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Griffith Lumber
is a fourth generation sawmill operation that was founded in 1933 in
Woolwine, Virginia at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Earl
Griffith began the business with an old Vance sawmill and boiler
bought from his dad. Earl's sons, Bruce and Bill, joined the
business in 1972 along with Bill’s son, Bud, coming later. Bruce,
Bill and Bud are now the owners and managers with Bruce’s daughter
Kara G. Ward being the safety director.
The main products include Appalachian Hardwood lumber, stacking
sticks, mulch, chips and sawdust. Dry kilns have been started but
not complete.
On the night of April 23, 2009 a devastating fire of unknown origin
completely destroyed the two sawmill operation that forced the
shutdown of the sawmill operation and the layoff of over 35
employees. A sawmill that had been shut down in Floyd was leased and
the rest of the employees plus more were put back to work there
running two shifts. Another sawmill in Bassett was leased to custom
saw Griffith’s logs to increase needed lumber production to provide
for customers.
The
new mill construction was fully started in the summer of
2010 and completed in September of 2011. Production in a limited manner began in
September while trying to get the machinery tuned in and the bugs
out and to train the employees to run the new machinery. Full
production of about 50,000 board feet of lumber per day has not been
achieved yet but improving daily.
The main machines include a debarker, log metal detector, a 4
headblock linear positioning Corley carriage with a Lewis Controls
scanner and computerized setworks and a shotgun feed. It has a 6 ft
McDonough band headrig and 5 ft McDonough line bar band resaw, an 8”
combination gang edger and a drop saw trimmer. Bark is double ground
and loaded directly into live bottom trailers and hauled to
customers. Chips and sawdust are loaded into open top trailers and
hauled to various customers. .
Today, Griffith Lumber Company, Inc. is among the largest and most
enduring employers in Patrick County, Virginia, with 54 employees
that produce millions of board feet of lumber and millions of
stacking sticks each year.
Griffith Lumber can provide your Appalachian hardwood lumber,
stacking sticks, mulch, chip, biomass fuel and mountain land needs.
We
take pride in producing a well-manufactured, well-graded,
high-quality lumber product. Customers say the lumber is sawed,
edged and trimmed better than any lumber they buy, so their yield is
better and it is already export quality. Our main products are
Appalachian Poplar, Appalachian Red Oak and Appalachian White Oak.
We also offer Cherry, Walnut, Soft Maple and Eastern White Pine.
Both
green and kiln dried lumber is available.
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