When logs arrive at our veneer mill, their arrival is recorded on our logyard. Logs are measured and sorted by specie and size. While logs are on the logyard, they are maintained under a water sprinkler system during hot periods to stop drying and cracking.

The first step in the production process occurs in the sawmill. The flare of the log near the stump is removed so that the log can be sawn in half lengthwise symmetrically.

Then the bark is removed. The bark is sent to a local company where they turn it into mulch.

The logs are then sawn if half lengthwise. The two halves of the log are called flitches.

The two flitches are banded together and cooked in vats of very hot water over a long period of time. These times and temperatures vary by specie.

Next, the flitches are prepared for slicing. They are shaped and flattened as necessary to obtain an optimal mount to the slicers.

The flitches are sliced into sheets of veneer using either a flat-cut or half-round slicer. The sheets of veneer are reassembled into a log form to maintain sequential sheets for panel matching by our customers. Scrap from the slicer is chopped into fuel for our wood-fired boiler, which generates steam to heat our cooking vats, dryers, and other equipment.

Each sheet of veneer is placed into a dryer. They wind their way through the dryer at a temperature and speed appropriate for the specie. At the outfeed of the dryer, the sheets are reassembled into sequential bundles of 24-32 sheets. The moisture content is independently verified to ensure that dryers are working effectively.

The veneer can either be sold with rough edges or clean edges. If the customer desires clean edges, the veneer bundles are trimmed at our clipping lines. Undesirable characteristics are removed and the bundles are cut to length. Scrap from the clipping line is chopped into fuel for our wood-fired boiler, which generates steam to heat our cooking vats, dryers, as well as other equipment.

The veneer bundles are then laid out on a large grading table and assigned a grade. Bundles are stored on pallets by specie and like grades.

Lastly, the pallets are wrapped in protective plastic and stored in our warehouses, where they await shipment to our customers.