Swanson Group is installing a planer mill at its stud mill in Roseburg, Ore., formerly called Sun Studs. The new planer equipment is designed and fabricated by USNR. Because of the targeted high speed and piece count, it entailed a redesign for most of the material handling equipment.

Starting up three sawmills in the span of two short years is quite a feat, but the owners of Lewis County Forest Products and Mason County Forest Products have done just that. Owner Phil Johnson started up a new small log mill at Winlock, Wash. (Lewis County) two years ago, and the new small and large log mills here at Shelton this year.

Two generations of Brochu brothers joined forces last year to purchase Pleasant River Lumber Co. as one generation prepares to pass the torch. Brothers Jason, 32, and Chris, 25, both vice presidents of the company, are the family’s fourth generation to pursue a career in the forest products industry.

Kind of a catchy title, like “Bed Knobs & Broomsticks,” but our subject probably won’t appeal to your kids or grandkids. It may in fact be a tough mindset for adults; however, the engineering or physics geeks might really dig it. Our subject delves into the shock load behavior at the stopping end, and hence the maximum practical linear speed, of some common linear actuators.

High volume mill operations can reap big benefits from automating processing steps to smooth the flow of materials through the mill. This can be accomplished by augmenting human decision-making with the latest automated optimization support.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Wagner Electronics is the classic story of a man who developed a better idea, formed a company, then nurtured it into a worldwide business that’s now led by his son, who has guided the company to new markets and success.

The Algis Corp. markets a stand-alone Wane-Up system for edger optimizers or for planer infeeds. This is a spin-off product from their patented End Scan Technology. All scanning is done from the end of the board. The growth rings are analyzed and the location of the pith or heart center of each piece is determined, whether or not it is in the piece.