Nelson Wood Shims Reports 30% to 50% Growth in Output with the Newest Wood-Mizer TV6000 / MR6000 Sawmill System

Based in Minnesota, USA, Nelson Wood Shims is the largest shim manufacturer in North America, producing high-quality woodworking products for nationwide distribution. The company recently invested in a new sawmill system to maximize log yield while minimizing investment and operational costs. 

Nelson Wood Shims cuts a variety of shims from top-quality coniferous wood grown in North America and around the world. A shim is a wedge-shaped piece of wood used to align and level surfaces or provide support for construction projects. Nelson Wood Shims also offers high-quality and consistent wood shims for DIY enthusiasts. With 65 years of manufacturing and marketing experience, their recognizable products are sold through many well-known home improvement retail stores. "To uphold the legacy of our founder Wilbur Nelson, manufacturing high-quality true shims consistent in width and length and with feathered ends is essential to us," tells Brian Peterson, President of Nelson Wood Shims company. 

Prior to the summer of 2014, Nelson Wood Shims was not involved in sawmilling. "We were struggling to procure the fiber we needed, and our wood shim sales continued to increase," said Scott Berg, Plant Manager at Nelson Wood Shims. "We began looking at solutions to our problem and found a Wood-Mizer entry-level sawmill that would fit in our current building at the time. Wood-Mizer made a training of sawmilling as we had not operated a sawmill before." In 2015, Nelson Wood Shims added a second, more powerful Wood-Mizer Hydraulic sawmill of LT series to their operation to process logs. "We installed our first sawmill to process our wood and vertically integrate the manufacturing process. Today, Wood-Mizer continues to help us further streamline and increase production by strengthening our reputation for high quality," says Peterson.

 
As Nelson Wood Shims continued to grow, the company turned to Wood-Mizer to find a solution to expand its sawmill capacity. "We were familiar with Wood-Mizer's support and desire to please their customer," said Berg. "Wood-Mizer provided an automated system at an affordable price." The Wood-Mizer Sawmilling Solutions specialist team designed and installed a new high-throughput commercial processing line to meet the specific requirements of Nelson Wood Shims. Luke Murray of Wood-Mizer said, "The Wood-Mizer range of industrial machines allows us to meet the needs of customers who are experiencing growth or have growth goals. We were thrilled to work with Nelson Wood Shims and install an innovative, heavy-duty sawing system on a budget." 

Nelson Wood Shims' sawmill system features a Twin Vertical Saw and a MultiRip Gang Saw that incorporates innovative system controls allowing one operator to process the logs to lumber for reduced labor costs. With the integrated conveyors, lumber moves through the system efficiently for sorting and stacking. The company counts on the sawmilling system to provide highly accurate cuts and an excellent sawn finish, improving recovery savings. 

The TV6000 Twin Vertical Saw is Wood-Mizer's largest and most robust primary breakdown twin-vertical saw, handling a high throughput of small to medium-diameter logs up to 6.6 m in length. "The main priority at this primary stage in the log breakdown process is to achieve equal open faces on the sawn cant," said Murray. "Our twin-vertical saw achieves equal open-face cutting using a fast and accurate log feed system coupled with pressurized hold-down rollers and a feed chain. This allows for higher recovery at the next stage – at MR6000 multirips, also known as gang saws."

The MR6000 multirips, saws capable of making multiple high tolerance cuts in a single pass, make up the next stage. Optical sensors detect the presence of material, activating pneumatically assisted driven hold-downs to apply pressure down onto the cant, guiding the timber accurately through the MR6000 Gang Saw. "The MR6000 is a workhorse machine, producing most of the finished product in most sawmills," said Murray.

Providing added flexibility, each machine is designed to operate as a standalone unit and can be configured differently in a sawmilling line should the requirements of Nelson Wood Shims change. "Our output has increased by 30% to 50% with fewer people," said Berg. "The consistent cuts through the gang saw also allowed for eliminating a planing process."

The installation at Nelson Wood Shims supports Wood-Mizer's global reputation for providing innovative sawmilling products and commercial sawing lines. "The design of this system is matched to the customer's needs. We believe it will produce high throughput and top-quality results for Nelson Wood Shims for many years to come," said John Smith, CEO, Wood-Mizer. "Our dedicated teams are focused on helping our clients build long-term solutions that generate maximum return on investment."

Peterson and Berg said that the installation process went very smoothly, and the Wood-Mizer team provided in-depth training on all the equipment for mill personnel. "Wood-Mizer delivered on time and provided excellent installation service," said Berg. "We appreciate the hands-on involvement, service, and commitment the team provides to support us. This is the start of a long-term partnership with Wood-Mizer," said Peterson.

Benefits of TV6000 / MR6000 Line at Nelson Wood Shims

• Customized design of the sawmill system according to the needs and budget of the customer
• Detailed project management
• World-class manufacturing
• In-depth training and installation
• Output increased by 30% to 50%
• Labor costs reduce (fewer people are involved in the process)
• Eliminate a planing process after multirip
• Consistent high-quality wood shims production with the potential to grow

***