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
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…
U.S. Housing Starts Fall While Building Permits Rise
U.S. housing starts fell in August from July, at a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.283 million, down 11.3%. Single-family starts were at a rate of 941,000, 4.3% below July, while multi-family starts were the primary culprit at 334,000, down 26.3%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development monthly new residential construction report…
Canfor Puts ‘Stock’ In New BC Facility
Vancouver, BC-based Canfor Corp. is investing $200 million to build a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Houston, British Columbia, which will have an annual production capacity of 350MMBF. “I’m very pleased to be making this announcement in British Columbia, where Canfor has been proudly headquartered for 85 years,” comments Don Kayne, President and CEO. “This decision comes following…
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.