to continue to grow over the mid-term as repair and renovation activities and U.S. housing starts benefit from favorable underlying economic fundamentals and trends, though uncertainty remains as to the duration and extent of the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.

WEST FRASER West Fraser Timber Co. reported third quarter sales of $1.690 billion, an increase of 32% over the second quarter, and adjusted EBITDA at $605 million compared to $184 million in the second quarter. The lumber segment operated near capacity during the quarter compared with the second quarter when temporary curtailments reduced SPF and SYP production by approximately 170MMBF. The company says that despite recent volatility, the longer-term outlook for growth in wood products consumption appears favorable as lumber and plywood facilities

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NEWSFEED are operating at as close to full capacity as possible to meet market demand. The benefits of modernization program at mills in the U.S. South are yielding results with improvements in capacity, grade and recovery. However, given the continuing and dynamic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company maintains it is challenging to predict the ongoing impact on the company’s business.

KLAUSNER-ENFIELD DEAL IS NEAR Mayr-Meinhof Holz, which lost out in September on the bid and acquisition of the bankrupt Klausner Lumber One sawmill in Live Oak, Fla. to Binderholz Group, was the preliminary round bid leader (Stalking Horse bidder) for

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the bankrupt Klausner Lumber Two sawmill in Enfield, NC with a bid of $30 million (U.S.). Other interested companies had until December 5 to participate in the bid process, with the final auction scheduled December 10. The greenfield Klausner sawmill at Enfield reportedly had produced some green lumber before it went under, unlike the Live Oak sawmill, which had reached green end and dry end production. Construction at Enfield began in 2015 and over the years several setbacks and delays plagued the operation. Klausner shut it down this past March. Austria-based Binderholz won the Klausner Lumber One sawmill at $61 million, with Mayr-Meinhof Holz the runnerup bidder. Also involved in the Live Oak sawmill bidding was Mercer International of Vancouver.

Mayr-Meinhof Holz is based in Leoben, Austria and operates multiple sawmill, wood processing and wood pellet production facilities in Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Russia.

NW HARDWOODS RECONFIGURES Northwest Hardwoods, Inc. reports it has entered into a restructuring support agreement (RSA) with holders of more than 95% in principal amount of the company’s secured notes and certain of its existing equity holders to execute a transaction that will reduce the company’s debt by $270 million and position NWH for future growth and success. The company states it will effectuate the transaction either through an out-of-court

debt-for-equity exchange or through a prepackaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization. The terms of the restructuring under each approach are substantially the same, and both approaches will ensure that the company’s operations continue without interruption, with employees, suppliers, vendors, contract counterparties and other trade creditors continuing to be paid in full in the ordinary course, the company states. In a Chapter 11 scenario, the company would fund the process with its existing cash collateral. “The RSA is the product of extensive, collaborative, good faith negotiations among NWH and its key stakeholders. The financial restructuring is specifically designed to ensure that NWH’s executive team can remain focused on go-forward operations, which will

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NEWSFEED continue in the ordinary course without interruption,” according to a company release. Specifically, this agreement accomplishes several key objectives: 1) reduce the company’s debt by $270 million 2) significantly reduce debt service obligations, thereby increasing cash flow available for re-investment in the business and 3) accomplish this without impacting employees, vendors or customers. NWH is the largest U.S. manufacturer of North American hardwood lumber with a current estimated annual hardwood lumber capacity of 320MMBF. Its North America operations include 20 facilities that produce more than 20 species of domestic hardwoods. NWH is owned by investment firm Littlejohn & Co., which purchased it in 2014 from American Industrial Partners.

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NW FIRE NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING Conflagrations across the West—many still burning as this report is compiled in late October—have incinerated millions of acres of timberland and forest products infrastructure, including more than 100 pieces of equipment destroyed or damaged in Oregon alone. Meanwhile, California had a record fire season of more than 7 million (and growing) acres burned, and in other states fires have diverted resources, caused evacuations and added to economic costs. Oregon has garnered many of the headlines for its hellish, wind-driven fires in early September that completely overwhelmed firefighting authorities and broke into wellpopulated areas east of Eu-

gene-Springfield and Salem and in southern Oregon. According to a mid-October Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) report, 2020 has seen 2,027 fires across all jurisdictions in OreOregon, California forests take heavy hit. gon and 1,221,324 acres burned. That and well-stocked forests in includes 912 fires on 551,000 the world were incinerated. acres of ODF-protected lands The Willamette and Mt. Hood so far this year, more than 10 national forests, the top two times the annual average of across the national forest sysstate land acres burned. Anoth- tem in terms of standing timer factor is that much more pri- ber volume, lost a combined vate land was affected than av- 700,000 acres; the Umpqua erage—more than 40%. Private NF lost 175,000 acres. timber supplies play a critical Many of those areas are in role in the region, where public old-growth with volumes of timber is plentiful but access is 150MBF/acre and above. almost always uncertain. Dubrasich estimates at least 50 Forester Mike Dubrasich of billion BF overall burned in a Lebanon, Ore. notes that week. To put that into perspecsome of the most impressive tive, annual harvests in ➤ 53

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CIRCLE SAW

CENTRAL By Dan Shell

Rex Lumber invests in facility that handles circle saws from three mills.

DOTHAN, Ala. ircle sawing performance and filing efficiency at Rex Lumber are benefiting from a central filing room system that services and works up round saws running at multiple machine centers from the company’s three sawmills in 12

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Graceville and Bristol, Fla., and Troy Ala. Situated in a former warehouse in a rail spur facility that the company is using to build rail shipments, the filing operation is part of the new Troy sawmill investment, with both mill and filing facility starting up in early 2019. The central filing facility handles roughly 180-200 circle saws daily, from all three mills. In addition to the almost 1,000 saws reworked weekly, the facility will also produce 75-100 new saws per week as well. “I can’t say enough about our guys and the quality work they do,” says Jeff Burgess, saw shop supervisor who’s been with Rex Lumber four years and was at the Graceville mill before moving to the central filing shop. Rex Lumber had bought the facility in

downtown Dothan about five years before building and starting up the Troy sawmill. With trucks making daily round trips from each mill to fill lumber orders, it was easy to add a pallet of saws when needed. The Troy sawmill doesn’t have a circle saw filing room; the filing rooms at Troy, Bristol and Graceville continue to service and work up band saws and do guide and knife work as well. At Dothan, in addition to Burgess there are Jeff Hudson, head filer, Hurley Perry and Josh Crosby. The three had zero sawmill experience initially. Hudson, a 30-year machinist, took to the job immediately. Hurley has a yearplus on the job and new hire Crosby is showing good aptitude. “They have a big role in keeping these mills running, and they do great work,” Burgess adds.

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Gerling Sawmaster tipping machine features auto feed and automatic saw shoulder annealing immediately after tip brazing.

PROCESS Every morning, the filing staffs at each mill take the previous day’s saws and put them on a specially designed pallet carrier with protective cardboard sleeves. The pallet is taken to shipping and it goes on the next truck to Dothan. In working with the three sawmills, it helps that the Bristol mill is on Eastern time while Dothan is on CST: “At Bristol, they start up at five a.m. our time, so by the time we are up and going the Bristol saws are just getting here,” Burgess says. “The Graceville saws get here around 10 and the Troy saws usually a little after.” When saws arrive at the Dothan shop, they are initially cleaned and visually inspected. “Most of the time we can just wipe them off by hand,” Burgess says, adding that trimmer saws with excessive pitch buildup go into an ultrasonic cleaner. Each mill’s saws stay together as a group to avoid confusion as they go through the rework process: After cleaning, saws are benched, re-tipped if needed, then re-sharpened. The Vollmer CHD 270 sharpening system with ND 270 robotic loading module features three grinding stations and seven saw loading carriages. “The Vollmer is measuring in thousandths of a millimeter and hundredths of degrees on angles,” Burgess says, adding that the machine has given plenty of flexibility to fine tune side clearances and angles. “You program in 21 thousandths of side clearance, and the Vollmer puts it

Incoming saw shipment arrives in specially designed protective pallet carrier.

there,” Burgess says. “You can change things like hook angles and rake angles with just a few screen touches.” The Gerling Sawmaster Automatic Brazing Machine handles tipping work, featuring an automatic tip sorting and feeding system. The Sawmaster feeds tips, and doses flux onto the tip via dosing valve before brazing the tip onto the saw body and immediately afterward an-

nealing the saw shoulder. Rex Lumber’s circle saws are primarily Peerless plates from Cox Saw, along with some BGR plates. Carbide tips are from TechMet. Grinding wheels are Eagle Super Abrasive, and Burgess cites the wheels’ durability and sustained quality, noting that one wheel on the #3 machine was still producing quality work after 250,000 passes on it. Most filing supplies TIMBER PROCESSING

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Benching is still done manually.

Vollmer system features three grinding stations, seven saw feed arbors.

and consumables are from Burton Saw; grinding oil comes from Vollmer. The shop processes a mountain of saws, and Burgess keeps a detailed daily report on saws in-out from each mill and machine center.

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As an example, a typical report from Graceville on a day in early November shows 39 gang saws, 28 DDM saws, four quad saws and one trim saw sent to the Dothan shop. Of the 72 saws, 62 were face and top resharpened and one had its

face re-sharpened. Seven saws were retipped and two were trashed. During that same week, Graceville shipped a total of 229 gang saws, 62 DDM saws, 19 quad saws and six trim saws to the Dothan shop for processing. ➤ 16

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to a central filing facility, and there’s a good bit of commonality among them. Production circle saw equipment includes: ● Graceville’s Comact DDM log line that features a quad circle saw box for laying off sideboards and a seven-saw vertical arbor gang section. Downstream are a Comact 21 saw gang and a LICO edger. ● The Bristol sawmill also runs a Comact DDM line— removed from the Graceville mill during a major 2015 there to install its upgraded DDM line. Graceville’s existing DDM line at the time was moved and installed at Bristol. The Bristol mill also runs a 22-saw Comact TBL gang Startup crew for the Rex Lumber Dothan filing facility includes, from left, Jeff Burgess, saw shop superviand Baxley edger. sor; Jeff Hudson, head filer; Hurley Perry and Josh Crosby. ● The new Troy sawmill runs a Comact TBL gang and Comact edger downstream of its quad Dothan filing facility, but managers want GOALS to develop standardization where possible band primary breakdown system. The Bristol and Graceville mills are Sawing performance and efficiency in pursuit of those objectives. currently running the same circle saw through investment in high-tech, high volFinding a level of standardization in on their gangs: 20 in., .110 plate with ume saw processing equipment to lower the three mills’ cumulative filing caoverall costs are the main drivers of the pacity has also been a big goal of going 44 teeth and identical kerfs. Graceville and Bristol also run the same 19.25 in., .110 plate, 50 tip saws in their respective DDM systems. The Troy mill also runs a 20 in., .110 plate but with an involute spline design instead of the standard tri-lobe eye. Standardizing basic saw plate configuration is one thing, but at the same time each mill is a little different, Burgess says. For example, though the Graceville and Bristol mills are running essentially the same Comact DDM machine and saws, the Bristol system performs better with more tension in the saws. The key to finding areas to standardize and improve and stay in coordination is communication. In addition to the detailed reports mentioned previously, Burgess also talks with each mill’s filing staff frequently and visits each mill at least once a month. “I talk with the guys in the shop and the filers, but I also visit with the supervisors and machine operators because they are on the front lines when it comes to seeing how things run,” Burgess says. “We talk to a lot of different people to get their feedback, then bring that back here and see what we might be able to implement.” Finding ways to implement new ideas is old hat to Rex Lumber, which Burgess credits for having the vision to go to a central filing facility and the commitment to invest in the initiative. 16

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“I can’t say enough about our guys and the quality work they do.” —Jeff Burgess, saw shop supervisor

Staging area, with saws ready for shipping back to their respective mills. Facility handles almost 1,000 saws weekly, and also works up around 100 new saws as well.

He also credits Tommy Roland, one of two legendary Roland brothers (Pete is the other.) who worked for Rex Lumber at the Graceville filing room since 1976, for helping with getting the new filing operation off the ground, laying it out, getting tables built and readying a facility to handle almost 1,000 saws a week. Burgess adds that much of the institutional knowledge and guidance for implementing the central shop came from the Roland brothers, and Tommy has been a central figure in his career. “The first day I was at the mill they put me with Mr. Tommy, and in the first 30 minutes I realized I needed to write down everything he said,” he remembers. “We’ve had great support from the company,” Burgess says, “and the company has the vision to grow it.” TP

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MAKING

THE LEAP By Jessica Johnson

Russ Vaagen comes from a sawmill family; now he has entered the mass timber business. 20

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COLVILLE, Wash. oming from a long line of sawmillers, and himself once firmly entrenched in the family lumber business, Russ Vaagen recalls when he first approached his dad, Duane, about making a move into mass timber production. It was a positive though not necessarily an all-in conversation, as Duane’s sights were set more on putting the company into a strong financial position for the next generation rather than taking a risky run into cross-laminated tim-

ber, an engineered lumber product in its infancy in North America. The Vaagens had become familiar with the product, largely because the Vaagen Bros. Lumber mill in Colville supplied a fair amount of lumber to the new SmartLam CLT facility in Montana. This is part of what piqued Russ’ interest, which grew into unbridled enthusiasm. “I was at the point in my career where things were at that I needed to do this,” Russ says. He felt that if he ever wanted to become a leader in mass timber, he

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Now those same people have mass timber divisions in their companies. “This thing is going to change dynamically in North America,” Vaagen says. “If you look at what is going on in Australia and Europe, it is like ten-fold what we are doing here. And we build with wood in North America. So when that clicks, it’s going to just explode.” Vaagen says mass timber construction is currently lagging significantly behind mass timber design, and he sees the day very soon when mass timber demand doubles North America production capacity. He points to a similar situation that happened in Europe, and the need for patience as capacity and demand trend toward a more even level. Vaagen Timbers is currently adapting by producing strictly to order. Lumber is purchased on a project specific basis. Vaagen calls on his decades as a sawmiller when making lumber purchas-

ing decisions while factoring wood waste in the CLT plant. This also allows Vaagen Timber’s budding “specialty products” division to take on more projects as well as the ability to take on smaller residential projects that previously would have been cost prohibitive. “We are able to be flexible in our time and our price, because now we’ve accumulated 120MBF and we need 60MBF for the shop and shed project we’re doing, and now we can price it the same way and get a nicer margin,” Vaagen cites as an example.

CHALLENGES The biggest benefit to being conservative in lumber purchasing, Vaagen says, is to help offset the incredibly expensive certification process. In Vaagen’s experience, in order to get full scale lab testing, approximately two to three truckloads of ma-

Kallesoe Combi-Press provides flexibility for Vaagen Timbers.

had to be on the forefront of bringing it to the North American market. Vaagen Timbers was born. First that would require touring CLT facilities around the world, given that mass timber has long been an established product in Europe and Asia and continues to grow. When Vaagen toured Europe it just clicked for him, especially after visiting a family-run sawmill company in Austria that reminded him of home. “They’ve been in operation for over 100 years, as a small, rural land management and sawmill company. About 10 years ago they added mass timber to what they do. What it did was allow them to really be competitive,” he explains. That competitive edge drew Vaagen in further. But the biggest factor for Vaagen was the realization that mass timber really will be the next step in construction and design trends—considering the eco-friendly nature of the process and product (versus steel and concrete) as well as the visceral reactions people get from being in a wood structure. When he first started out, Vaagen often heard developers and architects comment, “I just don’t know about it.”

CLT layers receive resin shower.

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terial are needed. “I figure if you got the full gambit of everything you needed to be certified for what’s out there right now to sell, it would cost about $1.5 million. That’s a big chunk just for permission to sell,” he adds of what is a big barrier to entering the CLT production industry that is oftentimes overlooked. Adding, “People just assume they can make it and it will work. We’ve seen multiple people that

have had to try multiple times to get their passing rating.” Dealing with grading agencies is another hurdle. Agencies that know and understand engineered wood products don’t always understand and know solid wood products—and oftentimes in Vaagen’s experience the grade for a solid piece of wood and an engineered product don’t line up at all. Vaagen Timbers, after working with another agency for a little while, now has their products graded by PFSTECO. Vaagen likes working with them because they utilize and welcome grades and data given to them by the Western Wood Products Assn. (WWPA). Having an agency that accepts and understands the grades of the raw material helps with the grade of the finished products, Vaagen says. Vaagen sees his operation as a precision fabricator, cutting panels for specific locations and sizes. Vaagen wants to be the mass timber partner from the very beginning for end users; acting more as preconstruction service so everything in the design is optimized for mass timber, instead of just plugging it in as a replacement. There have been four projects Vaagen Timbers has been involved in from the beginning and those, according to Vaagen, have been much smoother and successful because his team is able to add value to these projects based on their experience, instead of just bidding on being the material supplier for something that’s already halfway through the design/build process. The single most frustrating part for Vaagen has been the slowness of cash flow and profitability, though Vaagen knew going in he was probably overly optimistic, and when lumber pricing skyrocketed, reality set in. Vaagen Timbers operates a Ziegelmeyer fingerjoint line to produce long boards going into CLT and glulam production. Vaagen says at the lumber 22

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pricing zenith this summer, his operation took an estimated $150,000 hit per month. “Lining up production, employees, raw materials, learning this whole process, there’s a lot of stuff that’s being molded as we go,” Vaagen says. “Are we talking to architects or engineers? Are we pricing it properly? Are we buying enough lumber? Doing QC right? All these are critical things. We’ve been making very good strides and our goal is to be profitable by the end of the year (2020).” Part of that driver for Vaagen is knowing that 2021 has the opportunity to be a very big year, with numerous prospects and the growth going forward as being nearly exponential. Even accounting for the growing pains of startup, Vaagen believes investing in technology and the facility is the recipe for success.

PRODUCTION Vaagen Timbers has been producing certified product since July 2019, with probably 30 to 40 projects having been completed in some capacity in that timeframe, and with orders for very substantial projects coming up. Part of the production puzzle for Vaagen Timbers is to “nest” the panels correctly. That’s to say that each piece is made to exact specifications and therefore panels must be stacked in a specific order so that upon arrival to the site, the order is correct and the panels can simply just be placed in. This is what separates CLT from traditional dimensional manufacturing. Vaagen sees CLT as taking a step into construction and turning it more into assembly instead of taking all of these different parts and putting them together. Once a bid from Vaagen Timbers is selected and converted to a contract, the lumber needed to complete the project is ordered. Approximately 75% of intake lumber comes from Vaagen Bros., which equates to 2MMBF over the last year. (Vaagen Bros. sits immediately adjacent Vaagen Timbers.) The hope is that lumber once trucked to the facility does not have to be sorted, but sometimes that is not the case—mostly accounting for moisture or for any quality defects that are outside of the grade spec, which happens with all manufacturers. Vaagen targets a premium 2 or better or an MSR grade in the case of CLT, the majority being 2x6, though the facility can run 2x8 or 2x4. The longest length Vaagen brings in is 20 ft. but with the fingerjoint machine is able to produce products of up to 60 ft. lengths. Vaagen says it takes about five minutes for the glue to set up and dry at the

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fingerjointer, and in 10 minutes it is fully cured without the need for pressure or frequency. From the outfeed of the fingerjointer, product is molded, going from 1.5 in. to 1.375 in. to clean up glue lines, make everything square edge and create an active surface for the glue to bond. From the molder, product travels to the layup line for CLT. Russ Vaagen Vaagen offers an option to the customer to “edge glue” which can keep the edges tight and to stay together. If it’s a visual edge that’s going to be seen, Vaagen’s team recommends edge gluing to make a really tight, nice looking product. Vaagen makes mostly three layer, sometimes five or seven, up to 50 ft. typical length CLT panels with nine 2x6s in a layer. An adhesive curtain showers the layer. A vaccum lift places the layers (longitudinal-crosswise-longitudinal) on top of each other. At the glue head, melamine and a harder come out at a metered level together and activate one another. Once put together, the product is ready

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for resin-curing at the Kallesoe high frequency generator press, which is essentially a radio frequency system designed to find the conductive layer of the adhesive that’s wet and create micro vibrations to create heat while under pressure. The heat goes up to 130° F for full activation and curing. The 20 ft. press means typically CLT product has to be pressed in stages, going in over increments of 20, typically overlapping the last 10 ft. Vaagen overlaps to overutilize material so a bunch of lumber isn’t wasted. The total time each 20 ft. section is in the press for a threeply product is six minutes. From the outfeed of the press, product goes to the CNC to be finished cut and, if required, over to the sander. Vaagen says the facility has the ability to do finish work like staining or apply hardware for connection systems. Once finished, product is prepared for loading and then, “out it goes.” Vaagen Timber’s glulam process is basically the same as its CLT process— with the exception of edge gluing. The

same press is used taking 2x6s and using side pressure, top and bottom pressure with the radio frequency for the curing. It’s a pretty simple yet straightforward process of manufacturing, he believes. Vaagen says, while the high frequency press is popular in several offshore locales, Vaagen Timbers is the only manufacturer in North American using this press system. “If you have high moisture in your wood you could have steam blow outs or arching inside the press,” he explains, “but we just work hard on the raw material side to make sure that’s not a problem.”

EQUIPMENT The existing on-site kiln is a series of fans and dehumidifiers, which Vaagen concedes is “a bit of a mess.” Working on getting a better kiln setup is on the list of future investments, including working with Nyle on a biomass and dry kiln project that’s the result of a Wood Innovations Grant from the U.S. Forest Service. Vaagen uses a Ziegelmeyer fingerjointer; ApQuip glue heads; Henkel glue for the fingerjointer; Hexion adhesives for glulam and CLT; a Kentwood molder; Kallesoe press and layup line; Oest glue delivery system; Uniteam made by Biesse Group

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CNC; Costa sander; and Western Pneumatics dust and waste collection system. Vaagen chose the Kallesoe Combi-Press because of its ability to make glulam and CLT with the high-frequency technology. He also appreciated that the supplier took the time to adapt the machines to fit his individual needs. The press is geared to small format CLT along with glulam. Vaagen selected an Oest stationary gantry, which includes a glue application head making it possible to automatically position the height of the head. For the application of the 2K-MUF adhesive, which Vaagen Timbers uses, Oest installed a Kontimix 2Z dosing system with one dosing line each for the adhesive and the curing agent. The Facetac FDT 1250 application head with a 50 mm grid has two separate nozzles for the adhesive and the curing agent and is designed for widths of 800 to 1250 mm. Additionally, Oest supplied Vaagen with an Ecotop TL 350 separate application system for the production of glulam. Various dust creating machine centers were identified in a plant layout by Western Pneumatics (WP). Two low pressure aspiration systems were required. All molding type waste is collected by a cyclone and discharged into a truck bin; all sander dust is collected by a second cyclone and discharged into super-sacks. A WP remote filter is able to handle the total air volume of both systems. Clean air is discharged back into the plant as make-up air and to capture heat in the winter.

OPERATIONS Vaagen Timbers staffs 40, with 30 focused on production, including Plant Manager Dave Garcia, a sawmill veteran who brought needed lumber and people management experience to the organization when he joined six months ago. “When I left Vaagen Bros. I made a promise I wouldn’t hire anyone from there,” Vaagen explains. The staff has had a learning curve, and Vaagen says he’s a big fan of the hire slow, dismiss quickly mentality, looking for aptitude but hiring for attitude. The facility runs the CLT and glulam press one full shift, sometimes with extended hours. The CNC line runs two shifts all the time because Vaagen Timbers will do custom fabrication. Right now, Vaagen is adding a second shift to the fingerjointer, as the facility also produces long structural fingerjointed lumber in conjunction with Wildwood Trading Group, which is a 50% Vaagen Bros. owned trading company. “It’s been great for us,” Vaagen says. “We produce long length 2x6, 2x4 and 2x8 for markets in the South. Taking something that’s sort of a dog item in terms of lumber tallies and turning it into an ultra premium item.” Vaagen anticipates going to a full two shift operation throughout the entire facility soon.

FUTURE PLANS With an eye always toward the future, and investment opportunities in the facility, Vaagen says the next thing is going to be converting the manual infeed to a breakdown hoist. With the conversion to a breakdown hoist, lumber can be separated giving Vaagen the opportunity to do a much better job of laying up product the way he wants to, when he wants to. Tray separation is another item on the list. Having the facility’s own dry kilns is another item on the shopping list. Another idea is to prove the fingerjointer is strong enough for each MSR grade, which Vaagen says he has; this would create the ability to do MSR grade that would be long length MSR, considering often short length MSR is about the same value as 2&better in most markets, Vaagen notes. TP 26

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CUTTINGTOOLS EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies supplied these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements elsewhere in this issue. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.

ANDRITZ IGGESUND TOOLS Since Andritz Iggesund Tools introduced our Powerhead Primary Canter heads in 2003, we have delivered more than 500 chipping heads to mills all over North America. These applications have covered every conceivable species, feed speed and region in the U.S. and Canada. Using this experience to further TKD drum heads for CNS, canters, profilers optimize the design of our chipping heads and TurnKnife System, mills have the absolute best options for canter heads. We continue to work very closely with the OEMs of canter lines (BID-Comact, Optimil, Cone-Omega, etc.) to help them deliver exactly what the customer demands from a new processing line, or a revamped one. Our Next Generation Powerheads have proven to be the most economical, trouble free chipping heads available to mills today. These things are built like tanks, and coupled with the TurnKnife System, give mills the worry free operations they want. Most recently, we have supplied new Powerhead canter heads to Interfor at Perry, Ga. and Hampton Lumber in Randle, Wash. Other mills that have recently added Andritz Iggesund Tools canter heads include: Milan Lumber in Milan, NH; Mt. Hood Lumber in Mt. Hood, Ore.; and Canfor in Hermanville, Miss. Also, the new line at Vicksburg Forest Products will have 100% Andritz Iggesund Tools chipping heads. Not only do we manufacture primary and secondary canter heads, but our smaller size HSH (Helical Solid Heads) are excellent for high speed board edger applications. These smaller heads are designed for high speed small log processing and board edgers. Our TKD drum style chipping heads are just like our conical heads—built to last, trouble free and economical to operate. Coupled with our TurnKnife System, these chipping heads are the “Go To” for mills all over North America and the world.

BID GROUP With the advanced technologies used to process wood products today we are actually machining wood, not just cutting it. That’s why cutting tool precision alignment programs are now essential for wood processing. ● Our Two-Step Approach BID Group Service recommends a two-step approach: First, 30

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the audit of the machinery and then the alignment of the equipment. The recommended machinery audit is performed to evaluate machinFast and accurate cutting tool alignment ery efficiency and condition before the alignment process. Our technicians are very familiar with the machinery and they know what key points to evaluate to maximize the alignment process. ● High-Tech Laser Alignment System For the equipment alignment, we have a team of experienced and highly trained alignment technicians. They use specialized jigs and the Hamar Laser Alignment System to ensure accuracy and repeatability. They are also familiar with wirebased alignments. Our technicians can train the mill maintenance personnel in these disciplines. Sawmill downtime is reduced since this laser system is up to 70% faster than traditional methods or laser interferometers. It also uses ultra-precise laser planes that ensure accuracy. ● Aligned with Benefits There are several benefits to BID’s alignment service, and you can also count on a payback based on increased uptime due to reduced saw changes. The reduced friction and wear (caused by misalignment) will also ensure longer saw life. Consider also the reduction in water and saw lube usage (to control heat and wear of saws), the improved quality finish and reduction in target sizes (reduces waste during the planing process), and increased production (FPM) feed speeds while maintaining accuracy and consistency. You will also notice reduced chain and guide bar wear, improved chip quality and lower moisture content in the chips going to pulp and paper processors. ● Training and Support We also offer training, and we can help your saw filing departments with saw guide/arbor alignment accuracy, alignment of all saw filing equipment, advanced knowledge in lubrication and cooling systems to decrease saw change intervals. We share our alignment processes with filers to help them master machinery alignment. BID Group Service’s alignment team strives to give you absolute positive results.

CALIFORNIA SAW & KNIFE WORKS For more than 130 years California Saw & Knife Works has focused on providing value to the forest products industry. As time has gone by, CalSaw has made sure to evolve in a way that matches the evolving goals of the industry. This continuous thirst for innovation and improvement has led CalSaw to its newest U.S. patent finalized in August 2020. In rip saw applications, the usual goals and problems are well known: Mills want to run faster, get more out of each log, produce higher grade lumber, reduce downtime, order saws less frequently, etc. The unfortunate truth is that arranging the saw design around one of these goals causes something else to suffer—until now. CalSaw’s newly-patented thin rim rip saw thrives without

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CUTTINGTOOLS sacrifice. CalSaw has taken a deeper dive into the relationship between the wood and the saw during the cutting process. This has led to a more comprehensive understanding of where and when sufficient side clearance is most important. With this patented design, a mill can implement a thicker body or a thinner rim, depending on their CalSaw has a new thin rim rip saw patent performance criteria. A thicker body stiffens the saw, which means running faster and longer without sacrificing on lumber quality or board recovery. A stiffer saw minimizes saw wander and limits the friction caused by both saw wander and sawdust spillage. Thin rim rip saws allow a mill to achieve all of these goals without increasing kerf. A thinner rim means kerf can be reduced, decreasing the volume of sawdust created, and increasing recovery. With CalSaw’s thin rim rip saws, this can be accomplished without a loss in plate stiffness. All CalSaw plate is customized to the environment it is built for. Meticulous attention is paid to every detail of the manufacturing process so that it is fully prepared for the job it is asked to do. When thousandths of an inch can mean millions of dollars for a mill, each saw needs to be a perfect fit. CalSaw advances sawing technology, and optimizes sawing performance for the industry and each of its customers, ensuring CalSaw plate will remain the best value in the market.

by global pioneer ABM Grinding Technologies. This new generation machine minimizes human labor with a robot and probing system, allowing for true unattended processing with superb accuracy and superior finish grind quality. “We’re very excited to introduce this new technology. It will revolutionize workloads and deliver unprecedented cost savings, helping filing rooms get ahead in an increasingly competitive industry,” says Dave Rakauskas, Vice President of Colonial Saw. “We have two U.S. customers who were so excited about its potential they purchased the Premium-Loader in advance of its formal introduction. Their feedback tells us being able to run Premium-Loader overnight with no personnel delivers dramatic productivity increases and boosts the bottom line.” Designed to meet the increasing demand for automation by today’s circular saw manufacturing and mill filing rooms, the Premium-Loader offers vast range of production capacity for round saw blades. It delivers a high ease-of-use factor with a user-friendly control system, web camera monitoring, live error notification and a familiar Windows platform. Shops will also appreciate its compact footprint and efficient power consumption. Any shop grinding 250 or more blades per week should seriously consider this machine. A detailed cost justification is available by request. For over half a century, Colonial Saw has delivered uncompromising performance and value, along with one of the most comprehensive and responsive after-sale customer support programs in the grinding and filing industry.

LEDINEK

COLONIAL SAW

GML tool grinders from Ledinek

Premium-Loader robotic saw service center

Colonial Saw, Inc., a leading distributor of advanced saw and knife grinding machinery, is offering a hi-tech solution for sharpening a high volume of carbide saw blades. Sawmills, lumber manufacturers, and grinding and sharpening shops will benefit from its robot loading system that enables unattended and overnight grinding at a surprisingly affordable price. The Premium-Loader, an 8-axis grinding machine, is built 32

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As an innovative and trendsetting company in the field of complex processing of massive wood, planing and profiling, fingerjointing and engineered timber, we tackle the challenges of modern lifestyle and ensure the state-of-the-art technology of our products—from product design to delivery and installation. However, no work can be done perfectly without attentive preparations and care. With this purpose Ledinek developed a machine that provides perfect cut quality and keeps cutterheads in their best condition for high quality machining of a product. Ledinek grinding machines complete our offer of a wide range of excellent heavy-duty planers. With the models dimensioned according to cutterhead size, Ledinek offers the: —GML 700 grinding machine —GML 1400 grinding machine —GML 1600 grinding machine

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CUTTINGTOOLS GML machines are fully automated, intended for tools with mounted straight knives, with: ● variable grinding wheel motion ● automated dividing apparatus ● automatic adjustment of cutoff Sharp tools create better surfaces and require less motor power. A good and reliable grinder is therefore the centerpiece of your tool maintenance process. Ledinek grinders are built with a heavy, reinforced frame. Tools are mounted on well dimensioned supports and remain stationary during grinding. The process is fully automated, requires no interference of the operator and has proved to be time-saving, especially when grinding cutterheads with a large number of knives. PLC controlled grinding enables easy setup of geometry and adaptable processing steps. This results in shorter grinding time and better grinding quality, giving you high-quality finish and longer lifetime of knives. GML grinders feature: —adjustable supports for different shaft lengths and bearing distances —operating console with 7 in. touch screen LENZE —touch screen resolution (pixels) 800×480; TFT color —save/load tool data —setup of free angle alpha of planing knives with set value or calculated using beta and gamma —adjustable pressing force of the planing knife on the knife guide —dynamic calculation of remaining grinding time —variable RPM of the grinding spindle with display of the actual spindle load —cooling system with filter —fully enclosed cover with large windows to protect the user from possibility of injury —Servo indexing unit, attachable left/right. —user friendly

OLESON SAW

Iseli BNA100 plasma Stellite tipping machine

Oleson Saw and Iseli are pleased to announce the Iseli BNA100 Fully Automatic Stellite Tipping Machine for equipping saw teeth by a plasma welding technique. The BNA100 is the next generation of the Vollmer GPA and has many of the same mechanical operations but features a new Iseli controller. The BNA100 can use Stellite rod, Stellite wire spool or HSS wire spool. It can be seen in operation on you tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD-7s1jRSEc. 34

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The BNA100 is capable of Stellite tipping band and circular saws. It is extremely well built to hold up to the challenging day to day operations of a sawmill application. Plasma welding with inert gas guarantees a strong and homogeneous fusion between the Stellite and saw. Tipping and annealing are both done with a single machine using the integrated annealing station. Iseli is known for their Swiss Precision in their full line of saw filing equipment including CNC full-flood band saw sharpeners, automatic swaging and shaping machines, the RZ1 CNC auto-bench and CNC oscillating dual side grinders.

SAW-ADD Saw-ADD is the first and only anti-deviation system to eliminate sawing deviation. This system allows saw filers to finally have a degree of control over the saw in the sawing process. Most sawing applications error on the side of caution and run slower than the capability of the machine centers and saws because the fiber composition and density of the wood is not known in advance. Therefore, feed speeds are set lower than what is optimal. Saw-ADD controls the speed so that these conditions are not a factor. When properly set up, Saw-ADD allows filing staff to determine the required characteristics of the saw to ensure peak performance. Saw-ADD gives instant feedback to the filer, which allows for adjustments of saw tension to achieve optimum performance. The saw filer can fine-tune the saw based on the feedback during sawing. Small adjustments in tire position, back length and tension can have a dramatic effect on the sawing performance. With Saw-ADD you can see in real time the result of each adjustment and increase or decrease as required. Saw-ADD allows you to see misalignment of the saw guides as well as other alignment deficiencies. A few thousands of an inch in misalignment can result in large sawing errors (deviation, offset, taper). With Saw-ADD you will see the current average saw feed speed reduced to prevent these cutting deficiencies from occurring. With this information you can easily fine-tune the saws to give optimum performance. Round Saw-ADD integrates sensors on the saw arbors outside of the saw box to sense the directional radial forces. These forces are detected nearly a half second before the arbor current increases which enables the feed speed to be reduced before sticking a cant, damaging saws or saw blade deviation. Band Saw-ADD will increase average feed speed around 8% as shown by multiple installations with the large companies like Interfor, Tolko, West Fraser, Sierra Pacific and Potlatch-Deltic. Mills running Band Saw-ADD are running their saw an entire shift. This has reduced their saw consumption proportionally with less sharpening and reduced filer load with less benching.

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CUTTINGTOOLS SERRA (WINTERSTEIGER)

SHARP TOOL

SERRA-Shark 200 precision machine that is easy to use

Sharp Tool offerings include wide band saws.

The Shark 200 is an innovative development in the field of dry grinding. With integrated extraction, the patented device has a large grinding wheel with a diameter of 11.81 in. The basic configuration already includes a diamond dresser mounted on a swivel arm. This means the disc maintains the same profile and ensures absolute precision at all times. No conversion work is required if a different tooth pitch or shape is to be ground. Simply change the cam and continue sharpening; large scale for quick and accurate adjustment of the cutting angle. The balanced grinding wheel causes almost no vibrations, resulting in a better grinding pattern (similar to wet grinding machines!), while also significantly reducing the risk of gullet crack formation. Easy balancing of the grinding wheel with the included balancer. Technical details: ● Blade lengths from/to: 197 in. – 393 in. ● Blade widths from/to: 2.75 in. – 6.25 in. ● Grinding speed per minute: 30 teeth ● Total power engine (16 A) CEE-Plug 2.25 HP ● Weight: 452 lbs ● Possible tooth shapes: All shapes are possible just by changing the cam. To get the best cutting result SERRA relies purely on Wintersteiger saw blades. Wintersteiger develops and manufactures saw blades that have been hardened and tipped with carbide or Stellite for use in the sawmill with blade widths of 1.97 to 10.24 in. Wintersteiger saw blades are optimized for specific applications and the material to be cut, providing our customers with optimum results cost-effectively and with extremely high quality. Features include: ● Uddeholm steel UHB 15 ● 44 to 46 HRC strip steel hardness ● Outstanding operating and cutting performance, precision and durability ● For the most demanding wood processing applications, from softwoods through to even the hardest types of wood From the machine to saw blade service through its offices in Salt Lake City, Utah and Spring Hill, Tenn., Wintersteiger can offer you a complete package customized to your unique requirements including sawmills, resaws, saw blades, and service.

The Sharp Tool Co. specializes in the manufacturing and sale of circular saw blades, carbide products and knives for the woodworking industry. Family owned since 1959, we pride ourselves on our customer service and quality products. Our goal is to help maximize your cutting application. —Circular Saws: Since 1959, Sharp Tool has manufactured circular saws and has become one of the largest saw manufacturing facilities in the USA. Our manufacturing facility in Massachusetts is fully robotic, featuring state-of-the-art equipment. —Wide Band saws: Sharp Tool also offers wide band saws at a competitive price and quick delivery. We offer a wide range of bands: tooth & joined, swaged and alloy tipped. —Carbide Products: Sharp Tool offers a variety of carbide products: carbide saw tips, bars, blanks, preforms, inserts, wear parts and more. Our carbide is LB Toney Braze treated to ensure the highest quality braze. —Technical Expertise: Servicing the forestry industry for almost 60 years, Sharp Tool has a diverse background in providing technical expertise to sawmills.

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SIMONDS INTERNATIONAL (BURTON SAW) Vollmer of America, the premier manufacturer of high quality, innovative and automated sawmill circular saw blade maintenance machinery, is proud to announce that Burton Saw & Supply headquartered in Springfield, Ore. has been designated as the exclusive distributor of Vollmer brand circular sawmill machinery in North America. This relationship builds upon the previously existing distribution agreement between the two companies in Canada and positions both companies for continued growth in the sawmill saw blade maintenance market. The North American sawmill market is poised for significant investments in automation in the area of sawmill saw blade maintenance as the pool of experienced labor continues to tighten. The expanded partnership between the companies will build upon the Burton Saw & Supply reputation for customer service and delivering the best possible solutions to meet the needs of their sawmill customers. Peter Allen, President of Vollmer of America, comments,

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CUTTINGTOOLS The Williams and White Hammerhead 3000 Auto Bench is an all-in-one band saw processing center designed to automatically tension and level a band saw with ease. It is a must have for any sawmill or band saw producer. Stand out features include: an easy saw load system featuring hide-away clamps, independent rigid tension and level heads, intuitive touch screen control with teach functionality, and a full light curtain safety system. The precision measuring systems for level, tension, and back allow the Hammerhead 3000 to efficiently work the band saw to exacting specifications.

WOOD-MIZER

Burton Saw & Supply is the exclusive distributor for Vollmer machines for the maintenance of sawmill circular saw blades in North America.

“Vollmer wanted to find a partner who could provide a consistent message and sales approach throughout North America, and we felt that Burton Saw & Supply provided the best representation possible.” Burton Saw & Supply CEO Craig Tompkins adds, “The partnership between Burton Saw and Vollmer will benefit both companies in many ways. Our expansive sales force will deliver the message of Vollmer innovation and automation solutions which complements our line of BGR Saws and Cut Technology custom designed sawmill circular saw blades. Our team also has the technical expertise to assist our customers in optimizing their investments.”

WILLIAMS AND WHITE

Hammerhead 3000 Auto Bench

Building on Williams and White’s strong history and reputation for high quality and rugged machinery, we are proud to introduce the all new Hammerhead 3000 Auto Bench to our growing equipment line.

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Sharpen hundreds of blades per week with the Wood-Mizer BMS500 Bandsaw Blade Sharpener. This heavy-duty, industrial grade blade sharpener is built for production and performance and is compatible with 1 in. to 3 in. wide bands, giving you the ability to BMS500 band saw blade sharpener sharpen larger blades than other sharpeners can handle. The 8 in. CBN grinding wheels, also available from WoodMizer, are powered by a 1 HP motor for consistent, accurate full-profile grinds. The 4280 grind wheel RPM provides a higher quality grind at higher speeds, enabling you to increase efficiency without sacrificing quality. All functions of the BMS500 are controlled from the userfriendly operator panel complete with an electronic tooth counter, variable grinding speed, and two modes: Set-Up and Run. The sharpener can be quickly configured to stop after an exact number of teeth have been sharpened and is also easily adjustable for different blade sizes and lengths used in various operations. Main features: ● 1 HP grinding motor ● 8 in. CBN grinding wheels ● 4280 grind wheel RPM ● 1 in. to 3 in. blade capacity ● 4, 7, Turbo7, Turbo747, 9, 10, Vortex, 12, 13 profiles with 1⁄2 in. to 11⁄4 in. tooth spacing supported —Variable speed, user-friendly control station Designed by professional blade maintenance experts for quality and production, the Wood-Mizer BMS500 Bandsaw Blade Sharpener is the ultimate band blade sharpener on the market today.

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CUTTINGTOOLS SMITH SAWMILL SERVICE Smith Sawmill Service is celebrating 30 years serving the wood industry. As a 19-year-old young man, Paul Smith was sharpening saw blades and learning his skill of the sawmill service business throughout Texas. He had a vision of how to help sawmill companies, and in 1990, Paul and his wife Debra started Smith Sawmill Service. Through the years they have grown the business with their son, Michael Smith, manager Dustin Norris and 70 faithful and knowledgeable employees. Smith Sawmill Service provides services and products that are designed around the ever-changing sawmills, chip mills, paper mills, and pallet manufacturers. They offer products to their customers from the U.S.A. and all over the world, design cutting tools, and have received five patents in the sawmill business. The most recent patent received is Radial Xtreme, which is a saw design that allows faster speeds, longer run times, and reduces the kerf of the saws, therefore giving your business higher yield! Smith Sawmill Service has nearly 20,000 ft. in shops at their two locations in Texas and Louisiana with sale and delivery service throughout the South. They are equipped with the right machinery to supply sawmills with what is necessary to meet tomorrow’s needs. Smith Sawmill Service offers complete cutting tool solutions to include a variety of circle saws, such as guided carbide and Stellite teeth, trim saws and edger saws. Additionally, they sell narrow band

30 years and counting—left to right, Dustin Norris, Debra Smith, Paul Smith, Michael Smith

saws, chipper knives, veneer knives and specialty knives. Their services include repairing and sharpening circle saws of all sizes. The saws are calibrated and diagnosed for repair, the data is recorded and retained on each individual saw. Smith Sawmill Service is a full-service company with experienced employees to help with your sawmill needs. For your convenience, we recently launched a large product inventory website at sawmill.shop. We love our customers and are here to serve you!

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ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MOISTURE CONTROL Part 3: The Planer By Stuart Harries

pact. Over-dried lumber can affect productivity, and increase hard costs, as twists and warps hold potential to jam nce kiln-dried lumber reaches the machinery and even damage blades. The planer, mills have one final opportudowntime to stop a run and perform nity to optimize board moisture before maintenance is lost money for the mill. their product is sent to customers. Today, Also, if dry boards have become wet using advanced moisture-sensing techagain, operators need to know if it is surnologies, mills can utilize their planer to face or core moisture. By the time lumimprove overall productivity, enhance ber goes moldy or stains, it is too late grade recovery and reduce, or even elimiand the value is lost. nate, wet claims. l Correlating Data It is these kinds of advanced moisture With all of the advanced moisture sensensors that Canfor Southern Pine Qualsor systems available, the most accurate ity Control Tech, Shaw Bennett, uses to and successful mills will be using better manage planer output. And, real-time data to drive better lumber his results go beyond improved production. This data sets up on a grade recovery. “Before [upgradcorrelation created across three deing to a planer moisture] system, termined data points: the handheld we used to have packs on hold meter of the grading agency, the from our inspection agency due to handheld meter of the mill, and the wet lumber, but this has not been automated moisture sensing systems an issue since installation,” Beninstalled at the mill. It is a correlanett says. “It has helped us prevent tion that allows mills to reliably Low E Values caused by too much reach desired moisture content exmoisture in boards.” pectations for their end products. Thanks to real-time data, mills “For us, having the MC Pro 2400 that install these moisture sensor adHDNC system has helped limit the vancements can accurately track amount of over-dried lumber and and sort their best lumber grades. wet lumber,” Bennett says. “This With the right advanced sensor has not only helped our production, setup, calibration and connected Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) High definition planer systems are providing more mois- but also our grade out.” l Future of Planer Moisture oversight, the planer can be set to de- ture mapping options for detecting wet conditions. Thanks to ongoing advancements liver solutions, like moisture-driven cut-in-two options and trim opportunities, placed more frequently, and positioned on in moisture sensors, lumber mills are realizing savings in grade recovery at the providing results and savings that imboth sides of the board, HD technology is planer. They are also seeing marked improve the mill’s bottom line. emerging as a solution for surface and/or provements in productivity. Not that long l Moisture and the Planer core wet determination. ago, an operator would have to stop the Eventually, all the work of the HD technology complements resoluline and change system sensitivity when sawmill and kiln is technically evaluated tion for the latest versions of laser and at the planer. Now automatic grading scanning sensors associated with automat- the board size changed. Today, that old technology has been replaced by imsystems can apply moisture as a parame- ic grading decisions. This provides easy proved sensor sensitivity and software inter of classification using data provided optimizations for product sales into engiby non-contact moisture sensors. This neered wood product markets such as fin- tegration that takes care of productivity changes automatically. allows the results of drying to be more gerjoint and cross-laminated timber. l Managing Cost Moving forward, lumber mills will easily quantified, and for lumber to be Ultimately, these advanced planer want to benefit from the advantages of more effectively classified into grades. moisture systems have been developed to these advanced moisture systems in the Before automatic grading integration, it planer—the latest HD systems are leading was not so easy. Lumber went through a help mills manage difficult cost and productivity issues. For instance, moisture the way. Perhaps the biggest benefit is remoisture meter and, if the wood was sensors can alert planer operators when alized when mills capture, analyze and rewet, it was sprayed with a paint marker too many wet boards arrive at the planer. spond to their real-time moisture readings that a manual grader would eventually across all areas of the lumber mill. That is see. The manual grader would then clas- This gives the mill a chance to make a value decision using real-time data, and when process integration and active IIoT sify the board as Economy, instead of an opportunity to possibly back the connections can provide their most imPrime or #2 & Better. pactful improvements using real time, The next generation of transverse mois- boards out for re-drying, or to move forward and accept the economics of lowerdata-driven moisture sensor systems. TP ture meters began to improve data readings and provide more robust moisture in- grade values. Article supplied by Finna Sensors and When lumber arrives too dry, the mill formation. Mills immediately realized an written by Stuart Harries. Next issue: Part 4: has an opportunity to mitigate the imincrease in grade recovery. These moisThe Sawmill. ture sensors use capacitive technologies to take multiple readings per board and then deliver automatic data handoffs for grade optimization by machine. With data provided by these transverse sensors, mills can also consider choosing to drop out wet boards before they are dressed, allowing them to be re-dried at nominal size. Strategic drop-outs avoid grade reduction and wet claims. Today, the latest generation of High Definition (HD) moisture-sensing systems are providing even richer moisture mapping capabilities. Using smaller sensors,

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MACHINERYROW

VDMA Names New Chairman

MINDA Forms NA Operation

The board of the VDMA Woodworking Machinery Assn. will have a new chairman beginning in January. Markus Hüllmann (G. Kraft Maschinenbau GmbH, Rietberg) was elected as successor to Pekka Paasivaara (Homag Group AG, Schopfloch). The general assembly, which took place in a virtual setting in November, elected five new board members to the body: Gregor Baumbusch (Michael Weinig AG, Tauberbischofsheim), Christian Dieffenbacher (Dieffenbacher GmbH, Eppingen), Ove Lange (Anthon GmbH, Flensburg), Wolfgang Rohner (IMA Schelling Group, Lübbecke) and Heiner Wemhöner (Wemhöner Surface Technologies GmbH Co. KG, Herford). “I am delighted that we have been able to strengthen our board with several leading companies from the industry. This will give the board new impetus. The trade association is also on a very good path with my successor Markus Hüllmann,” comments Paasivaara.

MINDA Group has acquired 100% of the shares of Deal Metal Fabrication LLC, located in Granite Falls, NC, and TimberPress X 331 CLT press from MINDA subsequently formed MINDA North America LLC. For the MINDA Group this step is a new milestone in its history—the first production site outside Europe. With this acquisition, MINDA expands its strategic orientation on the American solid timber market. “We want to increase our presence in North America in the field of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam plants, and we want to provide material handling and conveyor solutions for other industries, such as the automotive sector,” according to a MINDA statement.

“With our American partner Stiles Machinery, we expand our successful relationship to serve the Mass Timber market even better and provide comprehensive service and support for our customers in North America.” Charles Martin is appointed President and CEO of MINDA North America LLC. His experience in providing automated solutions for solid timber production further enables MINDA to provide world class solutions for the U.S. market. Each location of the MINDA Group has its own unique selling point, identity and culture and is specifically active in various markets. At the same time, they cooperate within the Group’s network across all sites, utilizing synergies and providing mutual support.

Ligna Changes 2021 Show Dates Organziers of the Ligna show— Deutsche Messe and VDMA—announced that the large woodworking machinery event next year is rescheduled to September 27 to October 1, 2021. The announcement comes in view of ongoing infections of COVID 19. “Due to the ongoing pandemic, increasing restrictions and the renewed lockdown, there is great uncertainty in the market,” emphasizes Dr. Andreas Gruchow, Deutsche Messe Managing Board member. “The decision to postpone Ligna was a very difficult one for us, but it is the only consistent measure to give all those involved planning security and the necessary lead time for preparations.”

Tebulo Becomes Radian Robotics Tebulo Industrial Robotics is changing its name to Radian Robotics effective January 2021. According to President Jim Kay, the change is part of a larger rebranding process due the company’s business growth. “As we’ve expanded into different market segments and developed new applications, our team has doubled in size and we’ve outgrown the partnership we have with our European division,” Kay says. “Our focus on the steel, aluminum and lumber industries is still razor-sharp. And our team is continuing to improve and expand our product lines.” The company is located in Hamilton, Ontario, serving North and South America along with New Zealand and Australia. 42

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2020 EDITORIAL INDEX JANUARY/FEBRUARY The Issues Family Matters To Fritz Mason. Page 5. Newsfeed Pinnacle Teams With Sawmills. Page 6. Going With Fritz In the year of perfect vision, Georgia-Pacific’s Fritz Mason is named Timber Processing’s Person of the Year. Page 14. Back In Time Alger-Sullivan Lumber Co. built a memorable town and highly reputable business in Century, Fla. Page 26. Thinking Cross-Lam Recent survey examines awareness of CLT by SYP lumber producers. Page 34. Post Michael More than a year after Hurricane Michael, the salvage effort yields some results. Page 42.

MARCH The Issues What Is An Encoder Anyway? Page 5.

Log Merchandising Technologies. Page 44.

APRIL

Change Of Pace Appalachian Forest Products takes advantage of low grade lumber to counter issues with overseas market. Page 20.

Canters & Profilers. Page 32.

MAY The Issues Remaining Hopeful. Page 5. Newsfeed Jordan Led Company, Industry, State. Page 8. Trending Upward Antlers, Oklahoma wasn’t known for large-scale sawmilling—until Teal-Jones came to town. Page 10. Keeping It Roland Rex Lumber has long had the advantage of having the Roland brothers in the filing room. Page 22.

The Issues We’re Learning A Lot About What We Can Do. Page 5. Hit Blind Side U.S. softwood lumbermen have picked themselves up, brushed themselves off and put their COVID-19 gameplan in place. Page 10. The Big Hurt U.S. hardwood lumbermen, who were just getting over trade war wounds, are climbing the hardest hill yet. Page 38.

JULY/AUGUST

The Issues Our Industry Is On A Mission. Page 5.

The Issues Wish You Were Here (Or I Was There). Page 5.

Newsfeed. WWPA Meets In Sunny So-Cal. Page 8.

DECEMBER 2020

Better With Age EACOM’s Timmins sawmill moves into its next 100 years on a high note. Page 26.

JUNE

Passing The Torch New ownership at King Lumber enhances inventory controls with more upgrades on the horizon. Page 25.

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Mass Plywood Band Mill Freres Lumber’s new beam and column line complements larger custom projects and mat products, takes aim at glulam beam market. Page 14.

Planer Mills. Page 30.

Going With Pine Longtime hardwood manufacturer Edwards Wood Products completes startup of greenfield sawmill for high production of pine to boost pallet ouput. Page 12.

Fail-Safe Culture Driving safety awareness and accountability through all levels and areas, GP Philomath team leaders are making a difference. Page 20.

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Newsfeed TP&EE 2020 Canceled, But Full Speed Toward 2022. Page 6.

Getting Up To Speed Rex Lumber’s greenfield sawmill in Troy, Ala. is starting to find its groove, and with big SYP logs. Page 14. New Log, Product Program Neiman Enterprises’ Montrose Forest Products is ready for upcoming log and product shift with new planer mill and other investments. Page 22.

Event Offered Plenty To Take Home Leadership, safety, process technologies, you name it at the Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo. Page 34.

Burt Lumber Makes The Grade New grading system produces immediate results. Page 30.

2020 Lumbermen’s Buying Guide. Page 40.

NOVEMBER

SEPTEMBER The Issues No Barnum & Bailey Act But We’re Trying. Page 5. Newsfeed Binderholz Wins Klausner Sawmill. Page 10. It Is The Start Tim Neff and Tony Nash are working on optimizing AJD Forest Products. Page 12. Safety In Mind Sawmill equipment manufacturers appear to have adjusted to the challenges of conducting business remotely and on-site during the pandemic. Page 20. Showcase Timber Processing & Energy Expo was canceled due to the virus, but would-be exhibitors still weigh in with their latest technologies. Page 32.

OCTOBER The Issues Hatton-Brown Will Produce Conference During SFPA Expo. Page 5. Newsfeed. U.S. Says WTO Ruling Misfires. Page 6.

Downstream Sawing & Scanning. Page 34.

The Issues They Left Behind Lasting Impressions. Page 5. Newsfeed J.P. Price Kept Expanding Horizons. Page 6. Leaning In To Lean Vaagen Bros. Lumber has always done things a little bit differently. Page 14. From Woods To Mills Tennessee’s Hooper operation is well-versed in all facets of the timber products business. Page 20. Dry Kiln & Accessories. Page 26.

DECEMBER The Issues Somebody Fix My Rearview Mirror. Page 5. Newsfeed. Third Quarter Boom. Page 6. Circle Saw Central Rex Lumber invests in facility that handles circle saws from three mills. Page 12. Making The Leap Russ Vaagen comes from a sawmill family; now he has entered the mass timber business. Page 20. Cutting Tools. Page 30.

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PRODUCTSCANNER10

SAWMILL CAMERA

Opticom’s new sawmill camera

Opticom Technologies reveals its new 3MP CC04 Series IP camera (CC04-IP3MV). The new version offers both H.264 and H.265 video compression algorithms. H.265 compression reduces bitrates by approximately 50%, which significantly cuts bandwidth and storage usage. The 3MP CC04 delivers real-time triple streaming that can be independently controlled in terms of resolution, bitrate and compression. Environmentally the camera is rated IP67 waterproof/dustproof. The built-in infrared (IR) array also ensures reliable video even in total darkness to a range of 65 ft. Opticom’s CC04 Series industrial IP camera is designed to meet the tough environmental challenges that exist in wood processing mills and many other industrial facilities. The camera features advanced vibration damping design right down to the neoprene equipped mount. The camera installs in minutes in virtually any location and can be integrated with all major video management software (VMS) platforms. Visit opticomtech.com.

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DUST COLLECTOR Donaldson Co., Inc., a leading manufacturer of filtration systems and parts, offers the Donaldson Torit Rugged Pleat (RP) baghouse industrial dust collector. The collector is designed to capture heavy and abrasive dust inherent to minDonaldson Rugged ing, woodworkPleat baghouse dust ing, grain procollector cessing and other industries. The new RP baghouse collector features Donaldson’s SuperSep inlet, which pre-separates up to 97% of the dust before it hits the filters, and the PerfectPulse cleaning system, which delivers every pulse directly over the filter to ensure more effective bag cleaning and support longer filter life. With its new Ultra-Web Spunbond filters, the collector is capable of providing up to 94% fewer emissions as compared to baghouses equipped with standard 16 oz. singed polyester bags, which makes it ideal for heavily regulated industries and operations that recirculate conditioned air in their facilities. “The Rugged Pleat baghouse collector offers unrivaled performance and efficiency,” says Joe Kiolbasa, Product Manager in the Industrial Air Filtration division of Donaldson. “This new technology will

help facility managers tackle air quality and occupational health and safety issues, while providing a lower total cost of ownership over the life of the collector.” The new RP baghouse dust collector utilizes 44% fewer filters than traditional baghouse collectors, resulting in a 72% reduction in changeout times. In keeping with Donaldson’s commitment to providing comprehensive filtration solutions, the RP baghouse includes the iCue connected filtration monitoring service, which allows customers to remotely monitor, manage, and optimize the operation of the dust collector. Visit Donaldson.com/ruggedpleat.

LIGHT CURTAIN

Telco SS 02 light curtain with IO-Link

Telco Sensors, a leading manufacturer of high performance infrared photoelectric sensors and accessories, announces the

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PRODUCTSCANNER10 SpaceScan SS 02 Series measuring light curtain is now available with IO-Link. The SpaceScan series is a rugged, highperformance light curtain system designed for reliable operation in harsh environments. The SS 02 offers a sensing range of 10+ meters, high excess gain, and 100,000 lux light immunity. Housed in a sturdy aluminum profile with IP 67 rating, the series is available in lengths ranging from 300 to 1980 mm with beam spacings of 5, 10 or 20 mm. The SS 02 IO-Link series supports a wide range of geometrical analysis functions that may be used for measurement, positioning and monitoring. IO-Link PC software allows an extensive range of programmable parameters and diagnostics to be configured. These selectable/adjustable settings include: scan mode, operation mode, gain control, hysteresis, blanking function, and smoothing (pre-filtering) function. The light curtain offers a 2-wire analog output (0-10 VDC or 4-20 mA) and up to four individual digital outputs, which can be individually configured with a wide range of measurement and output conditions. Visit telcosensorsusa.com

a system being properly designed, manufactured and installed. Wellons’ seasoned, experienced technical personnel and modern manufacturing facilities provide this assurance. Whether your need is for a continuous kiln, batch-type kiln, or package-loaded kiln, a controls system or heating system upgrade, or replacement parts, Wellons technology and experience has taken the

mystery of kiln drying lumber and turned it into a precise drying science. Visit wellons.com.

TIMBER SCALE

Tamtron has launched a new generation timber scale, the One Timber. This new technology includes a completely redesigned display and weighing link. One Timber scale features the new-

DRYING TECHNOLOGY

Wellons lumber dry kiln

A recognized leader in lumber dry kiln technology, Wellons combines superior kiln design, engineering and fabrication with state-of-the-art control systems. For more than 50 years, Wellons has provided lumber dry kilns, steam generation and thermal fluid heating systems to the forest products industry and currently has more than 1,500 lumber dry kilns in operation, producing high quality lumber for its customers. Heating systems include steam heated, thermal fluid heated and natural gas direct-fired systems. By offering a full range of products of its own design and manufacture, Wellons is able to offer integrated systems combining a wood-fired energy plant with lumber dry kilns and electrical cogeneration to meet customers’ specific requirements. Smooth, efficient operation depends on TIMBER PROCESSING

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PRODUCTSCANNER10

New scale offers real-time, exact data.

generation Tamtron One touch screen display and an innovative strain gauge weighing link. The weighing link is based on strain gauge technology so there are no moving parts or hydraulics that cause friction to affect the weighing result. This eliminates the possibility of irregularities in the weighing results. “The One Timber

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scale is extremely accurate and enables optimized load performance in all conditions,” says Harri Pentinniemi, Product Manager at Tamtron. The scale transmits data 24 hours a day wirelessly to the One Cloud, which can be integrated into a customer’s record-keeping software. With the Tamtron One Cloud service and real-time data transfer, weighing results are immediately transmitted to the customer, and orders can also be sent directly to the scales, locate the scale’s activity and view work done on a PC. According to Tamtron Sales Manager Juhana Ruupansalo, this new technology will increase the transparency between all parties involved. At the same time, the possibility of human error is eliminated and the work is more flexible when loaded amounts are not recorded manually. The One Timber scale has been in use by test customers for over a year. According to Ruupansalo, customers have given very good feedback, especially on the durability, quality and usability of the scale. “Tamtron has the advantage of decades

of know-how in the production of weighing solutions, which has allowed for our scales to be extremely reliable. The One Timber’s development sought to actively search for the variations in the user experience of the scale in different situations and users over a long period of time. This is now reflected in the successful outcome of the scale.” Visit tamtrongroup.com.

COMING IN THE JANUARY-FEBRUARY ISSUE: SPOTLIGHT ON THE 33RD ANNUAL PERSON OF THE YEAR

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ATLARGE RoyOMartin Women In Manufacturing

RoyOMartin hosted its Fourth Annual RoyOMartin Women in Manufacturing Day, streamed for the first time in a virtual format, on October 29. This event is held annually in conjunction with the National Assn. of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute’s Manufacturing Day. RoyOMartin Women in Manufacturing Day is designed for young women in grades 7-12 to gain an awareness of career opportunities available in the manufacturing industry. RoyOMartin recognized six of its own women in production and supporting roles. Left to right: Chairman, CEO and CFO Roy O. Martin III; Senior Director of Human Resources Connie Baker; RoyOMartin Women in Manufacturing Day honorees Kodi Owens, Tera Miller, Candace George, Jacqueline Winters, Diane Davidson and Donna MacDougall; Vice President of Human Resources Donna Bailey; and President and COO E. Scott Poole.

Gerald Ort Dies At 85 In Wisconsin

Gerald Eugene Ort Sr., who built a family hardwood lumber business from scratch, died October 25 in Clintonville, Wis. He was 85. Ort started with a portable sawmill in 1954. In 1968 he built Ort Lumber sawmill in New London, Wis. With his sons contributing to Ort Lumber throughout the years, it became a steady success and a staple within the community. In 1982, Ort and his four older sons founded Wolf River Lumber in New London, Wis. The 1990s proved to be a year of immense expansion as they built Wittenberg Hardwoods in Wittenberg, Wis., acquired Tigerton Lumber in Tigerton, Wis. and built Aacer Flooring in Peshtigo, Wis. Ort also acquired 50,000 acres of timberland. Ort’s joys included creating a legacy for his family within the businesses.

Herron Joins Roseburg’s Strategic Business Team Roseburg announced that Kara Herron has joined the company as strategic marketing manager. Based at the Eastern Regional Office near Atlanta, Ga., Herron will provide marketing leadership and help build the infrastructure needed to support Roseburg’s strategic growth plan. 50

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WOOD PRODUCTS MARKETPLACE NORTH AMERICA

■ Minnesota

■ North Carolina

■ Canada ■ Ontario Buyers & Wholesalers We produce quality 4/4 - 8/4 Appalachian hardwoods • Red Oak, White Oak, Poplar •

Green Lumber: Air Dried, Kiln Dried Timbers & Crossties

• Hickory, Sycamore, Beech, Gum & Elm • Custom Cut Timbers: Long lengths and wide widths

Sales/Service: 336-746-5419

336-746-6177 (Fax) • www.kepleyfrank.com

■ Tennessee

STACKING STICKS

FOR SALE

Next closing: January 5, 2021

AIR-O-FLOW profiled & FLAT sticks available Imported & Domestic

■ United States

DHM Company - Troy, TN 38260 731-446-4069 Fax: 707-982-7689 email: kelvin@kilnsticks.com www.KILNSTICKS.com

■ Georgia Beasley Forest Products, Inc. P.O. Box 788 Hazlehurst, GA 31539

beasleyforestproducts.com Manufactures Kiln-Dried 4/4 Red and White Oak, Poplar, Ash and Cypress Contact: Linwood Truitt Phone (912) 253-9000 / Fax: (912) 375-9541 linwood.truitt@beasleyforestproducts.com

Pallet components, X-ties, Timbers and Crane Mats Contact: Ray Turner Phone (912) 253-9001 / Fax: (912) 375-9541 ray.turner@beasleyforestproducts.com

■ Kentucky HAROLD WHITE LUMBER, INC. MANUFACTURER OF FINE APPALACHIAN HARDWOODS

(606) 784-7573 • Fax: (606) 784-2624 www.haroldwhitelumber.com

Ray White

Domestic & Export Sales rwhite@haroldwhitelumber.com Cell: (606) 462-0318

Green & Kiln Dried, On-Site Export Prep & Loading Complete millworks facility, molding, milling & fingerjoint line

WANT TO GET YOUR AD IN OUR NEXT MARKETPLACE? Call or email Melissa McKenzie 334-834-1170 melissa@hattonbrown.com 08/20

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Call Toll-Free: 1-800-669-5613

EMPLOYMENTOPPORTUNITIES 1615

Recruiting Services

LUMBERWORKS GREENWOOD KILN STICKS

JOHN GANDEE

& ASSOCIATES, INC

“The lowest cost per cycle”

Contingency or Retained Search

GW Industries www.gwi.us.com

Depending on Circumstances / Needs

“Your Success Is Our Business” Serving the Wood Products and Building Materials Industries For more than 26 years.

512-795-4244

Dennis Krueger 866-771-5040

Jackie Paolo 866-504-9095

greenwoodimportsllc@gmail.com

jackie@gwi.us.com

Top Wood Jobs Recruiting and Staffing George Meek

Call or Email me anytime! john@johngandee.com www.johngandee.com

Austin, Texas

127

Importers and Distributors of Tropical Hardwood Kiln Sticks

Executive – Managerial – Technical - Sales

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3779

NEWSFEED 10 ➤ Oregon have averaged around 4 billion BF annually the past 20 years. Landowners and log purchasers and all involved in timber management across all ownerships are shifting priorities to focus on restoring lost timberlands. This will be a major priority in the near future to salvage what’s possible, treat some areas and reestablish growing stock, especially on the 400,000+ acres of damaged private timberlands where such activities can commence immediately. Following the fires, to gauge the impact on its state loggers, AOL in October completed a membership survey that yielded remarkable results concerning the depth and severity of this fire season’s impact on loggers and logging capacity: ● An estimated 360 million BF of annual timber harvest capacity in the state is cur-

rently displaced or disrupted. (Representing around 9% of annual timber harvest, the impact of this number can’t be overstated.) This includes contractors that have lost some and all of their harvesting assets. ● Well over 100 pieces of equipment were completely destroyed. More was damaged and some of that will also have to be replaced. ● Somewhere between 100 to 200 million BF in additional annual logging capacity is likely to exit the supply chain in the next six months, with loggers either completely leaving the industry or remaining at a lower capacity. ● Of the burned assets reported—more than $100 million—only a third were fully insured. During the next 18 months, Oregon loggers who’ve suffered economic losses will be making lots of decisions. It’s

a safe bet that August 2021 will see less logging capacity in the state than pre-fire capacity in August ’20. Storm says the urgency of the situation requires a cleareyed look at how to maintain viable and sustainable logging capacity. With many logging and related contract activities commanding premium prices after the fires, loggers need to ensure they receive adequate compensation to not only reinvest in their businesses but also ensure business sustainability in the future.

STOLTZE TIMBER PLANS CLT FACILITY Montana-based F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. is teaming with a group of partners to form Stoltze Timber Systems, Inc., which plans to built a cross-laminated timber facility adjacent the

F.H. Stoltze sawmill near Columbia Falls, Mont. The venture intends to process small-diameter trees, which reportedly are in abundance and underutilized in regional forests. Pat Clark, principal in Wooden Haus Supply in Whitefish, Mont., is reportedly a fixture in the new project. His firm was awarded a grant in 2018 by the USDA Forest Service for “Utilization of Small Diameter Timber to Manufacture Engineered Wood Products for Use in Commercial and Residential Building Construction.” Clark brings considerable experience in European mass timber production and construction. One mass timber industry observer noted that this project could involve narrower width lumber used in the manufacture of CLT than is typically used in North America if it can meet “economies of scale.”

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MAINEVENTS FEBRUARY 2021

JULY 2021

8-10—Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Assn. Convention & Exposition, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, Ind. Call 317-288-0008; visit ihla.org.

25-28—Walnut Council annual meeting, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill. Call 765-583-3501; visit walnutcouncil.org.

24-28—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers annual meeting, Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, Ponte Vedra, Fla. Call 336885-8315; visit appalachianhardwood.org.

AUGUST 2021

MARCH 2021 3-5—National Wooden Pallet & Container Assn. Annual Leadership Conference, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Orlando, Fla. Call 703-519-6104; visit palletcentral.com.

11-13—Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Expo, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit sfpaexpo.com. Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

●

3-5—SLMA Spring Meeting, Hyatt Regency Savannah, Savannah, Ga. Call 504-443-4464; visit slma.org.

This issue of Timber Processing is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products.

4-7—Delhiwood 2021, India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, India. Call+91-80-4250 5000; visit delhi-wood.com.

A W Stiles Contractors

931.668.8768

Advanced Sawmill Machinery

850.537.5333

Andritz Iggesund Tools

813.855.6902

24-26—Hardwood Manufacturers Association's National Conference and Expo, Austin, Tex. Call 412-244-0440; visit hmamembers.org.

Autolog

450.434.8389

BID Group

843.563.7070

Calibre Equipment

+64 21 586 453

APRIL 2021 6-8—American Forest Resource Council annual meeting, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Wash. Call 503-222-9505; visit amforest.org. 14-16—International Wood Products Assn. 65th World of Wood Annual Convention, Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego, Calif. Call 703-820-6696; visit iwpawood.org.

ADVERTISER

California Saw & Knife Works

PG.NO.

PH.NO.

15,16

415.861.0644

Colonial Saw

877.777.2729

Cone Omega

229.228.9213

Corley Manufacturing

423.698.0284

HMT Machine Tools

843.832.4410

Holtec USA

800.346.5832

Hurdle Machine Works

901.877.6251

Johnson & Pace

903.753.0663

Kallesoe Machinery

+45 97 34 15 55

Ledinek Engineering

+386 2 61300 51

Linck Linden Fabricating

936.676.4958

45,50

250.561.1181

MAY 2021

Mebor

Metal Detectors

541.345.7454

14-15—Loggers’ Expo, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor, Maine. Call 315-369-3078; visit northernlogger.com.

Microtec SLR GmbH

+39 0 472 273 611

Mid-South Engineering

501.321.2276

Minda Industrieanlagen GmbH

828.313.0092

16-18—American Wood Protection Assn. annual meeting, Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, S.C. Call 205-733-4077; visit awpa.com.

Nelson Bros Engineering

888.623.2882

Oleson Saw Technology

800.256.8259

Opticom Tech

800.578.1853

Pipers Saw Shop

800.845.6075

21-22—Expo Richmond 2021, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com.

Pole Mill Optimizer

228.669.7786

Premier Bandwheel

604.591.2080

Saw Add

360.459.9163

SCS Forest Products by Finna Group

720.963.6500

Sennebogen

704.347.4910

Sering Sawmill Machinery

360.687.2667

Serra/Wintersteiger

801.550.4878

Sharp Tool

800.221.5452

Simonds-Burton-BGR Saws-CutTech

800.426.6226

Smith Sawmill Services

800.598.6344

Springer Maschinenfabrik GmbH

+43 4268 2581 0

Telco Sensors

800.253.0111

USNR

800.289.8767

West Coast Industrial Systems

541.451.6677

Western Pneumatics

541.461.2600

Williams & White Equipment

888.293.2268

10,31

866.477.9268

JUNE 2021 4-5—PA Timber Show, Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, Pennsylvania Furnace, Penn. Call 814-8632873; visit agsci.psu.edu/timber. 26-29—Assn. of Consulting Foresters of America annual conference, Graduate Eugene, Eugene, Ore. Call 703-5480990; visit acf-foresters.org.

Visit us online at timberprocessing.com 54

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DECEMBER 2020

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Wood-Mizer

+386 4 510 3200

ADLINK is a free service for advertisers and readers. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.

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