“Our customers’ needs change from full truck loads of a certain item to multiple items on a single load, we have the production and are flexible enough to service their needs.” ~ Brandon Clark, owner, Clark Hardwoods LLC
Among Clark Hardwoods state of the art equipment is their Brewco four-inch resaw.
Clark Hardwoods LLC, located in Erin, TN, is making capital investments in its facilities in order to continue to be a leading producer in the hardwood industry. Brandon Clark, owner, said that they recently installed a Cleereman Optimizing Edger as well as a grading line that has the capacity to grade all the green and kiln-dried lumber through a single line.
“With this grading line installation complete, we reached our goal of making sure that no one has to physically handle any of the lumber,” Brandon stated. While Clark Hardwoods still has stick layers and people that are banding together their packs there is no need to have any of their employees physically handling the lumber anymore due to the technological advancements that the company has continued to invest in.
“Cutting out a lot of the harder manual work that comes with working in a sawmill has allowed us to have a higher retention rate with our employees,” Brandon said. “We have all noticed that it is not only hard to retain employees in our industry, but it has been a struggle to bring the younger generations on board. I think that this is due to the overall lack of education that the general public is getting on how integral our businesses are to the economy as a whole. With the jobs that we provide in mostly rural communities and the products that we manufacture and sell that help bolster the overall economy, it is important that we continue to speak out and educate the public on the forest products industry.”
Clark Hardwoods, located in Erin, TN, has 140,000 board feet of kiln capacity and 80,000 feet of forced air chambers for Poplar.
Clark Hardwoods works in tandem with Clark Lumber, headquartered in Red Boiling Springs, TN, as well as their sawmill in Lafayette, TN. The Erin location is able to produce 12 million board feet of lumber annually with merely 35 employees. “Between all three of our locations we have 150 employees,” Brandon added.
Clark Hardwoods primarily offers Red and White Oak and Poplar, making up about 90 percent of the lumber that they produce, while the other 10 percent consists of Ash, Hard Maple, Walnut and Cherry. They offer Poplar in thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4, 10/4 and 12/4, as well as custom thicknesses for a few customers. They offer White Oak in 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4 thicknesses. Recently a small kiln was added to dry thicknesses of 10/4 and 12/4. Red Oak is offered in 4/4 and 8/4 thicknesses, with the 4/4 being dried at the Clark Hardwoods location, while the 8/4 is shipped to the Red Boiling Springs location to air-dry. All of the secondary species produced are sold green.
Clark Hardwoods has 140,000 board feet of kiln capacity and 80,000 feet of forced air chambers for Poplar. Oak lumber is air dried for 90-120 days. “While our air-drying space is mainly covered for our No. 1 Common and Better products, we do have some open air-drying space for our lower grades,” Brandon said. “Between the Erin location and Red Boiling Springs, we have over 5 million board feet of covered air-drying capacity and a kiln capacity of 900,000 board feet.”
“Depending on the time of year we have the resources to be able to carry a six to ten-week log inventory, allowing us the ability to continually meet the supply needs of our customers,” said Brandon Clark, owner of Clark Hardwoods.
While the covered air-drying space helps the lumber keep a bright appearance, Clark Hardwoods goes an extra step in ensuring that they are providing their customers with high-quality products by making sure that every board is dipped with an anti-stain treatment. Also, as the boards go through the grading line, they are trimmed at four inches over on green lumber and one inch over on kiln-dried lumber, using U-C Coatings Anchorseal to wax the end of the lumber to prevent end checking and splits.
Among Clark Hardwoods state of the art equipment is their grading line that was assembled by Froedge Machine & Supply Co. Inc., as well as their HMC Debarker, Cleereman linear positioning carriage, that is operated by Lewis Controls Setworks, a McDonough head rig, a Brewco four-inch resaw, a Cleereman Edger and a Precision chipper.
Above is 4/4 White Oak lumber entering the Sling Sorter built by Froedge Machinery.
Clark Hardwoods sells their appearance grade lumber to moulding, millwork, flooring, cabinet and furniture manufacturers, as well as to distribution and concentration yards. “Our customers’ needs change from full truck loads of a certain item to multiple items on a single load, we have the production and are flexible enough to service their needs,” Brandon said. Clark Hardwoods also exports its products to a number of countries, including, the European Union, Vietnam, China, India, Malaysia, Australia and Mexico. “We are able to load flatbeds, vans or containers here and send our products to any location with ease,” Brandon noted.
Harley Coulter, a 40-plus year employee, uses his experience to sharpen saws and ensure high quality production.
While the company saws timbers from 8 to 16 feet, they are heavy to 10 and 12 feet. Brandon noted that not only does the distribution market that they sell into prefer these lengths, they are also the best lengths for the industrial markets. “Depending on the time of year we have the resources to be able to carry a six to ten-week log inventory, allowing us the ability to continually meet the supply needs of our customers,” he added.
Clark Hardwoods continues to carry forward the reputation and legacy that Clark Lumber started to earn in 1982. As the decades pass, the third generation continues to shape and mold the future of the company by bringing in technological advancements that offer solutions to their customers’ problems. Clark Lumber and Clark Hardwoods will continue to be a reliable, premium, Appalachian supplier producing 48 million feet of hardwoods a year.
From Left to Right: Heath Honeycutt, general manager; Brandon Clark, owner; Chris McClain, procurement manager.
Clark Hardwoods is a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, American Hardwood Export Council, the Tennessee Forestry Association and the Real American Hardwood Coalition.
For more information, visit www.clarklumbercompany.com.
