LUMBERMENOnline.com’s Latest Industry News & Articles

Cooper Machine Company, a long-established manufacturer of quality sawmill equipment located in Wadley, Georgia, announces that it is partnering with the sawmill machine manufacturer EWD Sagetechnik, of Altötting, Germany, as of February 2023.

We at Cooper Machine have been offering our customers located in the US, Canada, and other countries, wood processing equipment for sawmill, pallet, and post and pole mills since 1965. This equipment has set new standards in the industry for quality, efficiency, and productivity. All Cooper Machine equipment is built with our customers in mind to minimize labor and to get the most out of each log. Our company, now in its third generation of successful management, covers all services from technical development, to commissioning, to sawmill staff training on our machines. Cooper Machine’s focus is always on customer success.

Since 1862, the premier European innovative company EWD, with 250 employees in Germany, is one of the world’s leading companies in sawmill plant construction. Quality awareness, reliability, and customer orientation are among the most important values of the company and represent an extremely positive success factor.

The partnership with EWD Sagetechnik, allows Cooper Machine to expand its portfolio and take advantage of the opportunity to offer an expanded range of sawmill equipment to further serve our customers’ needs.

“In the future, with labor getting more expensive and harder to find, we want to offer our customers fully automated sawmills. With the same shared beliefs, we believe we have found the ideal partner in EWD Sagetechnik” explains Frances Cooper, CEO of Cooper Machine.

Working with EWD will offer many advantages for Cooper Machine customers since we will be able to offer their wide array of well-designed, German engineered sawmill equipment, along with service and parts located here in the US. Cooper Machine has committed to providing successful customer service on all EWD equipment it sells and will stock the parts needed to back the service. We at Cooper Machine are excited to be able to offer this new world of opportunities to our North American customers.

The primary objective of both companies is to offer customers the best and most efficient sawmill solutions to promote long-term customer loyalty. This can only be achieved with trust, good teamwork, and positive results for our customers.

For information on both Cooper Machine and EWD offerings, please give Cooper Machine a call at 478-252-5885.

Forestry Systems introduces the MILL BOSS, specifically engineered to provide small to medium sized sawmills with a simple, affordable, all-in-one solution for handheld and tablet.  The MILL BOSS easily handles all of your operation's tracking - from logs to lumber - ensuring total control of log scaling, log AND lumber inventory, vendor settlements, sawmill consumption, log sales, lumber tally and lumber shipments.   

Designed to be user friendly, the MILL BOSS starts working right out of the box, and utilizes many of the innovative routines from Forestry Systems’ most popular and widely used programs. The MILL BOSS specifically features routines from the Log Scaler and Block Tally – with the addition of improved log inventory, inventory search functionality, integrated consumption updates, easy data backup for security and sharing between multiple devices.  

The MILL BOSS makes the latest log and lumber inventory and sales management technology available to every size operation.  For complete details on the Mill Boss and other software and hardware solutions, contact Forestry Systems, Inc. by calling 800-868-2559 or go to www.ForestrySystems.com.

Opticom Technologies, a leader in industrial video monitoring solutions, is celebrating 50 years in business. The company, founded in 1973, has evolved to continue offering innovative products as video monitoring technology has advanced. 

“It’s unique for a video monitoring company to have 50 years of history under its belt,” said Opticom Global Sales Manager Heidi Schmidt. “We’re honored to continue serving our industrial and commercial customers with the latest advances in video technology.”

Opticom was founded by “Richard” David Boyd, a proponent of CCTV monitoring long before adoption ramped up after 9/11 and the security concerns the terrorist attacks brought forward. Boyd passed away in 2021, but his legacy continues. 

With its rugged products, designed to withstand harsh environments, Opticom Tech best serves commercial and industrial companies like sawmills, mines, food processing plants, and other facilities with dust, vibration, moisture, and other elements not generally accommodating to video equipment. 

 “Our product development centers around designing products throughout the entire video monitoring system — cameras, mounts, monitors, connectors, and more — that can survive in tough environments,” said Schmidt. “Our customers can’t afford to stop production to troubleshoot or replace a video camera, so we build products that last; a fact reflective in our 50-year history.”

Products of note developed by Opticom include its CC02 rugged industrial analog and TVI cameras, CC03 explosion-proof cameras, CC04 high-definition IP networking cameras, and VM-1 vibration shock mounts.

Opticom will be celebrating its 50th year throughout 2023 with customer acknowledgements, giveaways, and other announcements. 

About Opticom Tech

Founded in 1973, Opticom Technologies provides integrated video monitoring solutions for industrial applications, including sawmills, mines, food processing facilities, and more. Built to withstand harsh environments, Opticom’s rugged cameras and equipment stand the test of time. For more information, visit www.opticomtech.com. 

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Cooper Machine Company, Inc. of Wadley, Georgia, would like to announce that it has promoted Daniel Sherrod to Vice President of Manufacturing. We would also like to announce that in January 2023 Robert Cooper plans to hand ownership of the business to his daughter and CEO Frances Cooper, and to Daniel Sherrod, who began at Cooper Machine in 1996 and who has been in charge of the shop floor for many years. Robert has no plans to retire. Instead, he will continue working with the company indefinitely, both from his office at the business and his home office located in his workshop, where he enjoys making barrel and other wood furniture. He will also still be on the road visiting customers just as he has been doing. Although Robert hopes to spend more time in his workshop and less time at the business, he appreciates his customers, many of whom he has worked with for decades, and wants them to know that they can still count on him and the Cooper Machine team to take care of their equipment and service needs.

McDonough's complete line of board edgers ranges from some of the fastest optimized edger systems in the world to manual edgers and combination edgers for smaller sawmills everywhere. The OptiFit linear edger has become the most popular edger system for modern hardwood sawmills based on its ability to deliver exceptional yield, short payback and long-term durability based on the proven McDonough linear edger sawbox.

OptiFit Linear Edger
Designed to fit in every hardwood sawmill in the country, the McDonough OptiFit Linear Board Edger maximizes yield without having to expand your sawmill. This board edger system will handle everything your carriage and resaw can throw at it and provide your sawmill with huge gains in yield and profitability.

Optimized Linear Board Edger
McDonough has established itself as the industry leader in the optimized board edger market with all the unique design features of our linear board edger systems. Field experience and customer consultation that is combined with careful engineering ensure our board edger is the most accurate and easiest to maintain board edger on the market.

Optimized Transverse Board Edger
Available as a dedicated board edger or gang, this machine can also be configured to handle both boards and cants to maximize the return on your investment in optimization and machinery at the one highly efficient machine center. With board edger piece counts of up to 40 pieces per minute, this machine is designed to drop right into your existing edger footprint with our unique short coupled outfeed system. Dramatic increases in yield over conventional board and gang edgers make this machine a quick payback candidate for any sawmill.

You can find more info at https://www.mcdonough-mfg.com/products/board_edger

METAIRIE, LA – The Southern Forest Products Association elected its new officers during the board of directors session at the association’s annual meeting October 21, 2022, in Nashville. The 2022-23 SFPA officers are:

• Chairman of the Board: Mark Richardson, The Westervelt Co.
• Vice Chairman of the Board: Rich Mills, Hood Industries, Inc.
• Treasurer: Pino Pucci, LaSalle Lumber Co.
• Immediate Past Chair: Will Lampe, Lampe & Malphrus Lumber Co.

SFPA, on behalf of our members, board, and staff, also offers a big thanks to outgoing board officer and immediate past chair Craig Forbes of Weyerhaeuser who has given many hours and resources to the associations and its members

Wood-Mizer introduces the MP220 Planer Moulder Rip Saw as a versatile three-in-one woodworking machine able to produce finished wood trim, flooring, dimensional lumber and more from rough sawn material. The MP220 joins the established Wood-Mizer range of woodworking products that includes jointer/planers, two-sided planer/moulders, four-sided planer/moulders, slab flattening machines, dust collection systems, planer blades, moulder knives, and more.

With the MP220 Planer Moulder Rip Saw, planing or moulding and rip sawing material can be accomplished in one pass to increase production and profitability while saving time. The MP220 features one horizontal cutter for planing or moulding and one circular saw blade for rip sawing or resawing material. The horizontal cutter can be fitted with planing knives or moulding profile knives to produce finished boards and mouldings with a capacity of 3/8” to 15-3/4” wide by 5/8” to 9-1/2” high. Edging or rip sawing of material is accomplished by the adjustable 9” diameter circular saw blade with a rip sawing capacity of 4-1/2” to 11” wide by 3-1/8” high.

For accurate and consistent results, two steel and one polyurethane feed rollers efficiently move material on the heavy-duty cast-iron table through the horizontal cutter and rip saw blade at a variable speed. In addition, the compact size and optional casters save floorspace and provide flexibility to move the MP220 around the workshop.

MP220 Planer Moulder Rip Saw Features

• 3-in-1 planer, moulder, rip saw
• 3/8” to 15-3/4” wide by 5/8” to 9-1/2” high planing or moulding capacity
• 4-1/2” to 11” wide by 3-1/8” high rip sawing capacity
• 6 to 36 fpm variable feed
• Two steel and one polyurethane feed rollers
• Heavy-duty cast iron tables and sheet steel chassis
• 240V 60Hz 1-phase or 3-phase electric power

“In addition to three-in-one versatility for planing, moulding, and rip sawing, woodworkers will appreciate the simple and efficient operation to save time, the precision to produce high-quality and value-added finished products, and the compact design to free up valuable workshop space," said Chad Sanders, Wood-Mizer Woodworking Product Specialist.

The MP220 Planer Moulder Rip Saw is now available to order worldwide. Planer blades, circular saw blades, moulder knives, and dust collection systems are also available from Wood-Mizer. For more information, visit woodmizer.com or contact your local Wood-Mizer representative.

McDonough has recently begun work on a new AutoMAXX resaw system, a revolutionary machine that re-imagines what a resaw can do. The AutoMAXX system combines physical controls with a visual operator interface, high-quality digital imaging and optimization to maximize yield of grade and input.
The AutoMAXX comes with complete automation of turning, fence sets, gap control and feeding that allows the operator to focus on cutting decisions and grade. This system increases yield of your highest-grade products, and increased line counts at equivalent feed speeds.
Requiring only one grader/operator, optimum saw feed speeds will reduce saw fatigue while increasing saw capacity. The PLC controlled turning, feeding and cant spacing will keep gaps to a minimum, even when changing sets.
McDonough invented the Travelling Bed Feed Resaw, now known as the Linebar Resaw, that revolutionized the sawmill industry. With the new AutoMAXX resaw system, McDonough is once again advancing resaw technology and capability.

We would like to introduce you to our newest forestry rep for our northern West Virginia territory, D Jay Miller. D Jay lives in Elkins, WV with his wife of 20 years, Krista and has two kids ages 16 and 10. D Jay worked in the trucking industry for 15 years as a freight broker and also had 30 trucks that served the oil field industry. Prior to that he worked for Reckart as an equipment salesman. We are excited to welcome D Jay to our Ricer family of employees and wish him a ton of success! You can reach D Jay at 304-704-6916 or email him at [email protected].

New MB100 SlabMizer Produces Smooth Slabs

Wood-Mizer introduces the MB100 SlabMizer Slab Flattening Mill designed for woodworkers who want high-quality flattened wood slabs up to 36” wide with minimal labor. Built in the USA, the MB100 joins the Wood-Mizer slab flattening mill product range for efficiently surfacing and flattening wood slabs, boards, burls, cookies, and other wide material.

Compared to a traditional router or planer, the MB100 SlabMizer flattens material up to 36” wide and 8” thick in less time using a 3HP electric 5" cutting head equipped with five 4-sided carbide knives. For wider material, Wood-Mizer offers the MB200 SlabMizer capable of processing material up to 56” or 72” wide.

To flatten material, the cutter head is moved side-to-side with a handle and secured with pre-set notches. With a manual push feed bar, the cutter head is moved forward/reverse until the material features the smooth finish required with each pass. Cutting depth is adjusted from 1/64” to 1/8” in 1/64” increments by a hand crank located on the top of the cutter head.

The MB100 requires at least one LT15WIDE bed section sold separately from Wood-Mizer to operate or can be added to the popular Wood-Mizer LT15WIDE portable sawmill bed to optimize processing space. For longer capacity, unlimited 6’ 8” modular bed sections can be added to extend the material length. Two adjustable clamps to secure material on the bed and four bed spacers are included with each MB100 Slab Flattening Mill.

MB100 SlabMizer Slab Flattening Mill Features
· 36" max material width and 8” max thickness
· 5,500 RPM 5” cutter head with five 4-sided carbide knives
· One or more LT15WIDE bed sections required
· Can be added to Wood-Mizer LT15WIDE portable sawmill
· Built in the USA

“Wood-Mizer is committed to providing our customers with the equipment necessary to process material from forest to final form,” said Russell Fite, Wood-Mizer North America Sales Director. “The MB100 SlabMizer is our lowest priced slab flattening mill that satisfies the needs of hobbyists and professionals producing high-value finished slabs while reducing manual labor.”

Starting at $9,995 USD, the MB100 SlabMizer is now available to order in North America. For more information, visit www.woodmizer.com or contact your local Wood-Mizer representative.

About Wood-Mizer

Since 1982, Wood-Mizer has earned the reputation as a world-leading wood processing equipment manufacturer with a strong legacy from its innovative sawmilling products. From forest to final form, Wood-Mizer offers an extensive line of equipment including narrowband portable and industrial sawmills, wideband sawmilling equipment, band resaws, board edgers, wood kilns, woodworking equipment, firewood processing equipment, pallet recycling equipment, material handling equipment, sawmill blades, and blade maintenance equipment for woodworking and forestry hobbyists and professionals all over the world. Visit woodmizer.com for more information.

Axis Forestry introduces the Gen5 Cypress Robotics Controller to operate all makes and models of processor heads. The Cypress Robotics Controller is designed and manufactured in Canada and incorporates feedback from hundreds of logging contractors. Loggers want a tree processor controller that is simple to install, reliable, easy to use and affordable- the Cypress Robotics Controller delivers all of this and more! 

The Cypress Robotics Controller matches powerful and modern software technology with tough and reliable hardware, creating an easy to navigate touch-screen operating system.  The Cypress software is intuitive and easy to understand so operators do not require training and are operational within minutes. With simplified hardware and comprehensive video tutorials, the Cypress Robotics Controller is a breeze to install and configure for optimal operations. The Cypress Robotics Controller also includes a suite of onboard self-diagnostic tools and is well-supported by the team at Axis Forestry. Axis technicians can remotely log in to provide diagnostic support and software updates through a Bluetooth connection- no cell service required! 

The Cypress Robotics Controller can be retrofit on to any existing brand of tree processor and offered at a lower price point than traditional tree processor control systems. For a limited time, Axis Forestry will buy back old computer control systems for a $3,500 dollar credit towards a new Cypress Robotics Controller. To find out more, visit www.axisforestry.com or call 360-656-6421.

About Axis Forestry:

Axis Forestry is a forestry manufacturing company founded in 2010, created to serve forestry logging contractors worldwide by providing replacement parts, new equipment, new modern computer technology, and strong customer support to optimize logging operations. Axis Forestry is an OEM manufacturer of the Rebel brand of Tree Processors and Cypress Robotics Controllers. Axis Forestry has two locations, one in Kamloops BC, Canada and one in Ferndale, Washington.

In traditional fashion, the 84^th Annual Oregon Logging Conference was held at the Lane Event Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene, February 24 – 26, 2022.

After celebrating the OLC in a scaled down version in 2021, many positive comments were made this year about being able to gather in-person. 

“After the last two years, the best thing about this year is getting back together,” 2021/2022 OLC President Scott Melcher, of Melcher Logging in Sweet Home said. “I think that’s one of the strengths, the connectivity and the bonds that we have,” he added. “We might be competing against each other one day, and the next we’re sitting down talking and sharing ideas.”                           

Conference Manager Rikki Wellman said this year, there was more equipment on display outdoors compared to previous years. And while paid registration was slightly down this year, there was no dip in attendance with many industry professionals and members of the public participating in the OLC

“The last couple of years have been a challenge for all of us,” Conference Manager Rikki Wellman said. “Being together in 2022 helped restore the traditions of the OLC,” she added, “seeing our friends faces again and enjoying the camaraderie.”

2022 Keynote speaker – Blake Manley

Keynote speaker Blake Manley shared his incite and success in engaging and encouraging young men and women to consider careers in the logging and forestry industries. Manly is a Natural Resources teacher at Sweet Home High School, creator of the Manley Jobs career video YouTube series, Chair of the Oregon Natural Resources Teachers Association, and a logger. 

Manley was also the speaker at the annual Desserts for Dreams luncheon, where he suggested ways to continue reaching out to young women and men with information about the logging and other natural resource industries. The charity selected by Oregon Logging Conference First Lady Wendi Melcher, to receive proceeds from the event was the Sweet Home High School Forestry Club, which will receive more than $10,000.

Seminars and Panel Discussions 

Topics of current interest were discussed at the 84^th Annual Oregon Logging Conference, while many of those attending earned Professional Logger credits to stay certified and up to date on several issues. Topics addressed included:

• The Private Forest Accord
• A changing labor force (Better Ideas/New Technology in Logging)
• Reducing worker stress and fatigue from day-to-day equipment operation
• Your voice, your vote counts
• Log damage caused by modern processing equipment
• Oregon and Washington Forest Practices Act seminars

“The Oregon Logging Conference is packed with unique opportunities for forestry and natural resource professionals to network and learn more about their trades,” said Rikki Wellman, OLC Manager.

Oregon Logging Conference Foundation Auction

$28,000 was raised during the Thursday and Friday auction at the Oregon Logging Conference. This money will be used for scholarships and other educational endeavors, including the above-mentioned Future Forestry Workers Career Day. 

Log Loader Competition

You’ll recognize the winner’s names in this popular competition. 

First place was Zane Bryant of Bryant Logging in Beaver Creek, OR with a time of 2:57:09. Second place was Justin Jackola of Rice Logging in Sweet Home, OR with a time 3:34:16 and third place was Bryan Chipps of Green Diamond Resource Company in Korbel, CA with a time of 3:42:17. This popular outdoor event tests the skills of log loader operators, as they demonstrate speed, skill, and efficiency. Operating a Link-Belt log loader, contestants have seven minutes to stack log blocks end-to-end, matching numbers or colors on predetermined marks on the ground.

85^th Annual Oregon Logging Conference

The dates are set for the 85^th Annual Oregon Logging Conference. Plan to attend the OLC February 23 - 25, 2023 at the Lane Event Center and Fairgrounds in Eugene, OR. 

For more information, contact Rikki Wellman, OLC Manager, (541) 954-2477 or Mary Bullwinkel, Media/Communications Coordinator – (707) 601-6533.