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

Polish Glulam, German CLT Projects Pick Minda

As a specialist in engineered wood production lines, Minda has been a perfect partner for green and brownfield projects for more than 40 years. One of the last brownfield projects was the extension of a glulam line in Poland for Andrewex Construction, the biggest manufacturer of glulam in Poland with more than 30 years of experience…

Lumber Quality Workshops Announced

Terry Brown and the Lumber Quality Institute will again offer two lumber quality-related workshops in Salem, Ore. for the sawmill industry in November 2023. The Lumber Quality and Process Control Workshop will be held November 6-7, and the Lumber Quality Leadership Workshop will be held November 8-9…

BID Group Starts Apprenticeship Program

In a significant development for the local community, BID Group has collaborated with the Dept. of Labor and Apprenticeship Carolina to launch a groundbreaking apprenticeship program in its Fabrication Shop. The program provides valuable opportunities for aspiring professionals in the manufacturing sector…

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.