TP 1221 digimag by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc.

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/29/21 1:10 PM Page 1

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 2

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 3

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 12:18 PM Page 4

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 46 • Number 11 • December 2021 Founded in 1976 • Our 480th 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

6 14 24 30 38 50 54

NEWSFEED

4FRI Has Yet Another Strategy

FRANK LUMBER

Latest Technology For The Filing Room

ANTHONY TIMBERLANDS

Adding To Their Hardwood Portfolio

CUTTING TOOLS

Putting Sawing Efficiencies Into Sawmills

MACHINERY ROW

Overseas Sawmills Emphasize Heat Energy

EDITORIAL INDEX

Here’s What We Covered In 2021

MAIN EVENTS

Seeing Each Other In Person

COVER: Oregon’s Frank Lumber has put together one of

the most efficient filing rooms in the West with new technology and well skilled personnel. Story begins on PAGE 14. (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 11 times annually (monthly except Jan./Feb.) 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: 800-6695613; 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 ® 2021. 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

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 12:19 PM Page 5

THEISSUES

Rich Donnell Editor-in-Chief

2021 WILL GO DOWN AS ONE BUSY YEAR

s the year winds down, we once again take a quick look back through it. Needless to say, everything that happened rode on the dark wings of the pandemic. —Robert Jordan, IV, president & CEO of Jordan Family of Companies, is named Timber Processing’s 2021 Person of the Year. —Biewer Lumber announced plans to build a second greenfield sawmill in Mississippi, this one in Winona. —Mission Forest Products quietly began construction of its greenfield sawmill in Corinth, Miss. —Idaho Forest Group began building a greenfield sawmill in Lumberton, Miss. —Austria’s Binderholz purchased through auction the bankrupt Klausner Lumber Two sawmill in Enfield, NC, having already done likewise with Klausner Lumber One sawmill in Live Oak, Fla. —Interfor purchased the WestRock sawmill in Summerville, SC. —Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. became one of the first groups to meet inperson at its annual meeting in Austin, Texas. —A year after the pandemic hit, U.S. softwood and hardwood lumbermen expressed greater optimism about the future of their businesses than they had in years, as lumber prices and housing starts shot through the roof. —Katerra, the Silicon Valley startup company that wanted to redefine conventional building construction, while starting up a new cross-laminated timber plant in Spokane, Wash., declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. —Interfor purchased Georgia-Pacific sawmills at Bay Springs, Miss.; Fayette, Ala.; DeQuincy, La.; and Philomath, Ore. —Canfor announced plans to build a greenfield sawmill in DeRidder, La. —Roseburg Forest Products announced it would build a greenfield sawmill in Weldon, NC. —Carbotech purchased sawmill scanning and optimization supplier Autolog. —Hunt Forest Products and Tolko Industries announced they would develop a new sawmill near Taylor, La., their second such joint venture following the construction and startup of a sawmill in Urania, La. —Mercer International purchased through bidding the idled and bankrupt Katerra CLT facility in Spokane, Wash. —SFPA held a successful machinery and expo in Atlanta in August. —Sawmill industry patriarch George Varn, Sr., who developed Varn Wood Products in Hoboken, Ga., died at 100. —West Fraser Timber acquired the Angelina Forest Products sawmill in Lufkin, Texas, which was a new mill that started up in late 2019. —GP announced plans to build a new sawmill at its site in Pineland, Texas. —WKO acquired the SDS Lumber sawmill in Bingen, Wash. —The Forest Service revealed yet another new strategy for its Four Forests Restoraton Initiative program to treat 2.4 million fire-prone acres across four national forests in Arizona. —Washington-based Northwest Hardwoods, after coming through a bankruptcy restructuring, announced it was moving headquarters to Frisco, Texas. —One Equity Partners purchased USNR and Wood Fiber Group and promptly TP merged them. Contact Rich Donnell, ph: 334-834-1170; fax 334-834-4525; e-mail: rich@hattonbrown.com TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:34 PM Page 6

NEWSFEED FS WEIGHS IN ON 4FRI USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced new funding and a redesigned strategy for the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) during a visit with elected officials in Arizona in November. The agency is committing $54 million in fiscal year 2022 to accelerate implementing highpriority projects on 135,000 acres over the next 10 years. The funding will also address annual road and bridge maintenance. “The Forest Service is increasing the scale of our investments into the 4FRI project, and we’re getting started sooner than previously planned,” Moore says. “This strategy will focus our forest maintenance work to reduce wildfire danger in the 4FRI project area where wildfire is most likely to place

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

homes, communities and infrastructure at risk.” The announcement represents an important step toward the agency’s broader, national strategy to treat landscapes, protect communities and watersheds, and create fire resilient forests at the scale needed to address the nation’s growing wildfire crisis. The key decisions from the 4FRI Restoration Strategy include: —Immediately prioritize and expand the highest-priority, partnership projects to significantly reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire to communities on approximately 135,000 acres (i.e. Bill Williams Mountain, Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project, CC Cragin, Sierra/Anchas). —Immediately implement current plans which provide approximately 300,000 acres over 20 years to maintain existing industry.

—Treat 86,000 acres using prescribed fire and non-commercial thinning (over 20 years) on the Tonto and Kaibab national forests. —Conduct a rapid assessment and optimization effort using the best available science to assess approximately 300,000-350,000 acres (over 20 years) on the Coconino and Kaibab national forests, with treatments assessed to prioritize which acres to treat to reduce the risk of wildfire the quickest beginning in FY2023. —Focus on resolving and improving conditions for industry success by addressing factors like cost and risk reduction, incentives, market conditions, availability of raw material, transportation plans, and fire liability risks. 4FRI is an effort to restore 2.4 million acres of forests on the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Kaibab, and Tonto national forests in northern Ari-

zona over the next 20 years. The 4FRI footprint includes six out of 10 of the highest priority firesheds in the Southwestern Region. It also includes nine of the 10 high-priority fire risk areas in Arizona. Watersheds on the four forests supply water uses including municipal, domestic, irrigation and industrial uses for millions of people in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The new strategy claims that 4FRI has already completed or treated 258,000 acres over the past 10 years. In September, the Forest Service canceled a Phase 2 Request for Proposal (RFP) and bid selection process involving stewardship and treatment of 520,000 acres. Two companies were apparently the primary bidders—one proposing to build a sawmill and the other an OSB plant. A Snowflake, Ariz. biomass fueled electricity plant, Novo Power, participat-

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 7

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:34 PM Page 8

NEWSFEED ed in both of those bids to take the biomass resulting from the two projects. The Forest Service said there was too much uncertainty and financial risk for the bidders and for the government in Phase 2. The new strategy doesn’t mention specific new projects such as these, but does say, “The Forest Service acknowledges the importance of supporting existing local industry and strives to ensure a continuation of acres made available to local industry. At the same time, the Forest Service recognizes the need to bring new industry to the state. To attract new industry, there will need to be commitments to provide a steady stream of available acres over a long period (20 years).” The FS says the path forward may include another large-scale proposal or a combination of new agreements and contracts.

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

The Phase 2 setback continued a tough run for the 4FRI effort: Phase 1, initially awarded in 2012 then transferred in 2013 to its current owner NewLife Forest Restoration, and including 300,000 acres over 10 years, had been hampered due to lack of logging and conversion capacity and is just now appearing to turn the corner on infrastructure needs. The Phase 2 contract award announcement had been delayed several times since 2019 due to 13 contract modifications including reductions in stewardship acreage from as high as 800,000 acres during initial discussions. Following the cancellation, the agency hosted an industry roundtable of 4FRI stakeholders on October 12 in Heber, Ariz. that addressed restoration strategies and “lessons learned.” Biomass disposal and bioelectricity were emphasized as key components.

NW HARDWOODS HEADING TO TEXAS Major hardwood lumber producer Northwest Hardwoods is relocating its head office from Tacoma, Wash. to Frisco, Texas. CEO Nathan Jeppson states, “This is an important move for our company as we position for long-term growth, and increasingly focus on delivering a world class customer experience.” The relocation is focused on corporate and functional teams, with commercial teams, resource and lumber buyers and all those who need to be in local markets across the globe unaffected. There will also be no impact on the company’s manufacturing footprint. In the near term offices in Beachwood, Ohio and Tacoma will remain open. NWH is the largest United States manufacturer of hard-

wood lumber with a current annual capacity of 320MMBF. Its North America operations include 19 facilities that produce more than 20 species of domestic hardwoods. The company was founded in 1967 as an alder sawmill, purchased by Weyerhaeuser in 1980, sold to American Industral Partners in 2011, and sold to Littlejohn & Co. in 2014. Northwest Hardwoods is emerging out of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring.

WOODGRAIN BUYS INDEPENDENCE LBR Diversified producer Woodgrain has expanded its operations and is planning a big investment with the acquisition of Independence Lumber, which has sawmill locations in Independence, Va. and Elkin, NC. Independence, operating in receivership, was sold to

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 9

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:34 PM Page 10

NEWSFEED Woodgrain in July by Three Twenty-One Capital Partners. According to Woodgrain officials, the purchase will create new jobs and help retain existing jobs in the two locations while allowing further vertical integration by supplying lumber to a nearby Woodgrain millwork plant in Marion, Va. Based in Fruitland, Id., Woodgrain is a major manufacturer with 10 millworks, door and window manufacturing facilities and seven distribution centers nationwide. The company also operates softwood mills at Emmett, Id., and Pilot Rock and La Grande, Ore., and a particleboard plant at Island City, Ore.

INDUSTRY DOUBTS BC ‘DEFER’ PLAN Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries, says the Bri-

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

tish Columbia government’s apparent intention to “defer” 2.6 million hectares (6.4 million acres) of old-growth across British Columbia will have a “profound and devastating impact on people, families and communities across the province,” and possibly result in the closure of between 14 and 20 sawmills in BC, along with two pulp mills and an undetermined number of valueadded manufacturing facilities. “This represents approximately 18,000 good, familysupporting jobs lost, along with over $400 million in lost revenues to government each year—revenues that help pay for health care, education and other services British Columbians count on,” Yurkovich says. She also notes that the government’s plan is based on recommendations received from a panel of advisors appointed earlier this year, four of five

with ties to environmental organizations including the Sierra Club and West Coast Environmental Law. “It’s particularly troubling that these deferrals come on the heels of a pandemic that has challenged us all and where the forest industry has been a bright light,” Yurkovich says. “We kept people working safely and continued to deliver more than $4 billion in revenues to government over the last year which has helped put our province in a financial position better than most. Now the key industry that has and can continue to contribute to our resilience is being devastated.” A recent independent study of forest inventory commissioned by COFI indicates BC has about 11.4 million hectares (28.2 million acres) of old forests, the majority of which —more than 75 percent—is already protected or is outside

the timber harvesting land base. “Our strong hope is that the Province will commit to a factbased, balanced and inclusive approach, including meaningful engagement with Indigenous Nations, forest professionals and other local experts, before proceeding with decisions that could irreparably harm workers, companies and communities across our province,” Yurkovich says. Premier John Horgan commets, “Following the recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review, we are taking steps to fundamentally transform the way we manage our old-growth forests, lands and resources.” Logging deferrals are a temporary measure—recommended by 2020’s Old Growth Strategic Review—to “prevent irreversible biodiversity loss” while First Nations, the Province and other partners devel-

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:34 PM Page 11

NEWSFEED op a new approach to sustainable forest management that prioritizes ecosystem health and community prosperity throughout BC. This new approach will be based on the recommendations provided in the Old Growth Strategic Review and will recognize that a shift to prioritize ecosystem health is necessary if the forests are to continue to provide essential benefits, such as clean air, clean water, carbon storage, conservation of biodiversity and timber. The Province is requesting that First Nations indicate soon whether or not they support the deferrals, require further engagement to incorporate local and Indigenous knowledge, or would prefer to discuss deferrals through existing treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements. As per the recommendations of the Old Growth Strategic Review, government will work

in partnership with First Nations to provide clarity on the areas of forest that should be protected forever, the areas that may support some harvest under strict management conditions that prioritize ecosystem health, and the areas that can be accessed for sustainable timber management to support workers and communities.

SAWMILL PROJECT ON FRONT BURNER Mercer International Inc. is in the planning stages of a new investment project in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Under the umbrella of Mercer Timber Products, which operates one of Germany’s largest sawmills out of the Thuringia region, there are plans to build another sawmill in Arneburg located near the Mercer Stendal (MS) pulp mill, one of Mercer’s five

pulp mills worldwide. The idea for the project originated before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the long and complex process to come to a standstill. It was since taken up again during the spring of 2021. This summer the building application was submitted to the responsible planning office of the Stendal district. In October André Listemann, Managing Director of Mercer Stendal, and Torsten Kröger, Strategic Project Manager at Mercer Timber Products, presented the project status, along with the first site plans, to the Altmark Industrial and Commercial Park Planning Assn. “There are two basic requirements for Mercer International to operate such a sawmill here,” Listemann explains. “The first is that the sawmill is wanted—by the district, the municipality, the

people who live and work here, as well as neighboring companies. Second, the authorities must approve the building application that has been submitted.” The Arneburg site was chosen for the new sawmill location because of its proximity to the pulp mill, allowing for numerous synergies. With the sawmill located here, some of the current deliveries of wood chips to Mercer Stendal for pulp production will be eliminated. These freed-up capacities absorb transport costs of raw material for the sawmill to a relevant extent while ensuring the material can be used twice. The residual products will not only be used in the pulp mill for the production of its core product, but also for biochemicals and the bioelectricity that powers the mill. The heat generated from this energy in the pulp mill’s existing power plant will then

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:35 PM Page 12

NEWSFEED be used to dry the lumber at the sawmill. “The integration of a sawmill into a pulp site in Germany would be a first,” Kröger adds.

USNR, WFG SOLD TO EQUITY FIRM One Equity Partners (OEP), a middle market private equity firm, announced it has completed the previously announced acquisitions of USNR and Wood Fiber Group. OEP reports it subsequently merged the two businesses, with projected 2021 revenues greater than $500 million. JB Cherry, Senior Managing Director, OEP, comments, “Combining these two great companies that are headquartered seven miles apart with a long history of collaboration and complementary customer bases is a natural next step to

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

drive value for the businesses and their customers.” Headquartered in Woodland, Wash., USNR provides comprehensive automation and technology system integration for wood products mills. The company boasts the largest global installed base of wood processing equipment, serving more than 1,800 customers operating 2,500 mill sites in 56 countries. Ridgefield, Wash.-based Wood Fiber Group acts as a “one-stop shop” provider of leading cutting tool products under brands including Simonds International, Burton Saw & Supply, BGR Saws, Cut Technologies, Global Tooling, U.S. Blades, Armstrong Manufacturing, and Wright Machine Tool. The company has 12 facilities across all the major North American wood processing regions. “We at USNR are so excit-

ed to come together with One Equity Partners and our great friends at Wood Fiber Group,” says Dale Brown, CEO of USNR. “OEP’s ambitious vision to combine these two enterprises and its established track record of successful investments in industrial companies immediately made the firm a preferred partner as we evaluated pathways to continued growth.” “We’re confident this merger will benefit customers of both USNR and Wood Fiber Group and enable us to collectively reach our full potential when it comes to service and innovation as we continue meeting the strong demand for lumber processing technology and missioncritical aftermarket parts and supplies,” adds Craig Tompkins, CEO of Wood Fiber Group. One Equity Partners has completed more than 300

transactions worldwide. OEP, founded in 2001, spun out of JP Morgan in 2015. The firm has offices in New York, Chicago, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam.

INTERFOR REPORTS LUMBER RECORD Interfor reported record quarterly lumber production in the third quarter, at 731 MMBF, while reporting net earnings in Q3 of $65.6 million, compared to $419.2 million in the second quarter. The third quarter production was an increase of 15MMBF over the second quarter. The U.S. South and U.S. Northwest regions accounted for 411MMBF and 156MMBF, respectively. Sawmills acquired on July 9 contributed to the increased output in both regions. Production in the BC re-

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 11:44 AM Page 13

NEWSFEED gion decreased to 164MMBF from 192MMBF due to log supply related downtime at the BC Interior sawmills as a result of wildfires. Interfor’s average selling price in the third quarter was $744 per MBF down $675 per MBF in Q2. The SYP Composite, Western SPF Composite and KD H-F Stud 2x4 9 ft. lumber price benchmarks decreased quarter-over-quarter by US$560, US$840 and US $1,051 to US$468, US$479 and US$558, respectively. Capital spending in the quarter was $44 million, including $26.6 million on high-return discretionary projects, the majority of which was focused on the ongoing multi-year rebuild of the Eatonton, Ga. sawmill, which will begin ramp-up in the first quarter of next year. Interfor concluded the acquisition of four sawmill operations located in Bay Springs, Miss., Fayette, Ala., DeQuincy, La. and Philomath, Ore. from Georgia-Pacific Wood Products for US$372 million. Significant progress has been made on restarting operations at the sawmill in DeQuincy, where lumber production is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022. The company completed the sale of property, plant and equipment at its former Hammond sawmill in Maple Ridge, BC. Interfor expensed $6.1 million of duties in the quarter, representing the full amount of CV and AD duties incurred on its Canadian shipments of softwood lumber into the U.S. at a combined rate of 8.99%. Cumulative duties of US$163 have been paid by Interfor since the inception of the current trade dispute and are held in trust by the U.S. Interfor believes that North American lumber markets over the near term are expected to remain above historical trends driven by continued strong demand from new housing starts and repair

and remodel activity, albeit with volatility as the economy adjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic recovery.

OREGON MAY ALTER FOREST PRACTICES Oregon is embarking on a major change to the Oregon Forest Practices Act following an agreement reached by preservationist and timber industry groups. According to the participants, changes to the act will deliver a variety of new protections for sensitive and endangered species and also provide more regulatory and legal certainty for timber companies and small woodland owners regarding logging and timber management activities on private lands. The goal is to update rules governing timber harvests and forest management on private land—roughly 10 million acres in the state—to in effect make the state’s forest practices fit the requirements of a federally supervised habitat conservation plan. Such a plan, if approved by NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, would protect forestland owners from lawsuits under the Endangered Species Act in exchange for conservation commitments. Similar agreements have been negotiated with some large timberland owners in the Pacific Northwest, but not on a statewide basis for all landowners. The agreement comes after several years of in-state preservationist and timber industry groups going at each other with competing ballot initiatives and increasingly expensive litigation. The tragic fires of 2020—and ongoing fire concerns—have made it easier for both sides to find common ground and interests. Many details remain to be worked out, but some commitments already agreed to include wider no-cut buffers for fish-bearing streams; new buf-

fers for streams that were previously unprotected; new rules governing logging on steep slopes to minimize erosion and protect habitat; improvements to logging and forest roads; new minimum harvest standards for small forestland owners; and compensation for small forest landowners who are impacted by the rules.

SALE OF SDS LBR IS DONE & DONE Three entities with strong Northwest ties and expertise in timberlands, forest conservation and mill operations have completed their previously announced acquisitions of portions of SDS Lumber Co. and SDS Co, LLC. The unique consortium, composed of Seattle-based Silver Creek Capital fund Twin Creeks Timber, LLC, The Conservation Fund, and Carson, Wash.-based WKO, Inc., designed and put forth a purchase solution for the SDS Lumber Co. and SDS Co, LLC that continues sustainable timber harvesting and mill operations while providing a path for the forestlands to be permanently conserved in the future for wildlife, recreation and community benefits. Included in the transaction are more than 96,080 acres of timberlands with environmental and community importance near the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon and lumber and plywood mills and associated assets in Bingen, Wash. Now that the sale is complete, each entity will solely manage its own specifically acquired lands or assets. Wilkins, Kaiser & Olsen, Inc. (WKO), which operates sawmills in Carson and Hood River, Ore. (as Mt. Hood Forest Products), will continue to operate the Bingen mills under the SDS Lumber name. Green Diamond Management Co., in its role as manager and co-investor in Twin Creeks

Timber, LLC, will manage 61,000 acres of the timberlands as working forests to support the local economy while upholding their practice of longterm forest stewardship. The Conservation Fund, through an affiliate, has acquired more than 35,000 acres of the SDS timberlands, including important oak habitat, river frontage and municipal drinking water sources.

INTERFOR BUYS EACOM TIMBER Interfor announced an agreement with an affiliate of Kelso & Co. to acquire EACOM Timber Corp. for C$490 million. EACOM is a leading lumber producer in Eastern Canada with operations across Ontario and Quebec, including seven sawmills with a combined annual spruce-pine-fir lumber production capacity of 985MMBF; an I-Joist plant with annual production capacity of 70 million linear feet; a value-added remanufacturing plant with annual production capacity of 60MMBF; rights to access approximately 3.6 million cubic meters per year of internationally certified fiber supply. “This transaction makes Interfor a truly North American lumber producer, with operations in all the key fiber regions on the continent, further diversifying and de-risking our operating platform and enhancing our growth potential and opportunity set,” says Ian Fillinger, President & CEO. Interfor’s total annual lumber production capacity will increase to 4.9 billion BF, of which 46% will be in the U.S. South, 16% in the U.S. Northwest, 20% in Eastern Canada and 18% in British Columbia. The business will operate under the Interfor banner, but Interfor indicates it will maintain all of EACOM’s key operating leadership and employees.

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:32 PM Page 14

FRANK LUMBER

INVESTS

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:33 PM Page 15

By Dan Shell

Frank Lumber’s filing room stays sharp with new technology, mill improvements.

MILL CITY, Ore. nvesting in its filing room and overall mill facility, Frank Lumber in western Oregon’s Santiam River canyon has made a commitment to quality lumber production for the long term. Filing room investments in the past five years and a current small log side upgrade are placing the company in good competitive stance and solidifying its market position as a top premium lam stock producer. Under the leadership of brothers Jim and Dennis Frank, the sons of founder A.J. Frank, the company has been a major part of the community’s economic “timber engine” for decades. A.J. founded the company in 1936 at a nearby location and moved it to its present site in Mill City in 1955. Frank Lumber’s commitment to the community has only been strengthened since the tragic fires of August and September 2020 as it has played a key role in the region’s recovery. Head Filer Curtis Heard, who’s been at Frank Lumber six years after stints at Malheur Lumber and D.R. Johnson, has headed up a youth movement in the filing staff and enjoys the Franks’ commitment to new technology. “I can’t say enough about the Frank brothers,” he says, adding that “Thanks to the foresight of Jim and Dennis Frank and their willingness to make changes and pay forward, the future of this sawmill looks really great.” Indeed, since Heard has been at Frank Lumber, he’s worked through several big events, including a major filing room conversion, the near-death of the mill and community from wildfire in fall 2020 and the replacement of a longtime scragg mill small log machine with a new quad arbor sawbox line.

INVESTMENTS Advances in technology throughout the sawmill are also evident in the filing room, where Frank Lumber has converted almost all its equipment to CNC grinding systems, mostly Iseli equipment from Oleson Saw: In the past five years, starting with tipping, the mill ordered two Iseli SAA tippers with induction annealers that dramatically reduced tip loss, Heard says. Since then, new grinders include an Iseli BNP-100 that replaced an Armstrong #6 unit, and a new Iseli GNP 100 grinder, the only one of its kind in North America, that handles the mill’s sash gang saws. A new KHB 100 profile grinder custom developed by Iseli added more automated grinding and productive

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:33 PM Page 16

Filing room is neat, clean, well-maintained and well-run—a long way from covered in ashes after the September 2020 fire.

New Iseli GNP 100 grinder handles the mill’s sash gang saws.

capacity in the round saw department. Heard adds that throughout the extensive filing machine upgrade both Iseli and Oleson Saw personnel were very knowledgeable, informative and great to work with. The mill operates large and small log sides on the green end: A traditional large log side with 8 ft. Letson & Burpee double-cut bandmill feeds to a 10 in. TMT combination gang with 9 saws that includes one 4-saw shifting board edger side. The machine also produces some 6x6 timbers material. The small log side is the recently installed USNR quad arbor saw box that runs along with a whole log EWD sash gang that feeds an 8 in. USNR 10 saw cant edger with Gen 5 chipping head from Lindsay Forest products. Heard notes one recent project was working with Modern Engineering to improve the guide and lube systems on both combo gang-edgers. Remodeling the systems on both machines enabled further reductions in sawing deviation, he adds. The biggest recent project is replacing a small log scragg mill that had been in place since the 1960s with a new USNR 1 6

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

The biggest recent proj ect is replacing a small log scragg mill that had been in place since the 1 9 6 0 s w ith a new U S N R q uad arbor saw box line that features shifting top arbors and fix ed bottom arbors. quad arbor saw box line that features shifting top arbors and fixed bottom arbors. The top arbor leads the bottom arbor, and pivots down to equalize the cut depth for various log sizes. This allows feed speed maximization for all log sizes. The scragg had been a chore for years due to its age, making maintenance hard

Head Filer Curtis Heard

to handle, parts hard to find and accuracy tough to dial in, Heard says. He adds that once the scragg was replaced, “Our recovery went up and our deviations are back down.”

FIRE, SALVAGE Meanwhile, all hearts briefly stopped and life in the Santiam River Canyon changed for the foreseeable future on September 7, 2020, when the Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires combined under extreme wind-driven conditions, jumped ridges and drove straight down the canyon from east to west like hell on wheels, burning hot and fast right down to the river’s edge in some cases. The conflagration killed five and destroyed thousands of houses and structures and burned more than 500,000 acres of public, state, and private timberland as it ripped along the river canyon for almost 30 miles. At Frank Lumber, the mill came through the fire miraculously unscathed, just barely. A timely fireline cut along a ridge just south of the mill made a big

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 17

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:33 PM Page 18

New MDI metal detectors have greatly reduced band saw wrecks and overall usage.

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

difference, and scorched areas to the north across the river from the mill’s office showed just how close disaster came. A big part of the tragedy was the speed of the flames driven by 70+ MPH winds. Many in the community had just minutes’ notice of evacuations, and one of Frank Lumber’s filers describes driving his family through flames to get out. The mill was down for almost two full weeks, and the filing staff found the filing room floor covered in ashes (like everything else in the community) when they were able to get back in and restart in late September. The Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires were part of a terrible fire season in California and the whole Northwest in 2020. In a period of several days in early September, Oregon was hit with similar wind-driven low elevation fires that tragically hammered populated areas along the McKenzie River east of EugeneSpringfield and in the communities of Phoenix and Talent south of Medford. A big difference with these fires is the amount of private timberland that was affected compared to previous years. Frank Lumber’s own timber holdings took a solid hit as well. The company operates in a region covered with public

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:33 PM Page 19

timber, but only private lands can be counted on to deliver consistent timber harvests. Salvaging still-standing trees and getting those areas replanted across all private ownerships as soon as possible is critical to maintaining regional timber inventories. Mills across the state like Frank Lumber have pitched in and provided markets for salvage logs, many of which were scorched on the bark instead of charred inside and are workable. Heard says they are looking at the better part of three years of handling some salvage logs as part of the overall log mix. In the local communiBoth band saws and round saws run with Stellite tips; trimmer saws run with carbide tips. ty, Frank Lumber has provided a critical market for smaller landowners who operate the community recovery process, and the most part aren’t much different than farms or have woodlots on their properFrank Lumber has been able to be part of other logs once they’re debarked, Heard ty. For these folks, being able to clear the solution. says. In some cases, with a recent batch their land and start new is a big part of As far as saw-ability, salvage logs for of red fir, for example, one side of the

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 20

log may have burned hotter and they’ve seen areas where sap has crystallized that lead to quicker saw dulling, but nothing critical. The biggest impact of working with salvage wood has been from the low elevation, woodlot and farm-sourced salvage logs coming in that have a much higher percentage of metal contaminants such as fencing wire and nails. “These lowland logs, roadside logs and farm logs have a lot of hardware in them,” Heard says, but the mill had a solution: As part of the scragg mill replacement, MDI metal detectors were added to the infeed lines on both the large and small log sides. Doing so made “a tremendous impact and huge difference” on saw life, Heard says. The mill went from wrecking at least a band saw a day—and sometimes multiple saws—to maybe one a week. That makes a big difference in not only saw costs but also sawing efficiency uptime.

SAWS, FILING

Family-owned Frank Lumber is a big community supporter and major employer.

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

The headrig saw is a 50 ft. double-cut band of Uddeholm steel manufactured by Burton Saw. The .095 plate has kerf drawn to .197, and teeth have trapezoidal Stellite tips. On 10-hour shifts, bands are changed every five hours. Sash gang saws are from Die Sagen Macher. At 5 ft. long, the saws are .095 plate with .195 kerf. The gang operates with 10 saws in its bank. ➤ 22

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 21

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 22

The round saws that run in the 20 ➤ gangs are identical, Peerless saws with Kennametal Stellite tips. Plate is .100 and kerf is .145. In 10-hour runs, the TMT gang uses up to 9-15 saws/day, while the USNR gang uses 10-15. Trimmer saws run a week with carbide tips. Band saw filing equipment includes an Armstrong #6 bench, Simonds leveler, Iseli BNP 100 profile grinder and Wright quad side grinder. Tipper is an Iseli SAA. A new Iseli GNP 100 handles sash gang bands. Round saw equipment includes one

The latest in filing room technology and a young staff eager to use it have Frank Lumber staying sharp.

Owners have made a large investment in grinding capacity and filing technology.

KHB 100 Iseli profile grinder, and a recently rebuilt Wright P-1C profile grinder that’s used as a backup. Side grinders are a Vollmer CHF ECO and Wright DS-4 Talon. Face and top grinders are Vollmer CHC 025 and CHC 20 H units. In addition to Heard, there’s a staff of four: one lead filer, a filer dedicated to band saws, another dedicated to round saws and another that works primarily with knives, guides, spacers and other components as well as grinding. In addition to managing, Heard fills in where needed. One key area of responsibility is he keeps a close eye on and handles alignments at machine centers in the mill. The staff is cross-trained to some extent as much as possible. The filers are responsible for their own equipment and also do a good job pitching in and helping each other. “They do a good job on keeping the equipment clean and maintained,’ Heard says. The group is a younger bunch, with an average age in the mid 30s, and Heard says they’ve worked well together. “These guys have really stepped up,” he says. “They’re careful, meticulous and are willing to put in the time that’s needed” to work up good-running saws. A filing room stocked with the latest technology and a solid younger age staff to run it, along with ownership committed to quality and precision, has Frank Lumber’s cutting tools operations staying sharp for the future. TP 22

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 23

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 10:38 AM Page 24

STICKING

WITH IT By Jessica Johnson

Arkansas-based Anthony Timberlands’ hardwood operations continue to thrive through tedious times.

MT. HOLLY, Ark. entered in south Arkansas, Anthony Timberlands (ATI) has eight manufacturing plants in the immediate region—including sawmills, a composite facility and a flooring mill. While ATI

might be known by three hardwood some for its largemills ATI operates “We’re as far scale pine operastayed true to their west and south tions, the diverse roots, feeding docompany puts just mestic and internaas hardwood as much emphasis tional markets with on its hardwood green and kilnquality lumber operations. For dried lumber—a is produced. Mike McQueen, big part of their domestic markets ATI VP of HardThat’s good wood Operations, being Anthony Oak continuing to invest Flooring (AOF) for us.” and be flexible has (see related story) Mill Manager been critical to surand Anthony HardChris McQueen viving the last few wood Composites. years—especially McQueen exat a time when the entire industry is talk- plains, “We’ve got a little bit more of a ing about record pricing for pine lumber. different angle. We are more vertically But ATI’s hardwood operations didn’t integrated than others might be. The good part about it is we have flexibility.” just linger in the shadows or try to convert to something they were not. The In the mills, such flexibility is gained

The Cooper overhead primarily breaks down cants straight for the shifting saw section gang.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 10:38 AM Page 25

with technologies such as linear positioning at the primary breakdown, so production can be maximized. “We can cut a log into a completely different product, whether that is lumber or cross ties or pallet cants or whatever out of the middle to maximize production,” McQueen states. Acquired in 2018, ATI’s Mt. Holly sawmill has an annual production capacity of 25MMBF, making it a good-sized hardwood sawmill, but it took some work to get there. Mill Manager Chris McQueen (Mike’s son) says, “As everyone knows, when someone decides to sell a sawmill operation, they’ve made the decision to quit investing in it. It has been a long process of work and reinvestment by the Anthonys, but we know it will pay off.” Though acquiring the mill as international markets posed significant challenges, followed by the pandemic and everything that has come with it with regard to supply chain issues and labor shortage, McQueen is more upbeat than ever that the investment by the company was the right move. “We are going to continue to obtain logs at a good price, the labor situation will improve, and probably there is going to be less competition when this is all said and done,” he believes. “The Mt. Holly operation allows us to take advantage of all of those things. We’re as far west and south as hardwood quality lumber is produced. That’s good for us.” The elder McQueen echoes his son’s sentiments, taking it further that being a family-owned and operated organization allows them to be both nimble and flexible in unprecedented times. “We’re a force in this part of the country, and we’re going to try to use it all to our advantage. We’re positive and upbeat,” he says. Both agree that when the facility was purchased, there were a great many areas of the mill that needed TLC, and at least $5 million was invested to get Mt. Holly’s sawmill where ATI wanted it to be from the start. Located just 26 miles from the existing AOF mill, it was a natural fit for the portfolio. A significant amount was also invested in Mt. Holly’s high production chip mill to upgrade the machinery and processes. With an emphasis on long-term ROI, ATI focused on optimization and efficiencies, including working with Timber Automation on edger controls and putting in an optimizer in front of the existing 50bay sorter. A new 3-knee Corley carriage at the primary breakdown also brought needed efficiency and production uptime. Mt. Holly’s product emphasis is

A McDonough resaw is fed by both primary breakdowns—a Cooper overhead carriage and a Corley carriage.

The Baxley/Hi-Tech edger handles pieces that are not already square-edged.

ATI Mt. Holly’s main domestic market is sister facility Anthony Oak Flooring.

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 10:39 AM Page 26

ANOTHER JEWEL IN THE CROWN

cquired in October 2013, the Anthony Oak Flooring (AOF) facility in Magnolia completed a diverse portfolio for the Arkansas-based wood products titan Anthony family. But as Chris McQueen, who serves as Vice President of Anthony Oak Flooring—one of the biggest customers of Anthony Timberlands’ hardwood sawmills, says, timing hasn’t always been the company’s “thing.” “When Anthony Oak Flooring was purchased, it was a flooring mill that consumed 75MBF of lumber a day and without a stick of lumber on the yard. Then hardwood lumber went to record highs immediately. Plus, an overall lumber shortage, where we just couldn’t buy green lumber because green lumber was being based off kiln-dried prices. That was our deal—we were trying to fill up a flooring mill and run it every day with high lumber costs,” McQueen recollects. But the facility was able to push through. In retrospect, McQueen says it was a good lesson and showed everyone exactly how efficient the mill needed to run in order to be productive. To complement the flooring plant, Anthony Timberlands acquired its Mt. Holly hardwood sawmill in October 2018, which has helped buoy the flooring mill. McQueen adds that the support, and large scale investment, is testament that the Anthony family continues to see value in the operations, even when times have been less than ideal.

Graders separate each grade before a Mekanika 10-bay nesting system. McQueen notes that having graders ahead of a nesting system might be unorthodox, but it works well for AOF.

FOOTPRINT

Packs are strapped automatically ahead of the warehouse.

are loaded into a Hasko side matcher, through a finished knot defect station before the Hasko end matching area.

At full staff, AOF runs a single, 10hour shift 65 people strong. VP of Hardwood Operations for Anthony Timberlands Mike McQueen says that the company is not a stranger to a multi-generational workforce and that the strong family atmosphere is an asset. “It gives us a leg up,” he says. At the end of the day it’s not just a job the husband or wife or son or daughter goes to. It’s a big family. Chris McQueen, Mike’s son, says that if you couldn’t have related employees in the flooring mill alone he would lose about 25 of his staff. He sees nothing but positives. “It makes it where everyone is accountable.” TP

MILL FLOW Despite what industry gossip might say, AOF does not strictly run on Anthony Timberlands lumber; plenty is purchased from outside the organization. Each and every board coming into the facility is inspected, and outside supplier material is regraded, and all pieces are sorted. Once sorted, lumber is put on sticks and left to air dry for anywhere from six months to 10. Based on either order or inventory, lumber is pulled off the yard, and run through one of six dry kilns, which account for more than 400MBF of kiln capacity. Once dried, boards hit a Lico rip saw, set up as a detached ripping system allowing AOF to separate blanks. “This allows us to carry a week’s worth of inventory,” McQueen says. “We might not be running the product we want to or need to, but we’re running.” Following the ripping system, boards 26

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

Graders ahead of a nesting system is a little unorthodox, but it works for AOF.

The facility consumes 75MBF per day.

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 10:39 AM Page 27

the dry breakdown’s goal is to make sure everything they want to go through the planer, does in fact go through the planer. “We have a runaround as well so we can reman and plane boards at will. So, if we see that we don’t want to plane low grade boards and send them to the flooring mill, and if we want to plane and do a special sort, we can have those boards go there,” he further explains. At full production, Mt. Holly is a 13,000 foot/hour mill on one shift with 70 employees. McQueen explains, “Mt. Holly is the second highest output hard-

wood sawmill in the state of Arkansas; the first is (Anthony) Beirne. So, we have the number one and the number two hardwood mills in the state productionwise now.” ATI President Steve Anthony says of the McQueen duo, “Mike and Chris have a high degree of autonomy in managing ATI’s hardwood portfolio. Hardwood operation is highly specialized and Mike and Chris have the experience and track record that inspires confidence in delegating the day to day decisions required.” TP

Chris McQueen

green and kiln-dried 4/4 lumber, along with cross ties and pallet cants, running white oak and red oak. It also produces mixed hardwoods in 4/4 thickness earmarked for the Anthony facility in Sheridan, Ark.

CUTTING PROCESS Logs are trucked in and immediately inspected for quality and specs, pass scales and are unloaded using Doosan knucklebooms before being placed in wet storage. Logs are loaded into the bucking line via Volvo wheel loaders for the Nicholson debarker. Debarked logs travel to either a twin band Cooper overhead carriage or the new Corley carriage. The mill has a McDonough resaw that is fed by either the Corley carriage or the Cooper. The Cooper overhead primarily breaks down cants straight for the shifting saw section gang. Then at their confluence, boards that have already been square edged go straight to the sorter. Boards that are not square edged go a Hi-Tech edger before flowing to the Pierce Construction 50 bay sorter. Once sorted, lumber hits the drying yard, where McQueen says they do it a little differently: “It’s the only drying yard I’ve ever seen that uses railroad rails to sit the lumber on, so that it maintains absolute straightness.” From the drying yard, all upper grade lumber is kiln-dried in one of the American Wood Dryers batch kilns. From there, lumber enters a Pierce Construction planer mill and grading chain with a dual infeed. One infeed goes straight to the lumber grader walking the chain, where there is plenty of room to pull lumber and do sorts on both sides. McQueen says the other side of TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 28

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 29

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 12:22 PM Page 30

CUTTINGTOOLS EDITOR’S NOTE: The following companies submitted these editorial profiles and images to complement their advertisements placed elsewhere in this issue. Please refer to those advertisements for web site and contact information. All statements and claims are attributable to the companies.

CAROLINA CUTTING TOOLS Carolina Cutting Tools has since 1987 specialized in servicing and manufacturing circular saws and knives for the sawmill industry. Owners Terry Green-President and Terri Green-Vice President along with Sales Manager Dean Johnston have many years of saw design and manufacturing experience. Our staff has been trained to high standards to produce the best saws in the industry. CCT has a state-of-the-art facility in Newberry, SC. The investment in robotic controlled equipment for tipping and precision grinding has CCT leading the way for quality work. CCT services multiple sawmills, picking up and delivering their tooling needs. We also have a growing list of direct sales of saws to sawmills that have their own filing rooms with great success. The advancement to producing our own Bladerunner brand saw plates puts us a step ahead of our competition. With our available stock of steel we have been in the position to manufacture an order quickly at a time of steel shortages. We have never seen this quality of steel before that produces a ridged flat plate that responds well to leveling and tensioning. We believe this quality will produce less deviation and downtime over the life of the saw. Carolina Cutting Tools: full range of services, distribution CCT distributes advanced ABM CNC saw and MVM knife grinding equipment for band saws and round saws that is economical and stateof-the-art; Williams and White heavy duty complete line of equipment made in North America for band saws and round saws; Oleson Saw Technology products including Iseli equipment; Hanchett and other equipment manufacturers for the saw industry. CCT has a line of diamond wheels, carbide tips, Stellite tips and most tooling for the saw filing room. CCT can help trouble-shoot sawing problems starting from the saws perspective. Over the years we have been able to help train filers at the customer site or ours. Let CCT quote you on your saw tooling and equipment needs to help your mills produce quality lumber into the future. We spend the time to get it right.

COLONIAL SAW 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 this robot loading system that enables unattended and overnight grinding at a surprisingly affordable price. The Premium-Loader, an 8-axis grinding machine, is built 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 have several customers telling us being able to run PremiumLoader overnight with no personnel delivers dramatic productivity increases and boosts the bottom line,” says Dave Rakauskas, Vice President of Colonial Saw. “Adding this machine allows our guys to program all our round saws in the morning and focus on bands, benching, and knife grinding Colonial Saw offers an affordable robotic saw service center. the rest of the day. Colonial Saw’s service has been excellent, and we’re very happy we stepped up to this level of automation in our filing room,” according to a statement from Lampe & Malphrus Lumber. “We’ve done 60,000 blades on our ABM robot in the first three years. We have 10 robotic grinders here and the ABM Premium runs as much or more than any of them,” adds Mike Morette of Sharp Tool in Hudson, Mass. Designed to meet the increasing demand for automation by today’s circular saw manufacturing and mill filing rooms, the Pre30

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 31

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:35 PM Page 32

CUTTINGTOOLS mium Loader offers a vast range of production capacity for round saw blades. It delivers a high ease-of-use factor with a userfriendly 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.

HANCHETT MFG Hanchett Mfg. Inc was established in 1889 and continues to produce conventional filing room equipment and tools for sawmills around the world. From our Model 410 and 414 band saw sharpeners to our stretchers, swages and shapers and back gauges, we can provide the tools that you need. For the users of inserted bit saws we have the industry standard Jockey Grinder, anvils and swages available. We are also a major manufacturer of precision knife grinders for mills from coast to coast. Our Challenger and HAN models are found in any first class mill in the country. All of our equipment is made in Big Rapids, Mich. using American made parts. Our equipment is sold by the top mill supply companies, including Smith Sawmill Service, Moraska Saw and Supply, Singleton Mill Supply, Burton Saw and Supply, and B.H. Payne Co. Contact your favorite representative for help with Hanchett prod- Filing room equipment expertise continues at Hanchett Mfg. ucts, including Ralph Hanchett, great grandson of the founder, Volney Hanchett, and grandson of Ralph Hanchett.

OLESON SAW TECHNOLOGY Oleson Saw Technology (OST), a division of York Saw and Knife, is an acknowledged leader in saws and saw filing room equipment for the forest products industry. York Saw and Knife is the premiere expert in machine knife technology and manufacturing since 1906. In addition to being the only U.S. distributor of the most modern line of saw filing equipment available, Iseli of Switzerland, OST utilizes the equipment in the manufacturing of their band saws. The fully automated Iseli line features a benching station, swaging and shaping, sharpening, Stellite tipping, leveling, and side Oleson offers the full Iseli line of saw filing machinery. grinding machines. These machines replace what was once done by hand, allowing mills to be more effective as well as creating a better end-product. The machines have a short setup time and allow programs to be saved for efficiency. The programming allows for one person to operate multiple machines simultaneously, instead of only doing one operation at a time. Additionally, the automation of the equipment ensures a consistent, repeated quality of machining. Band saws are now produced with a precise and accurate profile every time as human error is virtually eliminated. Mills now have better and increased output due to the advancement of the Iseli saw filing machine line. With help from Iseli and their state-of-the-art equipment, the quality of finish and sharpness on Oleson saws are unparalleled in either ready to tip, swaged tooth or Stellite tipped saws. Mills can now purchase Iseli of Switzerland machines for their saw filing rooms directly from Oleson Saw Technology. The complete and comprehensive knowledge that Oleson Saw Technology has in forest industry products allows OST to remain a top choice and single source for customers’ saws and saw filing room supplies.

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 33

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:35 PM Page 34

CUTTINGTOOLS PRINZ PRINZ is the leading manufacturer of saw chains for industrial needs. PRINZ specializes in the production of saw chains with a large pitch, starting with 15 mm. PRINZ has the right chain for your application and material, not only for wood but also for plastic pipes, gypsum boards, paper rolls, and much more. PRINZ carbide tipped chain DURACUT has the longest tips on the market, for the longest longevity of your chain. PRINZ is partnering with Smith Sawmill Service, allowing quick availability of your cutting equipment. PRINZ saw chains with large pitch

SAW-ADD Patented Round Saw-ADD is now available and customers are seeing up to as much as 10% increase in feed speeds with no wrecked saws and higher-grade lumber. Round Saw-ADD measures the sawing and guide friction forces from the driven end of the arbor outside of the sawbox. The feed speeds are controlled proportional to the measured forces by a simple multiplier that is easily inserted into your PLC program. Detecting forces on the arbor is about half a second faster than motor current thereby reducing peak stresses on the saws allowing them to run longer and need less leveling or tensioning. Round Saw-ADD requires little to no maintenance and is the first truly closed loop system allowing you to maximize your mills throughput and accuracy in real time. Band Saw-ADD has a new design that further integrates force sensors into the lower guide block holder and measures the lateral forces on the saw blade. These forces are detected before deviaSaw-Add sensor mountings tion can occur and the feed speed is immediately reduced by only the amount necessary. Band Saw-ADD has been proven on 22 machines in three countries and five U.S. states, creating increased profits through increased production, increased recovery, no saw wrecks, and less saw consumption just to name a few benefits. The ROI for Round Saw-ADD and Band Saw-ADD is extremely fast for high production mills. Saw-ADD is now working with the full support and resources of USNR to ensure sustainable long-term outcomes for machine upgrades and capital projects. The Optimil VDAG is now being manufactured Saw-ADD ready for an extremely quick plug-and-play installation. The advanced HMI Saw-ADD provides is a visual tool that allows the user to make fine-tuned adjustments specific to their mill.

WINTERSTEIGER (SERRA) The SERRA Shark 200 is a precision machine that is particularly easy to use. 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. The large scale enables 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 SERRA Shark 200 dry grinder machine!) while also significantly reducing the risk of gullet crack formation. Easy balancing of the grinding wheel is assured with the included balancer. Technical details: 34

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:02 AM Page 35

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_cs.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 11:44 AM Page 36

CUTTINGTOOLS —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.

WOOD FIBER GROUP l Wright

Machine Tool The MC-1000 mist collector is a compact unit with superior performance. The unit direct-mounts onto the sharpener and uses fiber bed filtration that is ideal for high pressure coolant and oil applications. Collected liquids drain back into the machine. The 1st stage Mechanical Element separates 90% of mist and swarf. The 2nd stage Demister Element supports the 1st stage with a washable filter. The 3rd stage Fibre Bed mist filter captures small mist particles, rated MERV 15. The 4th sage HEPA filter captures submicron mist, smoke and bacteria. The HEPA filter uses exclusive heavy duty filter media for the most hold and longest lasting filter on the market. l Burton Saw & Supply The CTM-13 Industrial Coolant filtration system is a portable unit suitable for use on multiple saw or knife sharpeners or can be dedicated to a single unit. The CTM-13 rapidly removes carbide, cast metals, and ceramic grinding materials from oil and/or water based synthetic coolants. Coolant filtration improves grinding finishes, reduces cobalt leaching, reduces wheel loading, and greatly extends coolant life. The unit filters up to 13 gallons per minute, works in oil and water based synthetic coolants, includes intake hose and coolant return hose and GFI protected for safe operation. You can create a healthier work environment and protect your machinery investment with Model CTM-13 filtration system. l Simonds International Following an unwelcome COVID-19 hiatus, Simonds has renewed Saw Filer Vocational Training classes for employees of its customers. In addition to the original three module Bandsaw Filing curriculum (Focus on Fitting, Centered on Sharpening and Better Benching), a circle saw filing curriculum has been launched here in 2021. Each 3-Day course has a content focus, but because filing skills are so interrelated, we cover additional disciplines in each class. Students spend some time in the classroom and the majority of their Wright Machine MC-1000 mist collector time hands on with our experienced instructors. Use of the equipment, saw blades and training materials are included in the tuition. l Armstrong Mfg. Maintaining a consistent, well designed gullet shape over the course of both the band saw blade and abrasive wheel’s useful life, across multiple shifts and on multiple sharpening machines is a challenge faced in many filing rooms. Armstrong Mfg.’s new ShapeUp Pro uses a template based on your gullet design to help both new and experience saw filers exactly duplicate abrasive wheel shape to your gullet shape time and again. Regardless of how many radii are used, the ShapeUp Pro will do the job. When combined with Linear Slides it makes for a strong productivity, consistency and saw quality package.

MORE CUTTING TOOLS, PAGE 48

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:03 AM Page 37

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 38

MACHINERYROW

POLYTECHNIK: LOTS OF ENERGY

or more than 55 years, the Lower Austria-based company Polytechnik has been specializing in power generation from biomass. With more than 3,300 installations worldwide, the company has evolved into a global player and leading supplier of customized solutions for any application, whether it’s warm water, thermal oil or steam, from cogeneration plants to process heat generators and municipal heating networks. The Polytechnik Group has 240 employees and, along with its main factory in Weissenbach, Austria, and its subsidiary in Auenwald, Germany, has branch offices in Hungary, Switzerland, France, Poland, Russia, Romania, Belarus, China and Australia/New Zealand. With its independent subsidiary, Polytechnik has been active in Australia and New Zealand for more than 10 years and now has a multitude of installations there. New Zealand’s forests cover 10.1 million ha and 38% of its total area. In 2019,

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

around 37 million m³ of timber was harvested. One important local consumer is the sawmill industry, which produced 4.4 million m3 of sawn timber in 2019. Despite the great distances and restrictions caused by the pandemic, Polytechnik successfully completed projects in New Zealand, which adapted an extremely rigid containment strategy.

WET GISBORNE Gisborne has become the center of a potential “revolution” in timber processing and housing construction in New Zealand. The plant of WET (Wood Engineering Technology) produces OEL (optimized engineered lumber), which is 40% stronger than comparable standard constructional lumber. OEL is made from thin lumber strips that are fingerjointed and laminated together. By laminating, its stiffness and strength are improved and therefore tim-

ber of lower quality and with smaller diameters can be used for a high-quality construction product. WET’s technology turns untreated round timber, which otherwise would be sent abroad, into an innovative, high-quality product. With the start of the construction of a second line, which will more than double

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 39

MACHINERYROW the site’s capacity, a decision was made for the installation of a Polytechnik thermal oil plant. The plant, which is currently being built, will supply the site’s drying chambers as well as other consumers with 235°C thermal oil. With this installation, the company achieves independence from the neighboring sawmill, which currently supplies heat to the drying chambers, and emissions are reduced by more than 90% compared to the existing plant due to the highly efficient combustion system combined with an electrostatic precipitator. Residual materials from the sawmill, mainly very wet wood shavings, as well as waste material from the production, like wood chips, are used as fuel. In order to keep the efficiency for the operational time of 50 weeks per year at an optimal value, Polytechnik employs a patented cleaning system which keeps the thermal oil boiler’s heating surfaces free of fly ash and thereby reduces the operating cost and increases the service life of the thermal oil boiler.

customers. The pine is sourced from the surrounding area of Otago, from small forest properties as well as from City Forests, Matariki and Wenita. The lumber is used for furniture, housings or boxes, including fingerjointed and edge-glued products. Most sales go to Vietnam, Taiwan, China and Indonesia, while the wood chips are supplied to Dongwha’s MDF plant south of Gore. Polytechnik’s plant, which is specifical-

ly designed for the operation with wet waste material from pine trees with up to 65% water content from the sawmill, is fueled almost exclusively with wood shavings and bark in order to heat the water in the boiler up to 165°C, which then in turn is used to heat up the 60 m long continuous drying chamber to 95°C. Here, up to 90 m3 of wet wood shavings and bark are used as energy source every day. The installation of the hot water

PAN PAC In 2017, the Japanese company Pan Pac Forest Products finished a $24 million refurbishment of its sawmill in Milburn, NZ. Production was doubled from 50,000 m3 to 100,000 m3 of sawn timber per year. The plant in Milburn, south of Dunedin, close to Milton, is using some of the newest and most environmentally friendly equipment, from the fuel source to the biomass heating plant with exhaust gas cleaning and the wood drying plant with cutting-edge technology. In Milburn, 100% pine trees are processed into lumber, which currently is intended exclusively for export to Asian

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 40

MACHINERYROW plant with the adiabatic low-NOX combustion chamber and electrostatic precipitator from Polytechnik set new standards for efficiency and emissions for the New Zealand sawmill industry in 2017.

NELSON FORESTS

Nelson Forests was acquired in 2018 by OneFortyOne, a trans-Tasman business operating forests and mills in Australia and New Zealand. OneFortyOne manages 80,000 hectares of sustainable forest plantations in Nelson Tasman and Marlborough in New Zealand and operates a modern sawmill in Kaituna near Blenheim, where the pine logs are processed. Additionally, timber from certified sustainable plantations is processed in the Jubilee sawmill in Mt. Gambier, Australia. The combined sales of round logs from Australia and New Zealand amount to more than 2 million m3/year, with the majority of the round logs being sold

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

within the country in order to support jobs and local processing. Lumber sales from the plant in Kaituna amount to over 400,000 m3. The produced goods are mainly used for houses, sun decks, fences and furniture. Since 2017, the site’s drying chambers needed for drying the lumber are supplied with saturated steam by a Polytechnik biomass plant, which heats up the ambient air to 95°C for the operation of the drying chambers. The installation of an innovative combustion chamber and heat exchanger concept, which allows the staging and targeted insertion of the combustion air necessary for the combustion of very wet wood shavings, made it possible to decommission two of the site’s old boiler plants, which in turn led to a significant increase in availability and a dramatic reduction of emissions. After almost 30 years, the site’s four boiler operators were finally able to tend to other tasks, as the Polytechnik boiler plant, which was installed in 2016, can be monitored and operated mainly remotely and without permanent supervision. The necessary tests of the steam boiler plant are carried out at least every 72 hours in accordance with the applicable regulations.

CHRISTCHURCH The successful experience with Polytechnik plants in the wood industry have also opened doors to other wood energy

applications in New Zealand. For example, Polytechnik was able to win the tender for the heating supply of a large hospital. In Christchurch, the second-largest city in New Zealand, where Polytechnik has installed six boiler plants in past years, a 15.6 MW heating supply system for the hospital is being constructed which will use otherwise unused wood residues from the forestry sector and the surrounding sawmills as fuel. Here, Polytechnik’s engineers have to fulfill special requirements. The plant has to meet the country’s strict requirements regarding earthquakes in order to reliably supply the hospital with heat and steam even after a strong earthquake. According to the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw, “The new biomass heating plant will help to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and to decommission the current coal boilers.” The plant will be put in operation in early 2022. TP Article and photos submitted by Polytechnik.

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:03 AM Page 41

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 42

MACHINERYROW German Operation Counts On Fuchs From early in the morning until late in the evening, a Terex Fuchs MHL434 F material handler is hard at work at Westerwälder Holzpellets GmbH, a company in Langenbach bei Kirburg, RheinlandPfalz, Germany that processes up to 120,000 fm of roundwood annually into packaging lumber and pellets. The MHL434 F plays an integral role in the facility’s operation, removing roundwood from the delivery truck and taking it to the sorting line’s infeed. Here, the logs are debarked and sorted into boxes according to diameter and length. With its large-dimensioned gripper, the MHL434 F transports the wood to the spacious storage yard. The key focus in the MHL434’s operation is to ensure that the sawmill’s feed table is permanently loaded. For the other areas of operation on site, both the MHL334 and the new MHL434 can also be used in trailer operation. Due to the multitude of possible applications, the new MHL434 has be-

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

Fuchs MHL434 F neatly works through various layout configurations at the mill.

come an all-rounder at Westerwälder Holzpellets GmbH: It is in a two-shift operation, five days a week. In addition to various manipulation tasks such as emptying boxes, stacking and loading the sawmill, it also supports the unloading of trucks and the loading of the sorting plant. “The excellent all-round visibility of the MHL434 through the rearhinged boom greatly increases work safety in the log yard. The performance of the machine is impressive,” says Joachim Kessler, Operations Manager at Westerwälder Holzpellets GmbH. One of the biggest challenges for ma-

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:03 AM Page 43

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 44

MACHINERYROW chine and driver is the narrow space available in the log yard. The small rear radius of 2.6 m paired with the small upper carriage swing diameter enables optimal working conditions, even with narrow aisle widths. A unique feature in this machine class is the original Fuchs Timber Boom. Due to the arrangement of the boom behind the center of rotation, the MHL434 offers the best visibility conditions, which increases working safety in the log yard. This concept also enables a greater pile height and thus better utilization of the available timber storage area. A generously dimensioned, elastically mounted and soundproofed cabin with sliding door and tinted windows provides the optimal environment for productive and fatigue-free work. Sun blinds, 10 air conditioning and heating nozzles, swinging armrests/joysticks and a driver’s seat specially designed for pick and carry operation offer the driver the best possible comfort. Service work can be carried out comfortably from the ground. These activities are additionally facilitated by wide-opening maintenance flaps equipped with gas springs and closing aids. The extensive standard features, which include the front and roof guard for timber application, the driver’s cab with 4 m viewing height, 8 LED work lights, boom cylinder damping system, wireless tire pressure monitoring, external battery terminals, advanced automatic idle and engine shut-off function and reversing fans for the separately located engine and hydraulic oil coolers, has been specially compiled for the requirements of timber handling. Sebastian Klein, operator at Westerwälder Holzpellets GmbH, says, “The large front, rear and side windows, as well as the excellent view to the right, thanks to the rear-hinged boom, enable me to keep a close eye on all the processes around me. I also like the powerful yet sensitive work with the MHL434. Despite the large volume of work, I have activated the ECO mode on our MHL434 for over 70% of my daily tasks. This saves me up to 30% of fuel.”

White Mountain Plans Small Log Line Upgrade White Mountain Apache Timber Co. (WMATCO) in Whiteriver, Ariz. is investing to update its small log line system. The mill is located within the Fort Apache Reservation, where nearly all the raw timber is sourced. The tribe operates both large log and small log mills. This upgrade for the small log mill will install new hold down rolls and new spiked carry over rolls on the infeed of the line, and replace the worn components. These investments will bring the equipment up to current standards, improve reliability and throughput, and reduce maintenance. The existing PLC controls and optimization platform will be replaced with USNR optimization, and will increase recovery and uptime. The new

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:03 AM Page 45

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 46

MACHINERYROW lineal scanning system will utilize 4 BioLuma 3900L sensors. The BioLuma 3900L delivers the highest speed UHD laser profiling for the most demanding lineal applications. The PLC controls system will be based on the ControlLogix platform, and will control the infeed from the merchandiser through to the log line outfeed separator. This project is scheduled to be completed early in 2022.

Chemicals Business Rebrands As Arxada LSI, a global specialty chemicals business with leading positions in Microbial Control Solutions (MCS) and Specialty Products Solutions (SPS), has rebranded as Arxada. The new name follows the company’s launch as an independent business in July after the completion of the sale of Lonza Specialty In-

gredients from Lonza Group. Marc Doyle, CEO of Arxada, comments, “This new identity signals our intent to transform the company as we build on our longstanding heritage of innovation and pioneering technology to enhance our presence within the microbial control and specialty chemicals markets. Our new corporate identity demonstrates our commitment to enable our customers and their products to be more efficient, more effective, more responsible and more sustainable.” The name Arxada derives from arx and arcis, the Latin words for citadel and fortress. Arxada provides solutions that strengthen the performance of its customers and their products, and help to protect people, places and the planet. Visit arxada.com.

Renovation Planned For USNR Headquarters USNR is investing in a major renovation of its world headquarters office in Woodland, Wash. The project will be split into two phases to maintain usable office space for on-site staff and seamless operation of critical services during construction work. Having last been updated in the early 1990s, the Woodland office was due for a refresh. The workspace is being completely reimagined with a modern floorplan to foster collaboration, communication and creativity. On the heels of major tooling investments and process improvements in the Woodland manufacturing areas, this office remodel will be the latest in a series of projects across USNR facilities worldwide. In 2016, the company moved to an all-new facility in Jacksonville, Fla., and in early 2020 completed a remodel of the office space in Söderhamn, Sweden.

Keitele Plans Boiler Upgrade At Sawmill KPA Unicon and Keitele Energy have agreed to modernize the existing boiler plant at the Keitele Timber sawmill in Keitele, Northern Savonia, Finland. This is a large-scale modernization project, which will invest in cleaner energy production and modernize the plant’s automation and other systems. The new energy system is based on Unicon Renefluid fluidized bed boiler technology. It replaces the 7.5 MW fluidized bed boiler installed in 1994. 46

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:03 AM Page 47

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 11:53 AM Page 48

MACHINERYROW KPA Unicon will supply a 15 MW boiler, auxiliary equipment and a Unicon Bag filter flue gas cleaning system. In addition, KPA Unicon is responsible for the recycling and modification of the existing equipment and modernization of the control and automation system. The system will be connected to KPA Unicon’s comprehensive PlantSys digital platform, which allows remote control of the energy production. The

platform provides digitalization of maintenance reporting and the automatic data collection. Keitele mainly produces pine and spruce sawn lumber. The heat generated by the new energy system will be used to dry the lumber produced by the sawmill. As a fuel the plant will utilize byproducts of the sawmill including sawdust, chips, and bark as well as milled peat. The modernization project will be implemented during 2022.

Stella-Jones Acquires Treating Operation Stella-Jones Inc. has entered into an agreement to purchase the shares of Cahaba Pressure Treated Forest Products, Inc. for $66 million. Cahaba Pressure manufactures, distributes and sells treated and untreated wood poles, crossties and posts and provides custom treating services, primarily utilizing creosote, copper naphthenate and pentachlorophenol at its wood treating facility in Brierfield, Ala.

CUTTINGTOOLS SHARP TOOL

Sharp Tool offerings include wide band saws.

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. Since 1959, Sharp Tool has manufactured circular saws and has become one of the largest saw manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Our manufacturing facility in Massachusetts is fully robotic, featuring state-of-the-art equipment. 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. 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. Servicing the forestry industry for almost 60 years, Sharp Tool has a diverse background in providing technical expertise to sawmills. 48

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:03 AM Page 49

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 50

2021 EDITORIAL INDEX JANUARY/FEBURARY

MARCH

Canter/Profiler Line. Page 24.

The Issues Focus On The Family. Page 5.

The Issues Georgia-Pacific Finishes Strong. Page 5.

Growing Wisdom Robert B. Jordan, IV, president and CEO of the Jordan Family of Companies, is the 2021 Timber Processing Person of the Year, 14 years after his father, Bob Jordan, received the annual award, now in its 33rd year. Page 20.

GP Knows Startups Saving the best for last, GP starts up Albany Lumber during a pandemic—its final of three startups in less than three years. Page 20.

4 Obstacles, 8 Antidotes Building authentic leadership through effective execution. Page 36.

Better Drying Charles Ingram Lumber has a lot going on, including a new DPK with patented technology. Page 28. Marks’ Forest Health Role Montana’s Marks Lumber plays a key role in regional forest health activities—and wants to share industry’s side of the story. Page 36. Ultimate Guide To Moisture Control: Part 4: The Sawmill. Page 42.

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

Building Mass Timber Market growth awaits but challenges remain for producers. Page 28. Second Look: Ingram. Page 36. Log Merchandising. Page 38.

APRIL The Issues Dare We Take One Last Look. Page 5. Moving Forward Katerra is taking the manufacturing of CLT to another level with the latest technology. Page 14.

Appalachian Hardwood Log Grading, Scaling: Surveying mills, seeking standard practices. Page 42.

MAY The Issues It’s Next Up For Many Independent Sawmills. Page 5. Project Expert South Carolina SYP timbers producer, Dempsey Wood Products, keeps lighting up the scoreboard. Page 14. Sawmillers Meet In-Person: Hardwood Manufacturers Assn. holds 2021 annual meeting in Texas. Page 24. Planer Mill Bonanza. Page 26. Second Look: Albany. Page 36.

Appalachian Hardwood Procurement: Gauging regional log-buying practices. Page 38.

JUNE The Issues Good Times Don’t Last Long Sometimes. Page 5. They’re Booming U.S. softwood lumbermen are coming out of the pandemic and running full speed into record lumber markets. Page 16. While It Lasts U.S. hardwood lumbermen are about as upbeat as they have been in years. For how long? Page 42.

JULY The Issues SFPA Expo Emerges At The Right Time. Page 5.

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:44 PM Page 51

SEPTEMBER

Productivity & Efficiency: A Conference By Timber Processing. Page 16. Coming Alive Angelina Forest Products finds a hole, and fills it with a greenfield startup. Page 20. Solid Support Timbers mill meant to feed chips to on-site linerboard plant comes into its own. Page 32.

The Issues SFPA Expo Gets It Done, TP&EE 2022 Next Up. Page 5. Southern Standard Collum’s Lumber stays on the leading edge of technology and their numbers show it. Page 14. Side-By-Side: SFPA Expo In Pictures. Page 23.

SFPA Expo. Page 40.

Downstream. Page 28.

Expo Richmond Makes Comeback. Page 66.

Mississippi Growing All of the Southern U.S. has become a hotbed of sawmill projects in the past half dozen years, and Mississippi is one of the leaders. Page 40.

AUGUST The Issues Sometimes Companies Just Get Lucky. Page 5. Falling In Place Westervelt’s new greenfield sawmill had a tremendous supporting cast en route to an aheadof-schedule startup during an international health crisis. Page 14. 2021 Lumbermen’s Buying Guide. Page 24.

Hamilton Was Key Man For Scotch. Page 52.

Making Headway Alabama timbers mill M.C. Dixon Lumber underwent a sawmill upgrade in face of a health crisis and market frenzy. Page 14. Many Lifetimes The Pusey family is the fourth generation at the helm of Paul M. Jones Lumber Co., where employees also tend to stick around for the long haul. Page 22. Opportunity For NA Sawmills: Element5 starts up Ledinek cross-laminated timber line. Page 30. Global Machinery. Page 34. New Position System Enhances Resaw: Smart Gate with RMC150 improves precision and productivity at recent installation. Page 44.

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

The Issues FS ‘Reassessment’ Runs Fire Risk. Page 5.

The Issues Sawmill Industry Is Still In A Sprint. Page 5.

Biewer-Winona Coming Along. Page 13.

Industry Patriarch Varn Passes. Page 6.

Timbers Niche Mill Oregon’s Sundance Lumber pursues quality timbers and industrial clears niche markets. Page 16. Why Digital Transformation? Sawmills using it are reportedly seeing operational benefits. Page 22. Second Look: Westervelt Page 26. Dry Kilns. Page 28.

DECEMBER The Issues One Busy Year. Page 5. Frank Lumber Invests Frank Lumber’s filing room in Oregon stays sharp with new technology, mill improvements. Page 14. Sticking With It Anthony Timberlands’ hardwood operations in Arkansas continue to thrive through tedious times. Page 24. Cutting Tools. Page 30.

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 52

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.us

■ Tennessee

STACKING STICKS

FOR SALE

Next closing: January 5, 2022

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 08/21

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TPdec21pgs_SS.qxp_Layout 1 11/22/21 1:37 PM Page 53

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

EMPLOYMENTOPPORTUNITIES Recruiting Services

1615

JOHN GANDEE

& ASSOCIATES, INC

GW Industries www.gwi.us.com

Depending on Circumstances / Needs

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

“The lowest cost per cycle”

Contingency or Retained Search

512-795-4244

GREENWOOD KILN STICKS Importers and Distributors of Tropical Hardwood Kiln Sticks

Executive – Managerial – Technical - Sales

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

LUMBERWORKS

3220

geo@TopWoodJobs.com www.TopWoodJobs.com (360) 263-3371

3779

VISIT US ONLINE: WWW.TIMBERPROCESSING.COM

PRODUCTSCANNER10 VK DEBARKING

VK North America LLC (VKNA), based in Spokane Wash., operates as a subsidiary of Valon Kone Oy located in Lohja Finland. Valon Kone Oy has been one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of low, medium and high-speed rotor debarkers since the 1940s. VKNA services the U.S. and Canadian markets with the complete line of Valon Kone products. In addition to rotor debarkers, VKNA offers technical support, field service and OEM parts. VKNA also has staff in Western Canada and the Southeast U.S. to service its valued customers. In North America VKNA specializes

in supplying the VK Kodiak rotor debarkers. This model has been designed to meet the North American standards that today’s modern mills require. The Kodiak debarking rotor comes in five sizes— 17", 22", 27" 32" and 36" in either single or dual rotor configurations. Kodiak debarkers can be used together with the industry leading VK Self Centering infeed conveyors. Infeed conveyors will assure accurate centering of the log into the debarker with minimal fiber damage, allowing also ribbon feeding and thus increased quality of debarking. VKNA also offers Valon Kone’s exclusive full line of rotor Flare Reducing technologies that are standard supply in most European and Scandinavian mills. Visit valonkone.com.

LOAD CELL MODULE

Delta Computer Systems announces the latest I/O module for the flagship RMC200 motion controller. The RMC200 offers best-in-class motion control for up to 50 axes of synchronized position, velocity, and pressure/force control of hydraulic, electric or pneumatic actuators. The new LC8 Load Cell module connects directly to 8 load cells without the need for external signal conditioners. The LC8 is expected to be particularly useful in testing applications where pre-

cise, high speed, force measurements are required, whether for force feedback to a motion axis or simply for monitoring of multiple load cells. The new module provides 8 load cell inputs, divided between two detachable terminal blocks. The maximum sensitivity is 5mV/V in full Wheatstone bridge configurations, and quarter and half bridge configurations are supported with a user-supplied bridge completion circuit. Both 4 and 6 wire load cells are supported, and each of the 8 inputs includes a sense input for wire voltage drop compensation. Excitation voltage is 6.75 V, designed for 350-ohm load cells; lower resistance load cells are supported as long as current limits are not exceeded. Externally supplied excitation voltage is also supported within input range and maximum differential limits. Visit deltamotion.com. TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

■

DECEMBER 2021

■

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:03 AM Page 54

MAINEVENTS DECEMBER 11-14—WMF: Shanghai International Furniture Machinery & Woodworking Machinery Fair, National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai, China. Call (852) 2516 3518; visit woodworkfair.com. 28-31—Furniture China 2021, Shanghai New International Expo Center, Pudong, Shanghai, China. Call +86-2164371178; visit furniture-china.cn/en-us.

FEBRUARY 2022 7-9—Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Assn. Convention & Exposition, Indianapolis Downtown Marriott, Indianapolis, Ind. Call 317-288-0008; visit ihla.org. 24-28—IndiaWood 2022, Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Bangalore, India. Call +91-80-4250 5000; visit indiawood.com.

MARCH 2022

15-17—Dubai Woodshow, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Call +971 4 39 23232; visit dubaiwoodshow.com. 16-18—2022 SLMA & SFPA Spring Meeting & Expo, Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, La. Call 504-443-4464; visit slma.org. 23-25—Hardwood Manufacturers Association's National Conference and Expo, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Miramar Beach, Fla. Call 412-244-0440; visit hmamembers.org. 29-30—Wood Bioenergy Conference & Expo, Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 334-834-1170; visit bioenergyshow.com. 29-31—Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org. 29-April 1—Fimma-Maderalia 2022, Feria Valencia, Valencia, Spain. Visit fimma-maderalia.feriavalencia.com/en. 31-April 1—Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga. Call 334-834-1170; visit pelice-expo.com.

APRIL 2022 6-8—International Wood Products Assn. 66th World of Wood Virtual Convention, Orlando, Fla. Call 703-820-6696; visit iwpawood.org. 27-29—MSR Annual Workshop, Courtyard by Marriott, Salt Lake City, Utah. Call 608-310-6768; visit msrlumber.org. ■

DECEMBER 2021

■

MAY 2022 13-14—Loggers’ Expo, Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, Vt. Call 315-369-3078; visit northernlogger.com. 15-17—American Wood Protection Assn. annual meeting, Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, S.C. Call 205-733-4077; visit awpa.com. 20-21—38th East Coast Sawmilling and Logging Exposition, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond Raceway Complex, Richmond, Va. Call 804-737-5625; visit exporichmond.com.

Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

●

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

3-6—Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers annual meeting, The Diplomat Beach Resort, Hollywood, Fla. Call 336-8858315; visit appalachianhardwood.org.

27-29—International CLT Conference, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. Visit sfws.auburn.edu.

PG.NO.

A W Stiles Contractors 49 Andritz Iggesund Tools 2 Arkansas Economic Development Comm 23 Autolog 22 Automated Industrial Technologies 29 Automation & Electronics USA 27 BID Group 7 Calibre Equipment 35 California Saw & Knife Works 42,51 Carbotech International 12 Carolina Cutting Tools 37 Claussen All-Mark International 55 Colonial Saw 19 Cone Omega 50 Corley Manufacturing 8 Esterer WD GmbH 33 FiberPro 42 G F Smith 10 Gilbert Products 18 Hanchett Manufacturing 11 Holtec USA 56 Johnson & Pace 48 Linck 41 Linden Fabricating 44,49 Lucidyne-Microtec N.A. 9 Mebor 47 Metal Detectors 6 Mid-South Engineering 49 Nelson Bros Engineering 37 Oleson Saw Technology 21 Pipers Saw Shop 48 Premier Bandwheel 48 Prinz GmbH 43 Saw Add 49 Sering Sawmill Machinery 44 Serra/Wintersteiger 45 Sharp Tool 20 Signode 17 T S Manufacturing 46 Telco Sensors 28 USNR 39 Vecoplan 40 Williams & White Equipment 31 Wood Fiber Group 3 Wood-Mizer 38

PH.NO. 931.668.8768 813.855.6902 800.275.2672 450.434.8389 434.525.2292 704.200.2350 843.563.7070 +64 21 586 453 415.861.0644 819.252.2273 803.944.5708 800.252.2736 888.777.2729 229.228.9213 423.698.0284 +49 86 71 5 03 0 501.463.9876 971.865.2981 418.275.5041 800.454.7463 800.346.5832 903.753.0663 936.676.4958 250.561.1181 541.753.5111 +386 4 510 3200 541.345.7454 501.321.2276 888.623.2882 800.256.8259 800.845.6075 604.591.2080 855.467.7469 360.459.9163 360.687.2667 801.550.4878 800.221.5452 800.323.2464 705.324.3762 800.253.0111 800.289.8767 336.793.5143 888.293.2268 800.426.6226 866.477.9268

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

TIMBER PROCESSING

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:03 AM Page 55

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!

TP_1221_ASM.qxp_Layout 1 11/23/21 7:03 AM Page 56

CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY OPTED IN!