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Looking for info on the Forestall company

Started by Dave Shepard, December 08, 2006, 09:03:58 PM

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Dave Shepard

Does anybody here have any info on this company? I would appreciate it. Thanks.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Jeff

Yep, it no longer exists. I used to run 3  :D. You are in luck though, there is a replacement company called hilltop supply. The mills last I new were manufactured as CMC mills. Thats what the last oneIran was. I have a copy of the complete manual on that. I can see if I can dig up Hilltops info. Ron W may have it at his finger tips as he deals with them still.


Morbark mills are a direct knockoff of Forestall. Any specifics you need to know?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Ron Wenrich

Hilltop has closed their doors.  We're down to Morbark US and our local machine shop.

I've been running a Morbark Canadian for 10 years.  I haven't had any major problems that don't come from running the equipment.  We've made improvements, but you can do that with nearly any piece of equipment.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Jeff

Well, morbark is going strong as far as I know and can probably retro fit most anything on a Forestall. If you need tech info, Ron and I are probably your best source, mostly because Ron is around 120 years old and I am right near that and those mill controls became just another appendage for both of us. :)
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Dave Shepard

Thanks for the info. My interest is purely for historical reasons. My grandfather and his brother founded Forestall, but I haven't been able to find out to much about the company. I had thought that it had become CMC. Incidently my grandfather was one of the first, if not the first Morbark salesman. He sold pulpwood debarkers all the way up into Canada. I haven't been ablt to find out much on the internet about Forestall. Here's a trivia question for you: where did the name Forestall come from? Hint: my grandfather grew up on IH tractors in the 30's.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Jeff

If hes the first or one of the first, then I may have knew or knew of him.  Morbark was started by Nub (Norval) Morey in the late 50's. My Boss of over 20 years, Ray Billsby,  was his brother in law. Ray was one of the early salesmen but you know how that family thing can go and both of those guys thought highly of thier own ways of doing things.  The mill I ran for several years before we put in the CMC technologies was a Morbark, sold by Ray to a customer in 1971 along with all the goodies like the chip pac, conveyors and debarker. Ray quit morbark the following year and bought the business he had sold while a salesman.  We always had strong ties with Morbark through the years due to the family ties and the fact that its just up the road a piece. :)

Vern Sandborn and Jeff Grover are the Sawmill guys there now. Vern used to be the usual candidate to come to the mill if we had an issue with a chunk of equipment. Pretty fair welder then but I bet he's beyond the smoke sucking now.  Jeff is the son of the Saleman that sold the CMC to Billsby Lumber in 1984 that replaced the morbark mill. His name was Tom Grover from Indiana. Always wore one of those pompadour haircuts but wasn't afraid to roll up his sleeves and get in there with a wrench with us when setting up or problem solving.  Tom sold for several forest product equipment companies. He even sold for a laser company and came and helped us set up the lasers after we purchased them.

I like to think I helped develop some work ethic that exists at Morbark now. Wally Robinson tailed mill for me back around 1980 when I was head Sawyer for Oneal and Company in Clare Michigan. It was one of his first Jobs. He hung tough but eventually moved on as any smart kid will learn quickly that swamping lumber aint a career. I new at the time that he was connected but had little mercy on him and when we run into each other as we generally do a time or two every year at shows or walmart or something, he still grins and shakes his head about the pounding I would give him.  Made him appreciate the point where he is now, which unless he has climbed on up the ladder some more, head of midwest sales. He is also the brother of one of the vice presidents, (connection)  "Lucky" Robinson. 

There are a lot of fellows there that I know or have known. I always think of old Emmet, the service tech that used to come out and do hydraulic trouble shooting and other field work. He was one of a group from Shepherd Michigan, not far from Winn, that worked for their buddy Nub Morey.  Thing I could never forget about that guy is what Billsby would say every time he left. "Ya know, that guy is hung like a horse"  :D  Emmets gone now, has been for years, but occasionally he would come up in conversation at breaktime or while fixing a machine that was acting up that Emmet would normally come work on. Billsby would say, even though hes dead, I bet hes still hung like a horse.  :D   There were a lot of Emmet stories told by Emmet himself while we were standing, kneeling squatting or laying in sawdust and hydraulic oil that cant never be told anywhere but a sawmill. :)
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Tim L

I'm pretty sure there was a Forestall in my neck of the woods in the 70's (Pembroke /Concord NH ) also a CMC in Chichester NH in the 80's
Do the best you can and don't look back

Jeff

You would think so, as thats right near where the CMC's were built.  That was one of those things. The ties to Morbark via Ray and Nub were also the means to keep at least an arms length.  Here morbark is just up the road and Ray buys what amounts to a carbon copy from CMC and it has to be trucked over length and over width clear from New Hampshire. I'm not clear on the order those mills copied each other, but they certainly did.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Ron Wenrich

So, where does HMC fit in?  Isn't that Hilltop?  They used to build mill equipment, and I thought it came out of New Hampshire.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Jeff

CMC became Hilltop. They were our tech support when we needed it and our mill specific parts supplier. The last thing I remember getting from them was a complete log turner assembly. They carried all the prints from the CMC mills. They also had a website at one time selling mills.  If Hilltop is belly up I wonder if thats the end of the Forestall lineage?
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Ron Wenrich

I looked up HMC sawmills.  They're still in business and started in 1953.  Located in Contoocook, NH.   Carriages are green, so it musn't be Hilltop.   :D
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Tim L

I have little knowledge about the companies but I know HMC is a separate company. Also in the early eighties I welded /fabricated parts for CMC when I worked at a steel shop in Bow NH (South End Iron) . Growing up a city kid I often made things and didn't have a clue what I was building .Some companies we worked for only gave a piece to each local shop so that none of us could steal their ideas. In my early twenties I didn't think about sawmills at all .I had something else on my mind . It's true what they say "youth is wasted on the young " If I had payed attention to what the old timers were trying to teach me instead of chasing that "other thing " I 'd be a genius now and solving all our problems !
Do the best you can and don't look back

leweee

Quote« Reply #11 on: Today at 04:38:16 PM »    
It's true what they say "youth is wasted on the young " If I had payed attention to what the old timers were trying to teach me instead of chasing that "other thing " I 'd be a genius now and solving all our problems !

Tim....... I've come to that same revelation a few times myself. ;)
just another beaver with a chainsaw &  it's never so bad that it couldn't get worse.

Dave Shepard

My grandfathers name is Merrill Shepard. He kept in touch with Norvel Morey up until recently. I don't know if Norvel is still alive or not. Forestall was on Sheep Davis Road, and I think that was in Pembroke. His brother, Henry Jr., "June", lived in Contoocook. No bites on the name yet?


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Jeff

Lord, this is going to be a guess, but Nub has been gone probably ten years now. Maybe not quite that but if I had to bet, I'd be close.  Nub died of his own hand after suffering with cancer. He was the kinda guy that just said enough is enough and killed his cancer with a gun. The choice he made, to quit rather then fight wasn't one that most of us would have chosen I'd say but I guess one doesn't know until faced with the pain that man was enduring.  I dont recall your hearing your granddad's name before but I'll bet there are guys at morbark that can help with your history if you ask.

No bites from me. I've always figured it meant it would cut all of the forest forest - all forestall.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

leweee

just another beaver with a chainsaw &  it's never so bad that it couldn't get worse.

Tim L

Your right about Sheep Davis road (route 106) I believe I knew Henry because he came into Bob's Phillips 66 on Manchester st. I worked there from age 13 all through school. Bob's was about 3 miles from Forestall. Their building became Spectrum mailing which is now some new named offshoot .
Do the best you can and don't look back

Tim L

Jeff my buddies brother worked for Forestall back in the day ,setting up and whatnot. His name was Jon Hatch. Ever meet him ? I remember he worked a huge amount of O.T and bought a brand new 1978 El Camino SS , man what a sweet ride ! His payments were 190 dollars a month and I can remember thinking "at $2.50 an hour I'll never be able to afford anything that nice.
Do the best you can and don't look back

Dave Shepard

Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dave Shepard

I'm still looking for any info on the Forestall company. I haven't been able to find out much by searching online. Don't know if any of the newer members know anything about it. Thanks.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dick Bernard

I worked at Forest-All in the early 70's until they closed on Thanksgiving in 1980 (the bank shut them down). Hank Shepard, his son Ike, Joe Jones was the purchasing agent, Bob Brown the foreman. We built a mill per month for the longest time. Bruce Connelly, Karl McCormick and Dennis Casey began the CMC company after Forest-All. I worked my way up from "go-boy" to welder then electrician and finally became the buyer when old Joe Jones retired. Henry Shepard was the best boss anyone could ask for. When Forest-All closed , Ike Shepard and I opened "Shepard-Boyd" to sell sawmill equipment. I took my kids to work and they played with Ike's kids. I re-built the equipment and Ike sold it. In 1985 I left and moved to Florida.

Magicman

Long lost and now found.   ;D

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Dick Bernard.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Dave Shepard

Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

mudfarmer

For you enthusiasts, there is a forestall mill for sale up here. 55ft track/16ft carriage, top saw, log deck, diesel power unit, $20k asking. I am not affiliated

moodnacreek

As a side note here, I think HMC is the last sawmill builder left in New England. Anybody have info on Hawkinson ?

240b

the hawkinson building on rt 25 was a jd ag dealership. this winter i went by it was something else different. 

moodnacreek

Quote from: 240b on June 03, 2022, 04:42:57 PM
the hawkinson building on rt 25 was a jd ag dealership. this winter i went by it was something else different.
Long gone like the others I suppose, thanks for reply.

240b

my old neighbors have a CMC firewood processor. i remember them saying it was build in concord nh.   i think they got it in the early 90s maybe.  it is enormous an the controls look like they came from a sawmill.   

Dave Shepard

Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

240b

yes, it does except the cab.  theres doesn't have one. its in a building.  I believe the power unit is an air cooled duetz.  the machine is painted orange.  

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