According to Webster’s dictionary, a lumberyard is “a yard where a stock of lumber is kept for sale.” That is available almost anywhere in the country—but an actual millwork shop is one of Siewers’ most distinguishing charac-teristics. Why? Because here, among the numerous ma-chines and piles of shavings, is where wood is cut, glued, planed, sanded, and shaped for its final uses. The beauty of the wood is discov-ered by craftsmen in these old, high-ceilinged areas, who know how, through years of experience, to bring out the best in a piece of wood with the least waste.

Finding craftsmen is one of the most difficult parts of running a mill, says Linwood Wood, who will celebrate 25 years of service this spring in Siewers’ mill. “We spend years and months with people to train them how to run the machines and feel comfortable working on their own.”

The main areas of service in the mill are the lathe, the moulder and grinding area, bill cutting, and bench work. The lathe is used for any job that requires turning—such as balusters, table legs, spindles, porch columns, corner blocks, finials, and even ceremonial .gavels for the Virginia General Assembly. Dug Campbell, who has 25 years of experi-ence and has taught hundreds of other woodworkers, has a “fantastic ability to look at an object and recreate it—exactly,” says Richie Siewers. Over the years, Dug has learned to “get the most out of a tool, whether it’s a gouge, a skew chisel, or what-ever, before picking up the next tool” while working on the lathe. Dug estimates he turned approximately 10,000 items last year in Siewers’ mill.

The moulding area is manned by Kenny Hardaway and John Lewis. With more than 200 profiles of cove, base cap, dentil, crown, casing, sash bead, chair rail, mullion, beaded base, and pilaster in stock, these men have lots of work just keeping the basic inventory up-to-date. One wall in the back holds 672 cutters, organized neatly by letter and number. It can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to set up the moulding machine, which can hold five cutters for more intricate work. Recent special order projects in the moulding department have included 12,000 ft. of white pine for one customer, although John said, “we have set up and run an order as small as six feet.”

Bill cutting is the industry term for miscellaneous ripping, planing, or edge shaping of wooden items. Johnny Herring, Sr., with 32 years in the Siewers’ mill, had run 700 ft. of door jambs one day. “My job is different every day and every hour,” he com-mented. Johnny works by himself most of the time—pulling his own lumber, running it through the shaper, planer, ripsaw, arc molder, bandsaw, sander, panel saw, or using whatever machinery is needed. His skill is legendary, because complicated pilasters must be individually cut and shaped. One job had twelve flutes on an 18" board—and they were created one pass at a time. Kyle Draucker is a new Siewers employee who is helping Johnny in the bill cutting area.

The bench area of the mill is manned by master door maker Charlie McCormick, who builds almost all custom windows, sashes, and doors—from cabinet fronts to circle-top, raised panel entry doors. “I love a challenge,” says Charlie, who recently created a pair of beauti-ful mahogany doors with 21 two-sided raised panels on each door. He built more than 300 doors last year, and recent projects have included a circle top screen door and a custom movie-theatre style window. Linwood Wood and John Stockdon assist Charlie in the bench area.

If you want to create or recreate “just about anything” out of any wood you want, you need to visit the experienced men of Siewers’ Mill.

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Taxodium distichum. Sounds like the IRS with a lower GI problem or some-thing equally nasty. In fact, that’s the latin name for North American Cypress which is gaining popularity for its many uses. A softwood, cypress trees have needles, like cedar, pine, redwood, and spruce. Due to its slow growth, the rings are much closer than in most wood species, which leads to less shrink-age and more durability. The wood is a pale honey color in its natural state and when left unsealed, it weathers to an even shade of gray.

Cypress is grown in swampy areas from Delaware to Florida, and west along the Gulf of Mexico to the border of

Texas. Trees are often harvested by helicopters because of the wetness. Mills produce 100-120 million board feet per year and it is graded by use, manufacture, size, and moisture content.

The wood is easily workable and quite versatile. Its hardness and durability leads to many uses, including siding, trim, shutters, fence posts, beams, doors, win-dows, rails, and clapboards, to name a few of the exterior options. Although resinous, cypress glues well and sands easily. Ancient Egyptians even created a pharaoh’s casket of this solid material! To achieve best results, store in an unheated structure at least 4 inches off the ground and protected

from moisture. Cypress materials should be condi-tioned to the local moisture content before installation (usually 8-16%). According to Richie Siewers, “we’re starting to stock more in cypress because redwood is becoming difficult to obtain. The quality of cypress is superior because it is dried slowly, and the wood even contains an inherent fungus fighter!”

For an excellent comparison of the design and mechanical properties of cypress versus western red cedar, visit www.cypressinfo.org (the Southern Cypress Manufacturers Association web site).

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Downtown Richmond is sometimes used as a backdrop for movies and a hub of various businesses, including high-tech industries. Did you know that Siewers was involved with these well-known structures?

• The Governor’s Mansion and Old City Hall
• Shenendoah Apartments (former office of The Martin Agency)
• Linden Row Towers
• John Marshall Hotel, William Byrd Hotel, The Jefferson Hotel
• The Tobacco Company
• Bishop‘s House at Sacred Heart Cathedral
• The Commonwealth Club and The Country Club of Virginia

Famous Jobs Around Town
—printed courtesy of Freddie Siewers, Jr.

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Decade of Service

Employee anniversaries this quarter (10 or more years at Siewers):

Don Allison	19 years
Mike Coltrain	12 years
Harry Gaines	16 years
Joe Grove	27 years
Billy Harris	31 years
Johnny Herring, Sr.	32 years
Gilbert Ruffin	11 years
Wendell Scott	12 years
Mark Smith	20 years

Thank you for your hard work!

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Win Headgear and Other Prizes in Siewers Logo Contest!

How many stitches are in the Siewers logo as shown below and on the front? More than you might think, according to Harry Thalhimer of Thalhimer Headgear Co. in Richmond. “Not only do you see the grain of the wood, but you can feel the texture,” says Thalhimer, whose company designs and embroiders hats for Krispy Kreme, Southern States, and Mobil Oil, to name a few clients. “Siewers’ logo is one I just love— and it’s pretty amazing to bring a 2-dimensional logo to life with a 3-dimensional process like embroidery.”

So, how large is one stitch? We can’t give you too many clues, but you can’t embroider using a straight line—the space must be completely covered with threads going up and down as well as over and back.

From now until March 31, you can win a Siewers gift pack (complete with a hat, T-shirt, and a gift certificate from Siewers, of course) if you can guess how many stitches are in the Siewers logo. Either fill out the form on the counter or e-mail your answer to michael@siewers.com. One guess per person, please—and we must have your stitch count in hand by close of business on March 31.

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On The Counter

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