OREGON INDUSTRIAL LUMBER
OREGON INDUSTRIAL LUMBER PRODUCTS - Continued from page 4 Yellow Cedar flitches are processed at resaw. The company owns three resaws, in addition to various chops saws and rip saws. Bernard Michlanski feeds Douglas Fir flitches at resaw. Oregon Industrial Lumber Products sells between 12 million and 15 million board feet of lumber per year, between Yellow Cedar and Douglas Fir. Robert Cooper inspects Yellow Cedar clears at resaw. John McDowell said that these clears can be run in a wide variety of ways. merch grades in good volume. The timing and market conditions were stellar in 2014 “and we were able to take advantage and fill that gap,” Jones commented. The move to Yellow Cedar was “an opportunity,” he observed, especially since Canadian Yellow Cedar is expected to continue being available in the North American and U.S. markets. Why is there such a demand for Yellow Cedar? John McDowell explained that Yellow Cedar has a very distinct look and color. As it ages, it greys over time and looks beautiful. It’s extremely rotresistant and durable. It’s great for environments that are exposed to constant water. This resistance to the elements and the fact that it doesn’t sliver makes for great decking. McDowell added that it also surfaces really well and looks amazing as pattern stock for use both indoors and out. Excellent uses for Yellow Cedar also include paneling, flooring, door and window parts and saunas. “We are looking to expand the business,” Jones observed. “We have to,” he stated, “because more Yellow Cedar has become available and there is pressure from our suppliers to grow market share.” In order to expand, we want our customers to be as comfortable as we are regarding long term availability.” Jones remarked that “program business” with key distributors and manufacturers is the key to long term success. “We feel comfortable increasing inventory,” Jones stated. “We want our customers to know that if they want to start carrying our product line, the wood is going to be there.” Company leaders of OILP are President Murray McDowell, Vice President John McDowell, Sales Manager of Yellow Cedar Andrew Jones, Plant Manager Mark Ingram and John Newell, sales. Murray McDowell has worked in the lumber industry since he was a teenager. He was a foreman at different mills in Northern California, and before purchasing OILP in 1983 he was at Blasen & Blasen. His son John McDowell joined the company in 2012. In Yellow Cedar, the company produces shop, Lam stock, Pattern stock, siding, decking, boards and timbers. In Douglas Fir, the company manufactures entry door cut stock and door components, mouldings and patterns and boards. The company is producing clears, focusing on 8/4 and 4/4 rough clears and running those to pattern and S4S. OILP’s Douglas Fir is selected for its appearance and ring count which, along with the company’s precise drying in-house, leads to a very stable and consistent product, John McDowell said. The company’s focus with Douglas Fir More Margin on Multi-Family. Margins are tight on multi-family projects, but mill-direct delivery wins more jobs more profitably. Here’s how: • Idaho Timber builds mixed loads of dimension and custom PET’d studs to job specs right at our plants • We deliver direct to the jobsite right when the wood is wanted, eliminating inefficiencies and their cost • Exact-date delivery pleases contractors, improves cash flow, cuts carrying costs and frees yard space • You save all the handling, trucking, labor, fuel and time spent servicing the orders from your yard It makes sense and it makes money. Call us for more margin on your next multi-family job. Another jobsite supplied more profitably by Idaho Timber 800-654-8110 Page 38 Softwood Forest Products Buyer n July/August 2019
is rough Vertical Grain 8/4, 5/4 and 4/4 in widths ranging from 2 inches up to 12 inches, along with the same sizes that run to S4S and patterns. OILP has two facilities, employing 50 people. The larger facility is on 14 acres. John McDowell noted that the company’s employees are friendly, have many years of longevity and care about their work. “We are fully invested in Yellow Cedar,” he stated. “That’s where we are hanging our hat. So, you put those two things together (excellent employees and a good-selling product), and it’s pretty good. “The amount and type of machines and resaws that we have is a big deal,” John McDowell observed. “The drying capacity is a big deal,” he added. OILP has six moulders: two Mattisons (one 6-inch and the other 12-inch), a 13-inch Leadermac, two 9-inch Weinigs and a Vonnegut. In resaws, the company has a Salem Linebar twin band resaw, a Turner and a horizontal North Tech and various chops saws and rip saws. OILP has six Moore Dry Kilns with a capacity of 700M. There is variation in the moisture level to which the company dries wood, but the average is 12 percent. “Different products need to be lower,” observed John McDowell, “and in certain products it is better to be higher.” John McDowell stated that, “The trend is smaller runs; smaller and more runs. We are pretty versatile in the fact that we have a couple of species, and then, the sky is the limit from there. So, if you are talking clears, whether it’s Doug Fir or Yellow Cedar, we know, we can get the whole grade book out and do most of the patterns imaginable.” reau and the Portland Wholesale Lumber Association. For more information about Oregon Industrial Lumber Products Inc., visit www.oregonindustriallumber.com. A resaw breaks down Yellow Cedar flitches at Oregon Industrial Lumber Products. Oregon Industrial Lumber Products, in Springfield, OR, is owned by Murray McDowell and John McDowell. The mill was first built in the 1950’s. Oregon Industrial Lumber Products was started in 1983. Yellow Cedar Tight Knot is seen on a planer hoist. John McDowell stated that Yellow Cedar has a very distinct look and color. R Richardson Timbers is a wholesaler and sells exclusively through our dealer network. 10100 Denton Drive Dallas, Texas 75220 214.358.2314 Delivering Quality Timber to our Dealers Nationwide Look to Richardson Timbers for all your timber needs. Douglas Fir 20” x 20” up to 40’ Cedar 26” x 26” up to 32’ 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. Products and Services Include: • Corbels, Brackets and Rafter Tails • Trailer Flooring T R uf • Exclusive Tru-Ruf Custom Surface • Custom Siding Patterns • Surfacing (all four sides up to 20’ x 20”) • Barge Decking • Saw Texture • Precision End Trimming • Reman customer material to specifications DALLAS • MARBLE FALLS www.richardsontimbers.com Softwood Forest Products Buyer July/August 2019 Page 39
