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Pioneering Fingerjointing in BC
“I remember putting my business concept together nearly 30 years ago” says John Brink. “I knew that if I could recover the waste and short lengths from the lumber remanufacturing process, I could make a more utilizable value-added product and minimize the waste -This was truly a concept of high value structural wood products from waste”. John knew that fingerjointing had found wide acceptance in Europe and the rest of the world but the concept had yet to catch on in North America.
In several US states, fingerjointed studs were gaining some acceptance. In Texas, mainly in the Dallas area, fingerjointed studs were selling at a premium to solid studs. John saw this as an opportunity and set up his plant on River Road to manufacture solid and fingerjoint studs from low-grade lumber purchased from the surrounding primary mills. He knew that fingerjointing would be the critical component to the financial plan. “I figured I could convert the low grade lumber to at least 90% high grade studs, with the balance as economy or chips. I did and that is still true today. There is no waste. Every piece that comes into the plant goes out as a finished product” says John. Today where markets demand new attributes such as sustainable forest management and environmental responsibility, the remanufacturing and fingerjointing process is a positive step in the best utilization of our fibre resource.
However, it was not all smooth sailing at the beginning. Canadian standards had not yet been developed for structural adhesives. Only phenol-resorcinol was accepted in Canada. PVA (or white glues) were not covered by codes and standards although they were allowed in the US and Europe. “We had to start the process of getting the codes and standards changed. This is not an easy process and it takes time which was a commodity I did not have back then” he recollects “but finally they were changed and we were in business”.
Added to these problems was a total lack of experience in the concept. Employees had to be trained from scratch. Their accumulated experience had developed in them an inborn sense that low-grade lumber had no value and they had to be taught to identify and extract the valuable pieces. “I remember trying to convince some of them that a piece as short as 8” was worth saving and not just destined for the chipper” John recalls. Some of those employees are still with the company today, a legacy to their dedication and perseverance in getting the job done.
Brink Forest Products is has been operating for nearly 30 years. The business concept is as sound today as it was all those years ago and the company continues to make quality products through innovative processes and environmental leadership. “Our strength lies in our ability to extract value from low-grade lumber. Our future will depend on our ability to develop the next generation of wood products” says John. The forest industry is indeed on the threshold of a new era of engineered wood and value-added products. It has set about building a wood culture through the Wood Works! project and there are indications that building methods are slowly changing. “I want to be part of that change and look forward to the next 30 years” says John.
Loading short pieces into the fingerjointer
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