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
Labor Department Slaps Sawmill Operator
U.S. Dept. of Labor obtained a federal consent order and judgment against a Northern sawmill operator following the death of a child due to an “industrial accident.” The order requires the company to place labels and signage to prevent children under age 18 from using dangerous equipment and entering the company’s sawmill and planer buildings…
U.S. Housing Starts Show Significant Jump In September
U.S. housing starts increased 7% in September from August, coming in at a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.358 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development monthly new residential construction report. Single-family starts were at a rate of 963,000, up 3.2%, and multi-family starts were 383,000, up 17%…
BE&E Purchases Conveying, Fabrication From BID
BID Group and Biomass Engineering & Equipment (BE&E) announced a strategic supply and outsourcing partnership, in which BE&E will acquire the Vibrapro brand and manufacturing operations located in Boise, Id., and the BID Group fabrication plant in Greenville, Ky. BE&E, based in Indianapolis, Ind., is a rapidly growing engineering services and machinery manufacturer specializing in bulk materials handling for multiple industries across the globe…
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.