Author Topic: Anyone read the Dec 03 Wood magazine (Read 2595 times)

WV_hillbilly · « **on:** January 30, 2004, 05:50:01 pm »

I was reading the Dec 03 Wood magaxzine and there is an article in there on Pierce Lumber Co. in Belle Plaine Iowa . They produce 350,000 Bd/ft of hardwood a month .

They have 2 200hp headsaws , 2 resaws with 12" wide bands , and 4 large kilns . In the article it looks like quite an impressive place. Is this an extremely large operation for hardwoods or just another regular sized mill ?

Jeff · « **Reply #1 on:** January 30, 2004, 06:04:37 pm »

Total combined production off our two head rigs per month is around 1-1.2 million feet.

WV_hillbilly · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2004, 07:50:25 pm »

So what your sayin is yours is bigger .

WV_hillbilly · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2004, 08:04:31 pm »

I meant to say that mill isn't so big after all . But I would guess it is still a big player in that market area .

EZ · « **Reply #4 on:** January 31, 2004, 03:16:45 am »

Just seeing one of them 12 inch wide resaw would be impressive enough for me. I'd like to take a tor threw a place like that or were Jeff works, some day. Seen alot of pictures of these mass production places but to see them in action would be something to see.
EZ

WV_hillbilly · « **Reply #5 on:** January 31, 2004, 04:03:24 am »

I'd like to see one of those mills like that or Jeff's , and a veneer mill also . Being in the electrical construction field has let me see some very interesting processes in person up close . So maybe we can get Shopteacher to set us up a FF field trip

. You know we could just slip in with the kids and knowbody would suspect us ..

I .ve been to a pulp mill and if you can get past the smell it's a neat process.

Norm · « **Reply #6 on:** January 31, 2004, 04:44:13 am »

There are three big mills in Iowa if I remember right. Wieland, Big Timber and Pierce. Wieland's is the most modern of the three from what I hear. I have never dealt with Pierce but the other two mills are run by some nice folks that will show you around if they have time. Might even see the Inspector.

Jeff does your mills both cut softwoods or does one do hardwood and the other softwood.

shopteacher · « **Reply #7 on:** January 31, 2004, 05:49:45 am »

Hey WV, I can probably do that. All you guys have to do so as you won't stick out is:
1. Shave you heads
2. Pierce your eyebrow, nose, lip, ears and probably body parts you would cring at the thought of having a needle stuck through it.
3. Buy a hat 3 sizes to large and wear it sideways over your DO rag.
4. Get a pair of pants to wear at the bottom of you buttocks ( you'll have to figure how to hold them up yourself, cause I still can't figure how they keep them there). Laden them down with dog chains and other hanging paraphernalia.
5. You'll have to learn to speak in some non-comprehensible language, just in case someone asks you a question.
6. Get a permission slip from your parents/parent( if you can find them/one).
But the hardest thing will be trying to find a place to take you seeing as how nothing is manufactured around here anymore.
Field trip to McDonald's anyone?

Jeff · « **Reply #8 on:** January 31, 2004, 06:18:05 am »

If you want to get technical about it we cut only hardwoods as we dont cut any pine or cedar. Aspen is a hardwood. One mill cuts exclusively dense hardwoods such as red-white oak, sugar and soft maple, beech, and so on, and my mill cuts mainly aspen but we also cut everything else but ash. I cut denser hardwoods 3 or 4 days a month. I can only do 10-12 thousand a day on those days.

Norm · « **Reply #9 on:** January 31, 2004, 06:56:51 am »

I have never had the opportunity to see a big circle mill running. I toured the local pallet plant here where my buddy Dave works but they were closed that day. Checked out the sawyer's booth, pretty cool.

I didn't know you cut mostly aspen. That's a lot of bd ft per month.

Jeff · « **Reply #10 on:** January 31, 2004, 07:06:08 am »

RIght around 30,000 feet a day in aspen. My first numbers might be a little high for now. I was citing numbers from when we were working 6 days. My mill is doing right around 20-30 thousand a day now. thats mostly me squaring to either 7.25 or 5.5 and dumping to the gangsaw for inch and an eighth or 3/4 inch boards. When we have enough boards for the load, I then cut 3 by 8s. or full 4 by 3.5's. With large logs you can cut alot of footage in a hurry gutting 3 by 8s.

Fla._Deadheader · « **Reply #11 on:** January 31, 2004, 09:20:49 am »

I believe it was Steve MacDonald that posted some info a while back, about the Cummer Mill south of Jacksonville, Fl. They cut SYP and Cypress in the very early 1900's. They could produce 133,000 bd/ft a day

If you do some searching in the old photos threads, I know the info and pics are there. The mill was built over the water and steam was generated from their slabs.

WV_hillbilly · « **Reply #12 on:** January 31, 2004, 09:47:38 am »

Shopteacher I could cope with all but # 2 .I not scared of needles or anything but some of the places they are put Causes me some concerns . # 1 wouldn' t be to bad cause I don 't have that much left so people probably wouldn ' t notice anyways .

Frickman · « **Reply #13 on:** January 31, 2004, 12:55:57 pm »

Just a dumb question Jeff B. What are your markets/end uses for aspen lumber? We have very little aspen in our area, and what we do have is very low quality. I have no markets for aspen other than cutstock for very light duty, throwaway pallets.

Jeff · « **Reply #14 on:** January 31, 2004, 03:14:22 pm »

Aspen from our mill goes to many places. Biggest users are for clean resilient pallets for the paper cutting industry and also for unfinished furniture. Our aspen grade market dropped right off the last 8 months but as bounced back. We now sell about 15,000 feet a week.

Our biggest customer is International Paper who buy about 60 to 90,000 BF a week. They build heavy duty skids for use in a sheeting plant. Wood I saw is under the paper that becomes Hallmark greeting cards, Tops Baseball cards, and most impressive, fold together dounut boxes

Jeff · « **Reply #15 on:** January 31, 2004, 03:17:04 pm »

Another note, most of our mill chips go to the Georgia Pacific plant in Gaylord where they become the coreboard for Sauder Furniture. You know, the kind of put-together stuff that comes in a box at Walmart that your computer is sitting on right now?

Tom · « **Reply #16 on:** January 31, 2004, 03:45:38 pm »

Not my computer!

Jeff · « **Reply #17 on:** January 31, 2004, 04:05:36 pm »

Black gum if I remember correctly?

Tom · « **Reply #18 on:** January 31, 2004, 04:15:29 pm »

Sweet Gum

You've got a half-a-mind.

craigc90 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 31, 2004, 04:48:15 pm »

Jeff
I have some Michigan wood products in my house.That is cool to put a little background behind our Sauder furniture. I have an entertainment center and computer armoire in my living room nice to know I am helping pay your paycheck.

Jeff · « **Reply #20 on:** January 31, 2004, 04:58:53 pm »

Quote

Jeff
I have some Michigan wood products in my house.That is cool to put a little background behind our Sauder furniture. I have an entertainment center and computer armoire in my living room nice to know I am helping pay your paycheck.

If you would like to cut out the middlemen I'll be glad to send my address.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #21 on:** January 31, 2004, 05:55:17 pm »

Just posting some figures from a couple mills here

http://www.jdirving.com/Index.asp?Site_Id=1&Page_Id=151

Irving hardwood sawmills

http://www.norbord.com/english/mills/juniper_lumber.html

largest production capacity in the province at Nexfor-Juniper
(up to 250,000 fbm softwood per 8 hour shift)

http://www.groupesavoie.com/products.cfm

Groupe Savoie hardwood sawmills

Frickman · « **Reply #22 on:** February 01, 2004, 11:06:21 am »

Thanks for the info Jeff. It's always interesting to find out how and where things are made. Most of our pallet cutstock ends up under product going to Mexico or England. They really like yellow poplar for its strength and light weight.

Ron Wenrich · « **Reply #23 on:** February 02, 2004, 04:14:13 am »

I'm doing about 200 Mbf per month cutting dense hardwoods, primarily in 4/4. No resaw, and 40 hr operation. 5 man crew.

We do have a hardwood mill that runs 1 million per week when they are running a 3 shift operation, or so they say. I believe they are running one circle headrig and 2 resaws. They also have a ton of workers.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #24 on:** February 02, 2004, 04:31:03 am »

@ Ron

A million a week wouldn't be hard with a large operation. They can saw 250,000 per 8 hr shift at Nexfor's softwood mill. They emply 190 people out there but they aren't all in the mill or I-Joist plant. You walk in there, and there is hardly any contact with the wood by anyone. Air conditioned booths and josticks and TV screens......and lots of coffee

Ron Wenrich · « **Reply #25 on:** February 02, 2004, 05:27:16 am »

This is strickly a hardwood operation, sawing for grade. I've heard employment between 300-400 people, not counting sub contract haulers or woods crews. Owner says its the largest mill in the east. There might be some BS in there someplace.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #26 on:** February 02, 2004, 06:40:10 am »

HI Ron:

It does seem high, but Irving and Groupe Savoi each product 1 million board feet a week (50-60 million annually). They have 2 or 3 sawmills and processing plants each though and its not just lumber they are producing. Take a look at the links I posted above.

Stephen · « **Reply #27 on:** February 02, 2004, 06:46:41 am »

On my out the door!
The biggest here in Nova Scotia produces 180 million board feet of finished, kiln dried lumber annually.

www.mactara.com

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #28 on:** February 02, 2004, 07:01:15 am »

@ Stephen

That's softwood though guy

cheers

Skeeter · « **Reply #29 on:** February 02, 2004, 09:32:32 am »

WV_hillbilly,

I wisht I could read that article....I'm located right smack between 'em !!!

My *to do * list includes getting up there to see Big Timber and to see the Pierce mill as well.

Is that article available on line at all ?

Skeeter

WV_hillbilly · « **Reply #30 on:** February 02, 2004, 06:36:05 pm »

Skeeter

I don ' t know if it 's availiable online . I just happened to be at Woodcraft and picked up the mag and bought it .

One of these days I will get to see one of them mills. I 'd also like to tour the Bruce Hardwood Floors plant down around Elkins WV some day too .

Jason_WI · « **Reply #31 on:** February 03, 2004, 12:47:28 am »

I think that the Sauder furniture is mostly glue than sawdust cause it takes 3 men and a boy to move them desks.

I have a sawdust desk now but in the not to distant future here I will have a desk made out of wormy butternut I milled from my dad's farm.

Jason

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Author Topic: Anyone read the Dec 03 Wood magazine (Read 2595 times)