HARDWOOD SAWMILLS & LUMBERYARDS: Enhance Your Profitability

The hardwood sawmill and lumber industry has always been one of those fields where knowledge has been passed on from father to son or learned through experience. The sawmill or lumberyard owner or manager has never had a book written specifically for them. This book tries to fill that gap. I have tried to write down some of the operating tips that I learned from older people in the industry or through experience over my thirty plus years in sawmills and on lumber yards. During my career I actually worked at most of the jobs in the sawmill from janitor to head sawyer and on the lumberyard from puller on the green chain to lumber inspector. I’ve scaled logs, been a lumber buyer and a lumber salesman. I built and managed a circle mill in Northern Michigan and spent six years as Vice President of Vicksburg Operations for Anderson Tully Company where I was responsible for three large band mills and the largest hardwood lumber yard in the US. I’ve run sawmills, lumber yards, dimension mills, strip flooring plants, and stave mills. I’ve provided a reference list of industry related literature for those who want to dig deeper into the specifics of sawmill operations, dry kiln operations, lumber yard management, etc.This book is written for managers and owners who want to improve the performance of their sawmills and lumber yards. The book is designed to pique your curiosity and encourage you to take a hard look at your operations. It is not a detailed “how to” book, it is a kick starter to help you identify problem areas in your operations. It doesn’t tell you how to rebuild your board edger. it tries to tell you why the edger is important and how to tell when you have problems with it. The sections on sawmills, dry kilns, lumber yards, and log yards cover operating tips and problems that can be subtle and largely unseen. The information in this book should help you improve your yields, reduce your waste in the sawmill and help make your lumberyard and dry kiln operations more efficient. Any one tip can improve your profits or reduce your costs by thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. My contact information is on the reference page in the back if you have questions or criticisms. Read more