The Robbins Difference
At Robbins lumber; we take great pride in doing things the right way. Using the latest technology available for consistent sawing, drying and milling, we strive to put the best product possible on the market.
The Sawmill
Robbins Lumber operates one of the most efficient sawmills on the east coast. All of our lumber is sawn with bandsaws, using scanning technology to get the most out of every log. Bandsaws have thinner kerf and allow us to saw more accurately, giving us a consistent thickness for our rough lumber. Our lumber is then graded the first time to NeLMA standards, stacked, and put into the kiln, usually the same day it is sawed. This step helps prevent blue stain from occurring, a defect significantly devalues the lumber.
The Drying Process
Drying Lumber is perhaps the most important in manufacturing Eastern white pine lumber. Robbins Lumber has continuously maintained the highest level of drying technology. No matter what the grade, if a board is wet, it will not mill properly, and it will shrink, split or even mold. That is why, here at Robbins, we take great care in drying all of our lumber below the industry standards to a level which in our experience tells us will work best for customers. By grading our rough lumber in the sawmill, we not only have a better handle on our inventory, we can also dry similar grades in the same kiln charge, resulting in more consistent moisture content. we realize that not all boards dry the same, which is why we try to dry similar widths and grades together in the same kiln. We manually check each charge throughout the drying cycle to monitor the process. If boards dry to fast, the outside of the board will be much dryer than the inside, resulting in splitting and cracking. Using computer controls, we bring the boards down to a consistent 10-12% moister content, which leads to less knot tear, shrinking and wraping. We also have the capability to custom-dry charges as low as 6-8 %, for special applications. We can meet all your heat treatment requirements. We will dry lumber for as long as it takes before releasing it for milling.                                                                                                    --more--