Header: Header: Header:

Oregon’s Hull-Oakes Lumber Company Embraces Niche

With one foot in the past and one in the future, Hull-Oakes Lumber Co. took a big step last year. A timber-milling outfit famous for having one of the last steam-powered sawmills in the United States, Hull-Oakes converted the last of its daily operations to electric power in July 2013.

“It was a very difficult decision,” said Todd Nystrom, grandson of the mill’s founder, Ralph Hull, and the owner and president of the company.

However, Nystrom said the decision was necessary for the business, which employs around 65 people, to continue in the long term. “If steam power was the most efficient way to make lumber everybody would be doing it,” he said.

The mill, which was founded in 1937 and has a steam engine dating back to 1906, is on the National Registry of Historic Sites. Its milling operations have not been computerized even through the changes.

Nystrom added that the mill, located north of Monroe, still has all of its steam machinery in place and operates with steam power a few times a year to make sure the equipment is in good condition. But, he said, it was expensive to operate on a daily basis with machinery for which parts are no longer made.

From the Statesman Journal: statesmanjournal.com.

Latest News

The Portland Show Keeps On Keepin’ On

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Timber Processing October 2023 – The conclusion of the SFPA Expo held in Nashville in August can only mean one thing. It’s time to move on to the next major sawmill machinery show: the Timber Processing & Energy Expo (TP&EE)…

Daniels, Pannell Join Potlatch

PotlatchDeltic Corp. has announced that Ryan Daniels and Bobby Pannell have joined the Wood Products division, with Daniels serving as Director of Operations, responsible for leading the manufacturing teams at the six lumber facilities and the St. Maries plywood mill, and Pannell serving as Director of Engineering, responsible for leading the engineering, reliability, and continuous improvement team for the division…

Find Us On Social

Newsletter

The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.

 

Subscribe/Renew

Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.

Advertise

Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.