Welcome to the NAWLA 2023 issue of the Softwood Forest Products Buyer! The issue features stories on what to expect at the 2023 Traders Market, supplier testimonials, Traders Market exhibitor list, schedule of events and much more.
The Knive Sawn Guys At
The Knive Sawn Guys At Durgin & Crowell Lumber Co. This is one of the company’s Weinig Powermat 2500 Moulder/Planers. (From left) The Durgin & Crowell sales team consists of Alex Darrah, Sarah Welch (marketing), and Bryan Darrah. Durgin & Crowell Lumber Co. Inc., headquartered in Springfield, NH, now produces 31 million board feet annually of 4/4 Eastern White Pine Softwood lumber. Sales Manager Alex Darrah said, “We are producing around 700,000 feet a week in the new planer mill. Our planer mill is up and running fully and going along strong with the two Weinig Powermat 2500 moulders accompanied by BID Group/Comact grade expert automated grading system.” Durgin & Crowell recently introduced its new “Knive Sawn” rough face offering. “Our customers liked our old band sawn rough face and we wanted to give them something comparable with these new moulders,” Darrah explained. “We replicate the rough face with a high-speed moulder but we use a new style rougher head. It took us about a year to dial in and develop it but there is rougher head and there is band sawn, now, which one do we have? Well, ours isn’t really either. We wanted band sawn, but we wanted to do it with a high-speed knife head, and we figured out a way to do it. We are not trying to trick anybody, but we are making it with a high-speed knife head, so we called it ‘knife sawn’ to be self-explanatory. We market it as ‘We are not the band sawn guys, we are not the rougher head guys, we’re the knife-sawn guys!’” He continued, “Rougher head Pine or rough face Pine is really a personal preference. It’s like a cola choice. You like either a Coke or a Pepsi. You are either rougher head or you are band sawn. What we asked was, ‘who is this going to cater to?’ It’s sort of in the middle, it sort of has some benefits of both but ultimately it has a very consistent look. It takes stain better than the band sawn but it has that hairy look that the band sawn has. Our wholesale distributors were maybe carrying someone’s band sawn for this application for this group of customers while carrying someone’s rougher head for customers, A, B and C. Now they are using ours and it is appealing to both. They don’t have to carry two inventories anymore. Now they are carrying this product and selling it to rougher head customers and to band sawn customers.” New improvements this year at the mill include an additional automated shavings bagging line and an Artificial Intelligence upgrade to the Comact Grade Expert automated grading system. “It was thought from the start that the new planer mill had potential to outpace the shavings R Richardson Timbers is a wholesaler and sells exclusively through our dealer network. 10100 Denton Drive Dallas, Texas 75220 214.358.2314 Delivering Quality Timbers to Our Dealers Nationwide Forest Stewardship Council ® Look for our certified wood products Look to Richardson Timbers for all your timber needs. Douglas Fir 20” x 20” up to 40’ - Cedar 16” x 16” up to 40’ Richardson Timbers, founded in 1949, specializes in milling wood timbers and producing custom millwork products. We offer Douglas Fir, Kiln Dried Fir, Western Red Cedar, Mixed Hardwoods, Red Oak, White Oak, Cypress and specialty exotic timbers. Durgin & Crowell’s new Knive Sawn rough face is shown. Sustaining thriving forests. CollinsWood ® We provide our customers with the assurance that our products are backed by a legacy as positive as the products themselves. A family-owned business since 1855, ours is a heritage of responsibility to the land and to the people. From the foresters in the field, through operators in the plants, to sales people in the marketplace, we relentlessly pursue the best utilization and applications of our natural and renewable resources. We’ll see you in Columbus, OH! Booth #433 Collins Lakeview Forest Building strong communities. Bainbridge Island City Hall, Photo: Miller Hull Architects The finest in responsibly sourced Hardwood, Softwood and Particleboard. CollinsWood.com | TruWoodSiding.com | 800.329.1219 @collinswood_1855 facebook.com/CollinsCompanies bagger system,” Darrah explained. “We left room to add an additional one, and realized quickly it would be necessary to keep up with production.” With the transition from human to an automated grading system in 2018 and all benefits that came with it, there were a couple drawbacks. “Shake and split detection were sometimes challenging for the grader to see, if they were not open,” he continued. “The AI upgrade will help improve this detection and cast a larger net of vision in general, to ensure we can provide the best product possible.” As for what sets Durgin & Crowell apart from their competitors, Darrah said, “For us it’s making the best product that we can. We do things the right way. It’s the basic key principles that keep our business coming back. We strive to do things the right way, we don’t cut corners, we look at all the details and provide a uniform, quality product.” The company manufactures all NeLMA patterns through their high performance Weinig moulders. Established in 1976 by Arthur Durgin and Peter O. Crowell, Durgin & Crowell Lumber Co. is a member of Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (Nelma) and North American Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA). For more information visit www.durginandcrowell.com. Please visit us at Booth #454. Page 14 ADVERTORIAL Wholesale/Wholesale Distributor Special Buying Issue • Corbels, Brackets and Rafter Tails • Exclusive T ru- R uf Surfacing • Custom Siding Patterns Products and Services Include: • Surfacing (all sides up to 20” x 20”) • Trailer Flooring • Barge Decking • Saw Texture • Precision End Trimming • Reman Customer material to specifications Locations in Dallas and Bertram, Texas RichardsonTimbers.com
