CAHABA VENEER – VENEER DRYER RENEWAL Pete Browder is the owner of Cahaba Veneer of Centreville, AL, and has seen his share of ups and downs in the industry. From the time he was very young he worked in his father’s veneer mill, Sumter Veneer (now closed). Pete turned his sights to owning his own plant, and he took over Cahaba Veneer in 1997. Cahaba Veneer is located on one of the oldest mill sites in Alabama. Started in 1906, it was originally named W.E. Belcher Lumber Company and was a major sawmill operation. In time a veneer plant was added to the site, and today that is the operation owned by Pete Browder, while a neighbor operates the sawmill.
Designing a plan With two veneer dryers already on site, Pete wanted to increase the drying capacity. The existing dryers were a Coe M72 gas fired system that was installed in 2004 and a Coe M62 steam-heated system that was installed in 1962 (the very first Coe vert-ajet dryer ever manufactured). When another (circa 1998) Coe M62 3-deck gas-fired dryer became available at a site 20 miles away, Pete jumped at the chance to acquire it. Though it had been idled for several years Pete knew it could solve his dryer capacity bottleneck. During the process of relocating the dryer to Centreville, Pete decided to investigate installing an insulated steel floor rather than using a concrete foundation that is typical for these dryers. The economics made a lot of sense, as the insulated floor would be more economical to install and require far less maintenance long-term. He expected it would also improve energy efficiency.
M62 dryer was a Coe design it made sense to install new USNR parts that were made to OEM design specifications.” The plant processes primarily hardwood logs of various species. “We process logs into cut-to-size specialty hardwood veneers. In this market, if a customer has a specific specialty they will request any variation of size within the mill’s capabilities.” Much of the plant’s output goes to secondary manufacturers to be made into engineered flooring, but there are many other hardwood veneer applications such as ceiling tiles, woven and acoustical baffles, and furniture.
Project scope The project required USNR to install new steel support piers for reinstalling the dryer on a flat factory floor, while maintaining the elevation of the machine from its
It made sense to install new USNR parts that were made to OEM design specifications.
previous installation. The project scope also included all new fasteners and sealing materials for reassembling the dryer. The insulated floor consisted of 5 steel panels for each of the 4 heated sections and one cooling section. The floor was welded into the dryer to form a completely sealed unit. Additional structural steel was included to support the panels and longitudinal stiffening between the dryer’s existing bottom cross beams.
The insulated floor consisted of 5 steel panels for each of the 4 heated sections and one cooling section. Below shows the cooling section insulated floor was yet to be installed.
The advantage of OEM designs Though Pete did look at other vendors for the insulated floor, he chose USNR for several reasons. “I have a long-standing relationship with Coe, and I don’t know USNR. Since USNR acquired the Coe assets I was very happy because I have a lot of Coe equipment and was assured to receive ongoing support. I also wanted to develop a relationship with USNR, and to support the company’s venture into the Coe equipment line.” He went on to explain, “Because the
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Millwide Insider | ISSUE 2 - 2014 | www.usnr.com
COOLING SECTION