by Web Editor | Jul 20, 2016 | News
For years, it was known as the ugly duckling, cheaper alternative to plywood. One design maven described it as “like the turkey loaf of building materials.” But oriented strand board – OSB for short – has come into its own over the past 3 1/2 decades as a major player in North American wood-frame housing construction and is increasingly used for industrial and other applications.
Structural OSB panels – made of wood strands that are resin-bonded under high pressure and heat – are mostly used as floor, roofing or wall substrate in home building. They’re also getting play these days on fashionable interior-decoration websites as a “shabby-chic” finishing material.
Capitalizing on OSB’s rise like no other forest-products company is Toronto-based Norbord Inc. Norbord, once a diversified forestry company, has shed assets over the years and focused on OSB. Now boasting annual sales in the $1.5-billion (U.S.) range and a market capitalization of about $2.4-billion (Canadian), it bills itself as the world’s largest producer of OSB.
The $763-million acquisition in 2014 of Vancouver-based Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd. gave Norbord – whose operations were concentrated in the U.S. southeast – a strong presence in Western Canada as well as a foothold in the promising Japanese market.
Right now, the steadily growing number of housing starts in the United States is giving Norbord a big boost, and low-key, media-shy chief executive officer Peter Wijnbergen says there are major growth opportunities in Europe and Asia.
From The Globe And Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/forest-products-firm-norbord-riding-the-rising-wave-of-osb-sales/article30985989/
by Web Editor | Jul 8, 2016 | News
On Dec. 26, 2015, the first EF4 or stronger tornado ever recorded in December in Texas made landfall in Garland and Rowlett, suburban towns near Dallas. APA sent a damage assessment team to the area immediately following the storm. The damage assessment team found numerous examples of severe damage, not just in the area most intensely affected by the storm, but also in areas where the tornado winds were not as intense, with damage indicators pointing to wind speeds well below the EF4 rating.
Building failures were attributed to several common structural weaknesses, including poor performance of laminated-fiber sheathing, missing metal connectors, and poor attachment of wall systems to both the roof and the foundation.
While it is challenging to design homes to withstand the most intense tornadoes, there are cost-effective design details that builders and designers can implement to significantly mitigate storm damage in less powerful winds along the edge of the storm’s path. By continuously sheathing walls with plywood or OSB and playing close attention to all connection details, builders can significantly increase the strength and resilience of their homes.
Download Texas Tornado Damage Assessment Report, Form SP-1177, including general findings, 50 images of tornado-damaged homes, and wind-resistant construction recommendations. The report is also available to purchase in print for $2.00.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/apa-wood-panel-group-issues-study-how-super-strong-tornados-damage-homes
by Web Editor | Jun 29, 2016 | News
Weyerhaeuser plans to permanently close its lumber mill and plywood mill in Columbia Falls, Montana, by the end of the summer. It will also close its Columbia Falls, Montana, main office.
Weyerhaeuser will continue to operate its three other mills in Montana: a lumber mill in Kalispell, a plywood mill in Kalispell, and a medium-density fiberboard mill in Columbia Falls.
“For some time now our operations in Montana have been running below capacity as a result of an ongoing shortage of logs in the region,” said Doyle R. Simons, president and chief executive officer. “These closures will allow us to align the available log supply with our manufacturing capacity, including adding shifts at our Kalispell facilities. These moves will improve the operating performance of our remaining mills and best position these mills for long-term success.”
Some 100 jobs will be eliminated as a result of the mill closures, now planned for late August or early September.
The mill closures follow a decision earlier this year to move corporate positions that do not support manufacturing in Montana to Weyerhaeuser’s Seattle headquarters. As a result, the company also plans to close its main office in Columbia Falls at the end of the year.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/log-shortage-blamed-weyerhaeuser-plywood-mill-shut-down?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news
by Web Editor | Apr 25, 2016 | News
Georgia-Pacific officials announced last week that the Crossett plywood mill is being closed permanently.
On April 7, the company announced that the Crossett plywood facility and another in Talladega, Ala. were both being permanently closed.
Georgia-Pacific Crossett public affairs manager Jennifer King said equipment at the Crossett plywood mill would be sold or scrapped, adding that the buildings would be removed for safety reasons.
Operations at the Crossett plywood mill ceased in September of 2011, and King said the facilities are currently being used for storage of plywood and products from other mills.
She said it would probably take two to three months to remove all stored material and several months to complete the removal of the equipment and buildings.
From the Ashley News Observer: https://www.ashleynewsobserver.com/article_1960.shtml
by Web Editor | Mar 21, 2016 | News
HGTV carpentry expert Chip Wade is among judges for the 5th annual PureBond Quality Awards competition, which is accepting entries July 15, 2016.
Columbia Forest Products annual PureBond Quality Awards competition focuses on the use of PureBond formaldehyde-free hardwood plywood in woodworking projects.
To be considered for judging, each project submission must contain formaldehyde-free PureBond hardwood plywood in the construction. The winning selections will be made based on the “quality” use of PureBond hardwood plywood in a project, and must be among the 900-plus PureBond Fabricator Network members.
Users of PureBond hardwood plywood in their practice may join the PFN now and become eligible to submit entries before the competition’s deadline. Up to nine winners will be chosen by a team of expert judges covering three project categories: Residential Kitchen, Residential Other, and Commercial.
The PureBond Quality Awards are open to Columbia’s PureBond Fabricator Network (PFN) members.
From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/events-contests/event-coverage/columbia-forest-products-calls-entries-2016-purebond-quality
