by Web Editor | Sep 2, 2015 | News
We ask: If the 19th century modern building material technology was associated with steel and the 20th century with concrete, could the 21st be the century of “MCT,” mass construction timber? Wood, one of the world’s oldest (and greenest) building materials, was the de facto construction material in American cities for over two centuries, falling out of favor when non-combustible materials capable of building high and wide emerged.
Today, highly engineered timber, sized to compete with these structural systems, is making a comeback in Europe, especially in Germany and in Austria, where the world’s first 8-story “ply-scraper” was recently completed. Stateside, the Boston Society of Architects recently featured Urban Timber, an exhibit showcasing innovative developments in wood technology and construction, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is sponsoring a $2M ideas competition for the design of tall wood buildings. Given all of this hoopla, one could assume that we are on the verge of a global timber revolution, yet the U.S. is lagging far behind our European neighbors. In fact, to date, neither the U.S. nor Canadian building codes explicitly recognize mass timber structural systems.
Deeply committed to sustainability, we made the choice to dive feet first into connecting with the past to build the future by employing MCT for the primary structural system of our University of Massachusetts Amherst Design Building. Designed with Equilibrium Consultants, one of the world’s foremost timber engineers, the building will house the university’s Departments of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Regional Planning, and Building Construction Technology, and is now under construction. Permitted through a variance application using the “alternative” method provisions of the building code, our 87,000-square-foot building furthers the university’s educational mission by incorporating examples of the inherent departments’ design practices. Targeting LEED Gold, it will be among the first MCT structures in the region when completed in 2017.
Laminated technologies, first developed in Europe in the 1980s, are allowing us to fabricate fairly massive timber components for the Design Building using small diameter trees sustainably harvested from managed forests. Our selected timber, black spruce, was sourced from Canada’s Boreal forest region, an area that constitutes the world’s largest land based biome. It is constituted to stand up to fire and maintain its structural integrity.
From Metropolis Magazine: https://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/August-2015/Timbers-Transformation-An-Old-Building-Material-is-Reborn/
by Web Editor | Aug 31, 2015 | News
In a move which will double its capacity, RedBuilt LLC is adding a laminated veneer lumber line at its Stayton, OR, facility, one of four manufacturing plants by the Boise, ID-based company. RedBuilt manufactures engineered structural wood products for commercial and multi-family applications.
“This press will nearly double our existing RedLam LVL capacity,” RedBuilt President and CEO Kurt Liebich said. “Our new line will help us meet demand for our engineered wood products. We’re committed to investing in the future of the business and providing the innovative solutions our customers have depended on for decades.”
The new four-foot LVL press is being supplied by Tahei Machinery, a manufacturer of plywood and woodworking machinery in Komaki City, Japan.
“LVL is at the heart of virtually all our products, from RedLam headers and beams and flanges in Red-I I-joists and open-web trusses, to RedPlank scaffold plank and our concrete forming and shoring solutions,” Liebich said. “With this new line, RedBuilt is better positioned to control the supply and quality of products we manufacture and serve our customers’ growing needs.”
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/panel-supply/redbuilt-engineered-lumber-facility-doubles-capacity?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news
by Web Editor | Aug 26, 2015 | News
No One Injured In Plum Creek MDF Plant Explosion
The Plum Creek medium density fiberboard (MDF) plant in Columbia Falls experienced an explosion and fire, but no one was injured in the blaze.
The fire appeared to have been contained to one line of the plant, said Columbia Falls firefighter Karl Weeks. The call for the fire came out at 6:09 a.m. and firefighters were off the scene at 11:15 a.m. Weeks said there were multiple spot fires as a result of the explosion inside the massive plant. The facility underwent a multi-million dollar renovation after a fire and explosion damaged the building in June of last year.
The cause of this fire remains under investigation. Whitefish responded with mutual aid and about 15 firefighters total fought the blaze, Weeks said.
Plum Creek spokeswoman Kathy Budinick said the fire apparently originated in an area of line one that holds the fiber before it enters the line. “The fire suppression system worked as intended,” she said.
The plant has two lines and line two is up and running, Budinick said. Line one will remain down until repairs can be made, but Budinick said there was minimal damage to the plant itself. She said the fire suppression system also needs to be recharged.
From Hungry Horse News (2015)
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by Web Editor | Aug 21, 2015 | News
Last September, for what we believe is the first time in our company’s 93-year history, one of our employees was killed in an accident at one of our facilities.
Bryan Dodge was a local hero. He was a husband to his wife, Amy, father to four children and friend to many. With the guidance of Crisis Chaplaincy Services, we met with those affected to provide what support we could. Ultimately, no support can replace a husband, father or friend.
An Aug. 6 article in the Statesman Journal questioned our family’s business practices and safety record. The article inappropriately reopened a wound and did nothing but add confusion and erroneous information. It warrants a response.
In regard to the accident, we don’t know why company procedures weren’t followed, why the safety equipment wasn’t used or why Bryan was where he was that night. The reason behind his death will forever be a tragic mystery.
What we do know is that safety is our No. 1 priority at Freres Lumber and our history supports that fact. According to the state of Oregon, our lost workday incident rate is 30 percent lower than our peers on average.
From the Statesman Journal: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/opinion/readers/2015/08/13/freres-lumber-co-responds-article/31650909/
by Web Editor | Aug 19, 2015 | News
Roseburg Plywood Mill Adds Wireless Alerts To Improve Safety
The Roseburg Forest Products softwood plywood mill in Coquille, OR is a massive facility – 700,000 square feet – with lots of moving parts. Logs entering one end of the plant are formed into finished plywood through a largely automated production process. Safety is a major concern – whether it is employee safety or the ever-present threat of fire. A new system of wireless alerting transmitters is enhancing safety and improving response times for electricians and millwrights, thus improving efficiency.
The Roseburg plant has long been a staple in the community. It is common for generations of family members to work here, creating a real sense of community. So safety isn’t just a buzzword. It’s personal. To speed the response to an emergency the company previously relied on a system of 4 hard-wired call buttons scattered throughout the plant.
These featured two separate buttons – one for “man down” – indicating an injury on the plant floor, or “fire” – for a fire. The hard-wired boxes provided a means of alerting radio-equipped personnel to emergencies – but only when they were operational, which as they aged was rather hit or miss. Clearly, something had to be done.
“We knew we had to make a change” said plant Technical Manager Pete Carter, “because if one of these boxes went down, then the whole system was down.” The outage might be minor, requiring only a few hours to fix, or it could be major, taking the system out of commission for two weeks or more. To complicate matters, the company that manufactured the original system, Murphy’s Law, has since gone out of business, and no longer supports the equipment.
From Woodworking Network: woodworkingnetwork.com.
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The monthly Panel World Industry Newsletter reaches over 3,000 who represent primary panel production operations.
Panel World is delivered six times per year to North American and international professionals, who represent primary panel production operations. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative. Contact us today!
by Web Editor | Aug 10, 2015 | News
Freres Lumber Co. was cited four times for safety and procedural violations uncovered during inspections launched after a worker died at its Mill City plant in September 2014, according to documents obtained by the Statesman Journal.
Bryan Dodge, a 34-year-old millwright, husband and father of four, was killed when a plywood press he was replacing a steam line for activated and pinned him between the press and a post.
According to a citation and notification of penalty report from the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division, the machine lockout procedures that prevent equipment operation were not followed. The company did not have or follow uniform lockout procedures for operating or servicing the press.
Freres Lumber, a plywood and veneer producer since 1922, allegedly violated safety rules at least 14 times in the last 10 years, according to inspection data. The company was fined and cited in 2005 after an employee lost part of his hand while attempting to free debris from a wood chipper. In 2007, a $5,000 fine was levied and later dismissed by the Workers’ Compensation Board after a worker flagging log trucks was killed when a log truck backed up over him. In 2013, an employee operating a scissor lift was seriously injured when the lift malfunctioned, pinning his head and neck against the ceiling, leaving him with a broken jaw and vertebra.
From the Statesman Journal: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2015/08/06/freres-lumber-cited-multiple-times-worker-death/31201141/
