Production points: Quality control and consistent supply management combine to provide superior products and unsurpassed service to our clients. At our Boyne Falls sawmill, logs are processed using sawing systems that have the capacity to maintain both our needed production numbers and also our stringent standards.
We maintain inventory levels daily so we may offer reasonable delivery responses to our clients. That inventory is computer-controlled with an electric bar code system to ensure a sufficient amount of stock is maintained to meet client and production needs.
Sawing synopsis: There are two stages of sawing. The first is “canting,” where the log is cut into a square and the first layer of sapwood, if any, is removed. Next is “re-sawing,” when the cant is sawed into dimensional sizes needed to obtain the appropriate end-product and inventory mix.
Kiln drying lumber – why does it matter? Removing moisture from wood to reach the point of “product stabilization” is only accomplished through kiln drying, and the importance of this technique is seen in the finished product.
We insist that our materials are dried to very specific moisture contents. This is why we have installed two large kilns, the same type used in the furniture-production business. Each dries about 70,000 board feet of material, with the process taking from four days to two weeks depending on the size of the white cedar logs or cants being dried and how much moisture they contain.
The time and effort put into kiln-drying are worth it, for many reasons. Because our products are dried under controlled conditions, vs. air drying, we are able to reduce the amount of defects that occur. Once the products are dried to specific moisture levels consistent with their end use, we are able to visually inspect the wood and remove any defect that may have occurred.
It’s important to note, too, that wood changes in dimension as it dries until it reaches its “equilibrium point.” We prefer this to occur in our kiln (rather than on your house) to eliminate checking, warping and shrinkage after installation.
Kiln-drying also ensures that our molding and planning processes will be accurate, thus producing the highest quality log home product and a sufficient stock to meet increasing demand.
Mill Operations:
The production line is where all the meticulous and careful efforts in harvesting, sawing and kiln-drying come together.
Here, the wood is shaped to provide the size and profile of the various log siding and paneling products and each piece is hand-hewn to add the final character and desired look. Critical to this phase is the ability of our craftsmen to transform all of our log or timber home products to the exact standard required by both the builder and the construction process.
To achieve this, Town & Country combines hand-crafting with 21st century technology, efficiently producing a range of products large and small. A computerized controller oversees the entire machining phase to ensure error-free home building products at the lowest possible cost.
Efficiency and accuracy are built into all phases of production. Log siding products, for instance, are passed through a peeling line, where three large custom machines with multiple settings work with any size of log to present a finished piece that meets our expectations. Additionally, our end-matching process puts the tongue-and-grooves on the ends of each piece in quick fashion.
This investment in technology is a benefit to both the end user and Town & Country. It increases capacity and lowers costs for clients and ensures we will deliver on our 100 percent usable material guarantee for faster installation and greater satisfaction.
But machines don’t do all the work here. Each kiln-dried cedar product also goes through a defecting step; this is done by hand to ensure each piece of finished log siding, paneling, trim or other products meets our rigorous grading standards.
Green Production:
Ecologically friendly processing means nothing is wasted. One inventive example: The sawdust and shavings from our log siding production line are blown into a silo and collected for use as horse and dog bedding. Horse farms and kennels prefer our byproducts because white cedar repels fleas and ticks, just as it does termites in a home.
We take unique approaches, too, like heating our production facility in the winter with the excess steam from our kilns piped underground.
As with all our processes, our green goal is to keep our manufacturing costs and your building expenses as low as possible.