Reiuvenating A Great Milling Plant With Electricity

It is a long call from a kite string and a bunch of keys in Philadelphia to an electrically driven seven band Redwood sawmill in California.

As electricity has illuminated the pathway of progress, those manufacturers of lumber who have been alert to safeguard their employees, eliminate waste and prepare their product more thoroughly and economically, have turned to the electrification of their plants as a means to accomplish these results.

Probably the greatest exponent of progressiveness, as exemplified by plant electrification in California, is The Pacific Lumber Company of Scotia, in Humboldt County. The Pacific Lumber Company, organized in 1869, for many years moved their lumber in the rough to the lower coast for refinement and distribution. With the coming of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad to Humboldt Countv in 1912, The Pacific Lumber Company built at Scotia i large planing mill and factory in order to prepare their products for use at the source of supply, thereby eliminating the freight on waste.

The motive power for this factory was electric motors, practically all of the machines being driven by individual motors; the power for the motors being furnished by steam turbines in the general power plant at the sawmill.

The operation of the factory with individual motor drives proved so thoroughly satisfactory that in 1920, when Mill A needed reconditioning, thd engineers of The Pacific Lumber Company conferred with the engineers of the General engi con Electric Comoanvpany, the conclusion being to completely electrify Mill A.

In addition to the reconditioning needed at Mill A, it was found that the steam supply was becoming inadequate owing to the fact that The Pacific Lumber Company was diligently keeping pace with every progressive step in the "curing" of their lumber in order that it might reach utility destination in the highest state of preparation and, in addition to the other economies to be effected by electrification, was the saving of steam.

With plans completed, the change from steam drive to motor drive was made as rapidly as possible, each machine in Mill A being individual motor driven, each motor being equipped with the most advanced motor control.

Each of the three band rigs are driven with a three hundred horse-power 600 r.p.m. 2300-volt reversible motor, the motor control being of the automatic push button type, arrangecl so that the motor could be reversed for plugging service to stop the mills in order to shorten the time in changing saws.

LITTLE RIVER REDWOOD COMPANY BUILDING ALL REDWOOD YARD AND.OFFICE AT MADERA

When The Little River Redwood Company get through with the new retail yard they are building, erecting, and creating at Madera, California, there will be something entirely new under the sun, and there is no doubt about it. It will be an entirely all Redwood yard. Nothing but Redwood is being used in the entire construction of sheds, offices, furniture, etc.

Even the big timbers that make the foundation for the sheds and offices, are of Redwood. The floors are of Redwood blocks laid on end. The roofs are of Redwood shingles, half an inch thick at the butt, and nailed with pure copper nails that should last forel'er.

All live rolls, conveyors and other slorv speed machines are driven with motors of high starting torque, the motors l>eing reversible with push button type starters; Falk redrrction gears were used to reduce the speed from 1800 to 1200 r.p.m. at the motor shaft to the slow speed of the driven machine.

The use of these gears effected economies in space and installation and gave a drive of the highest efficiency.

The reciprocating steam engines were replaced with a General Electric 2000 k.w. condensing steam turbine.

With the completion of Mill A electrification, it was found that the production had been increased approximately fr/o and in addition the steam consumption was only 75/o of the old reciprocating steam engines. The operation of the mill required only half of the turbine capac- ity leaving the other half to be transmitted to Mill B to assist in carrying the load of the factory and remanufacturing plant.

The electrification of Mill A made an old mill into one that can continue to operate efficiently for many years.

With the ever widening national and international clientele of The Pacific Lumber Company and the growing demand for a finished product, it has now become necessary to materially increase the number of "curing" rooms; this installation requires additional quantities of steam.

With the electrification of Mill A, the steam consumption was so markedly less that it was quite reasonable to conclude that electrification of Mill B would affect steam cdnsumption sufficiently to take care of the additional curing rooms. Therefore, early in the year The Pacific Lumber Company engineers in conjunction with the engineers of the General Electric Company, made a careful study of steam conditions at Mill B, the conclusion being to electrify Mill B.

There will be some 140 individual General Electric Motors and 6O sets of Falk gears.

The power unit will be a 5000 k.w. General Electric condensing steam turbine and each of the four band rigs will be run with a 300 horse-tr)ower General Electric motor.

With the completion of Mill B electrification, The Pacific Lumber Company will have one of the largest and most complete electrically equipped plants on the Pacific Coast.

With this work completed and the installation of 75/o more "curing" rooms, The Pacific Coast Lumber Company will have fortified their position to promptly serve their clientele with thoroughly cured Redwood lumber and lumber products.

The furniture for the office is being built at the mills'of the company, and will be entirely of Redwood. The display room in the office will show a lot of attractive built-in features for homes, and all these things will be made entirely from Redwood.

In fact, there will be nothing but Redwood in sight when they get going. They expect to have the buildings completed by July 15th, and begin installing their stocks. It will be an architeiturally attractive, handsome plant throughout.

It is being built and will be managed by Jim Chase, head of the retail department for this concern.