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

Musser Plans More Byproducts

Musser Biomass and Wood Products, a division of family-owned and operated Musser Lumber Co., will invest $7.5 million and create 10 new jobs to expand its operation at Rural Retreat, Va. The expansion will more than double production of dried hardwood chips and sawdust the company supplies to composite decking…

Sierra Pacific Foundation Grants Scholarships

Sierra Pacific Foundation is awarding more than $521,000 in scholarships to 169 students as they attend colleges, universities, and trade schools during the 2023-2024 school year. “It is both an honor and a privilege for our family to continue to offer this ongoing support for these students,” says Carolyn Emmerson Dietz…

Bruks Siwertell Acquires West Salem Machinery

Bruks Siwertell Group has signed an acquisition contract for North American heavy machinery specialist, West Salem Machinery (WSM), effective July 1, 2023. The Oregon-based engineering and manufacturing company will continue to operate under its current name as a separate internal division within Bruks Siwertell…

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.