The Accidental Lumbermaii

f rnr,w A Lor oF LrrrLE rms who you a week or more. Surely, digging term describ{pg any person invol"ved_ "0,. Iwanted to be firemen, policemen, ditches could be no worse. in the manufacturing or marketing of doctors, lawyers or cowboys, but I rr '' .i lumber, plywood, _or other wood prodnever knew any who said they wanted .fle *as a big maq:ijml.g name was ucts." By this definition, I qualified, to be in the lumber business. Clearly, Tex Jones, and he lso"likll'like he had but after a week at the lumberyard I this created some opportunity for invented the name Tex. l'Cftfipu dig realized I was no lumberman, accidenthose of us who entered the *orkilu"" a ditch, son?" he asked, a*E-fu n"a tal or otherwise. I didn't know a board with a willingness to work hard und no his doutts.

fromp piece of dimension lumber. I real idea where our career paths would "I dug ditches in the Arm,Y," I diq't know ajoist frgT u beam. I didlead us. replied, Sying to look bigger than I n't know a galvanized box nail from a

And so it was, in December 1968 waS. bo-il of rocks. In other words, I didn't after dischargi4g,&q4g the U.S. Army,, "Well, I canJ,+.0ell yotl:if it's perrna: ' know jack! It was clear to me that I found'"srffif iE:ileed of employ- nenti,he said, "but if yoe'.don't minil ; bbing a lumberman required knowlment. Mybtder Urottrer managed-a using a ehsvel,+nd.y.ou don't mind gdge'and expcrience I.didn't have- I

)f managed a Usfng a SnOVef anq yOU OOn t mrn0 cugg allu tr^PtllErrt-tr I llruil L rrc :d I apply at a workiig in the rr*d, you csl tart next found myself relying heavily on the co-piny tnut week." r'' old veterans, and most were.more than ;etui;;;"d next to triitumUiryirO, as I walked next door to the lumber- willing'fd share their experience with thev were lookine for a ditch digger.I yard to find my brother and thank him rne. coutA aig oitchesll thought .outd dS'Oit"neslt ttroughi. l,:'. for the tip. The smell of sawdust ard @-.9S1o,,9weeping warehouse floors, I cerlainly had haiworse jobs. fresh-cutlumber filled the cool winter somethiag-I could do_ with little Catching chickens in a dusfi"Sarn* air. A forklift canying a unit of p$; insqucfon. Sqon,I was filling storage came to-mind. This tqnn {gp,,,t.in the"K q.p.gd sped by, and the driver sto?H;;;r-_Piffi,ml$4*h.t'plvwood and other dead of night and required one ro '..Uchinif#-"up pickup and*lid thej;.'Sgytiniifpproductsand be€an to learn ffi?"ilffiW5';I."h1,: ing theffi a trr therfrto iila4hter r(iontractors backed atruckthatwtjfuldrtaie storage shed, aad it whined ahd Wotthesabscounter,thestoremanhter. .Ihis, of course, did screeched eqeh time''the sawyer pulled ager would come out and tell me to

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biid&I, .to.* of manire-iicei paid these days?" Sly=

""a ift"V the blade into apiece ottum"ter. t naa giab a customer -and help out. Mike &ffieii wines furiously in their never been in a ltliiifteryqrd before. and lim, two old'topnter pros, taught l to escapel The wing flapping "How much does,e difuh digger get me luniber. math, forinulas, shortcuts, tiirftrU up a st;rm of manlrre-iicei paid these days?" dry brother asked and, most importantly, how to service dust thln-prmeated one's nasal pas- from behind a salesCoumfor covered a customer. They shoWed rne_therG*.1 ,ug"r,.uuring the stench to stay with with product samples, oi6er pads, was_ a difference between sellingand adding machines, and an"l^d&i;;: ;"ki;U:;;e;, ""d" *"cil;; ;h; I ister. '; importance of actually boing a sales-

"Well," I answered, "Tex said he man. *--r ,,,ltt:''' would start me at $3 per hour." "'+ In time, I learned to o@ a {orkMy brother thought for a moment. lift and drive a truck. A forklift clnvqr "I'll give you $3.25 per hour and you ;6amed Ivan showed me how to move can start tomorrow. I'm going to need. .*-24-ft.lumber thlough a20-ft. door and another yardman."

: tbminded me. often not to carry the

Little did I know I was an acciden- loads too hig[ or I would run into the tal lumberman and my career in the 'watehouse rafters. He was correct on lumber business had just begun.

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I erms of the Trade describes a lumberman as follows: "A generic that point. A truc.futriver named Gus " taught me to doub-F'clutch, tie some Fetty fancy knots, and drop a load of 'iumber off the back of a truck softly, exactly where it was intended to go. Greg, a younger driver, showed me how to carry underlayment up a 2"x12" plank without falling off. I packed a lot of particleboard in the early years of my career.

Butch, a yardman who had once been a logger, took me into the wocdo and shared with me his appreciation for nafure and the beauty of Oregon's 'r. forests. He taught me that the best place in the world to drink a can of; cold beer was next to a logging road, $ high above a fresh clear-cut with a view of a newly uncovered valley. He explained to me the concept of clearcutting Douglas'fq and showed me the beauty of a regenerhting forest.

Clarence, another"lgrdrnan, taught me about the struc@. and beauty of many species of lumbod. He seemed to know everytbing there was to know about redwood, cedar, hemlock, Douglas fir, and i!4e. He was a walkin$efaffilopedia ofilur*er and loved wood more than anybody I ever knew. He called my attention to a wonderful paragraph found in the West Coast Lumber grading rules: "At no time, in whatever grade, should the inherent and -wonderful properties of wood be forgotten." I always,Hked that paragraph and,.to this day, it reminds me of mv lessons from Clarence.

Eventually,I moved from the retail lumberyard to rvholesale distribution and eontinued learning about the lumber business. I am ever mindful and appreciative of those who helped me along the way. Much of my success can be attributed to the insight, wisdom and knowledge of those who came before me. In turn. I have tried to pass my knowledge on to others, and I would encourage all of you to do the same. We have a whole new generation of accidental lumbermen beginning their careers, and the industry will be well served by teaching them how important basic lumber skills are and how to be good lumbermen. And, of course, your customers will appreciate it, too.

- Loren Krebs began his career in the lumber business in 1969 and recently retired as purchasing department manager after 25 years with Disdero Lumber, Clackamas, Or. He can be reached by email at krebs@ oreSoncoast.

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