Bright Wood Blog

Orville “Big O” Wray Retires After 39+ Years in Fingerjoint

[May 19, 2025] Orville Wray retired in 2024 after 39+ years at Bright Wood. Because he was working at the Redmond site, this may come as news to his many friends in Madras.

Orville started on May 1, 1985, and found his home in fingerjoint. “I enjoyed working on the fingerjointers,” Orville said. “The physicality and operating were an excellent challenge that I enjoyed, especially when the people I was working with had the same enthusiasm.”

Orville was Madras Plant 6’s manager for many years before taking over Redmond’s fingerjoint plant. “Orville’s plant was always in control,” Chris Guindon, Research & Development, said. “His crew knew his expectations and followed his high standards.”

“When R&D did adhesive machine center audits, I was impressed by the consistency of the fingerjoint plant’s results,” Chris continued. “We would not find any deficiencies.”

“Orville taught me leadership and responsibility,” Art Frost, Redmond Fingerjoint Lead, said. “I remember the day I was making adjustments on one of the machines, and he told me to put my tools away because we need to hold operators accountable. Show them, watch them, then have them do it for themselves.”

“BIG O was a big part of Bright Wood’s success, especially in the Fingerjoint department,” Art said. “He was an inspiration to me and his crew members. He will be greatly missed for his dedication towards the company and the people.”

New Baghouses Shrink Natural Gas Bills

[May 16, 2025] Madras Plant 7 is using significantly less natural gas to heat the building thanks to three new baghouses. A comparison of their December 2024 and December 2022 shows a 33 percent drop.

As Bright Wood’s largest consumer of electricity and natural gas, this is a big deal. Plant 7 – like all lamination plants – must never drop below 60°F.

“Imagine heating your house with all the windows open for a year,” Brad Bolton, Designer, said. “You’d see a significant savings on your heating bill the next year if you closed all the windows.”

The three new baghouses accomplished something similar for Bright Wood’s largest plant. “We were exhausting 77,000 Cfm of warm air into the atmosphere before, and now we can return the warm air into the building,” Brad said. “In the summer, we cool the plant by exhausting the warm air outside.”

Other upgrades, such as installing two high-speed doors and more efficient natural gas heaters while downsizing the blowers from 200 horsepower to 150 horsepower, also contributed to the energy savings. New electric ceiling fans push warm air down during cold weather and up on hot days.

“We have been using Strategic Energy Management to reduce our energy consumption for over 14 years,” Wendy Smith, Bright Wood’s Energy Champion, said. “What gets less attention is the positive impact energy projects have had on our work environments. For example, LED lighting enhanced visibility for graders, and high-speed doors reduced the flow of cold air into the plants during the winter. Bright Wood’s association with the Oregon Energy Trust is another way we are fulfilling our company mission to constantly improve the quality of our individual lives.”

Claude Smith III Earns WWPA Pine Shop Lumber Certification

[May 2, 2025] Congratulations to Bright Wood lumber grader Claude Smith III for earning his Western Wood Products Association (WWPA) grading certification in pine shop lumber.

Claude had to take a written exam on Western lumber grading rules to get certified. Before sitting down for that, he spent a year grading 15,000 board feet under the watchful eye of a WWPA inspector. Claude could only be 5 percent above or below the grade to pass each board. He did better than that, however, and finished the year with a 2 percent average variation.

Claude knew little about lumber grading when he joined Bright Wood in 2022. He graduated from Oregon State University in 2002 with a degree in Forest Engineering (a combination of forestry and civil engineering). The first 20 years of his career were focused on timber, logs, and logging management.

“I like grading lumber because it is all brain work with some physical labor,” Claude said. “There is a lot of science, and you’ve got to like math and know how to do it without a calculator.”

Now, Claude is giving Andy Fuentes, who joined the Lumber Quality Assurance department in 2024, a hand up as he works toward the same WWPA certification. Andy has 12 solid years of experience in grading. He is already certified in dimension lumber and is close to being certified in shop.

Claude Smith III Earns WWPA Pine Shop Lumber Certification

Larry Chancellor retired after 45 years at Bright Wood

Larry Chancellor's dog Ellie has an eight-year-long perfect attendance record

Larry Chancellor Retiring After 45 Years

[April 30, 2025] Larry Chancellor, longtime Saw Shop Manager, is retiring after 45 years at Bright Wood. As the company grew, so did Larry’s responsibilities, and he always rose to the challenge.

When Larry started in Plant 2 on March 4, 1980, there were three plants and around 100 people. His first job was as a moulder feeder. Over the years, Larry learned to set up moulders, resaws, and tenoners. Then, Cal Dubisar took him under his wing and taught him how to grind profiles for Plants 2 and 5. “Back then, it was all done by hand, and it was an art,” Larry said.

Larry worked his way up from a profile grinderman to a saw filer to the production supervisor of the Plant 2/5 Grinding Department. He became the Saw Shop Manager in 2005 and held the position until his retirement on April 30, 2025.

“When I was profile grinding, I was only responsible for one plant,” Larry said. “When I took over the Saw Shop, I was responsible for all tooling (moulding and saws). Believe me when I say it takes good people working together to keep up with all the tools Bright Wood has.”

Larry’s 45-year legacy extends beyond the Saw Shop and grinding rooms to the machine centers and customers who depend on the performance of Bright Wood’s tooling. We wish Larry and his wife, Wendy (who left her own mark in the Purchasing Department for over 11 years), happy trails ahead.

Also, farewell to Ellie. Technically, she is Larry’s dog, but surely, her eight-year stretch of perfect attendance behind the doggie gate in Larry’s office says otherwise.

Even a Power Outage Can’t Stop the Benefits Fair

[April 2, 2025] When the power went out across Madras yesterday and most of the production team was sent home, it didn’t look good for the afternoon Benefits Fair.

So, it felt like a miracle to walk into the Education Center at 2 p.m. and see all the providers and Bright Wood folks who found the event worth showing up for despite the uncertainty. The electricity was on, and the room was packed with swing people who came in early and day-shift folks who returned just for the Benefits Fair.

Bright Wood Benefits Fair at the Madras site on April 1, 2025

Egg toss at the Bright Wood company picnic in 1996

Remembering a Picnic Classic: The Egg Toss

[March 4, 2025] With all the talk about egg shortages in the news lately, this photo from 1996 – when a dozen eggs averaged around $1.10 – caught our eye.

The egg toss was a popular and highly competitive picnic event for many years. Not surprisingly, people who handle wood blocks all day are great egg catchers.

The Madras Pioneer sent a reporter to cover Madras Plant 1’s opening in 1972. That’s an 18-year-old Larry Nasset wearing the hat in the bottom left corner. He came to work right after high school in August 1971 and retired in 2021 as a programmer for the Electrical Automation Department.

Plant 1’s Story Is Bright Wood’s in Many Ways

If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then the best way to describe Bright Wood’s first 65 years is with then-and-now photos of one of our oldest plants.

1972: Rip–Manual Cut

Unfortunately, we don’t have any images of Bright Wood’s original rip-and-cut plant (now Plant 3) from 1960. However, we do have this photo of Bright Wood’s second rip-and-cut plant – Plant 1 – shortly after it was built in 1972, thanks to the Madras Pioneer.

Plant 1, with its Tri-State six-blade ripsaw and nine cutoff saws, was cutting edge for its time. It gave Bright Wood the capacity we needed to grow. We had three plants and 50 people in 1972; today, our five sites in Oregon and Wisconsin employ 1,140.

2021: Scan–Auto Cut

Plant 1 was reborn in 2021 as an optimizing scan-and-cut plant. The operation consists of two identical lines, each with one USNR scanner feeding two automatic cut-off saws. Human hands don’t touch the wood until the sorting system delivers it to its assigned grading table or fingerjoint bin.

Fifty-two people work in Plant 1 on day, swing, and weekend shifts. AI helps today’s team get more value from each board and work safer and more efficiently. It has also created new jobs in scanning and automation that never existed before.

Much has changed in 65 years as we’ve adapted to shifting lumber supplies, worldwide competition, technological opportunities, and customer expectations. The two constants have been Bright Wood people’s drive to ship quality products and stay one step ahead of the pack.

Inbound to automatic cut-of saws in Madras Plant 1 in 2025

Plant 1 got a fresh start in 2023 as an optimizing cut plant with two USNR scanners and four automatic cutoff saws. The scan-and-cut system is so efficient that it has taken pressure off Bright Wood’s six other cutting operations.

Plant 1’s automatic sorting system simplifies the grading process by separating the wood according to length. All the grader needs to do is confirm each piece is on spec and stack it.

Here’s to 65 years of quality people making quality products. You done good.

Bright Wood's booth at the 2024 Traders Market

Bright Wood Unveils the Lengths We’ll Go to for 2x4 Customers at the 2024 Traders Market

[November 21, 2024] Thanks to all Bright Wood’s customers, suppliers, and friends in the wood products and building industries who dropped by our booth at the 2024 Traders Market in Phoenix, AZ.

It gave us a chance to:

let customers know we can now manufacture 2x4 up to 60’ in length and
remind everyone that our stud lengths are stamped “#2” rather than “stud,” and they can be used in horizontal applications.
Adhesives: PVA, EPI, PUR liquid, PUR hotmelt, resorcinol, and phenol resorcinol

We also heard some cringe-worthy stories from former (and now return) buyers who experimented with cheaper dimension lumber from overseas and paid for it with quality and mold issues.

Congratulations to this year’s winners of Bright Wood’s custom-made David Musty golf putters:

Ricky Straughn, Boise Cascade Building Materials Distribution, Boise, ID
Curtis Russell, Russell Forest Products, Hartselle, AL
Aaron Shoup, KOP-Coat, Pittsburgh, PA

We’re already looking forward to the 2025 Traders Market. Until then, call Bright Wood at 541-475-2234 with your engineered dimension lumber questions and needs.

Sanders Earns Vibration Analysis Certification

[November 18, 2024] Well done to the Predictive Maintenance Department’s Tyler Sanders for earning his Vibration Analysis, Category 1 certification. Not only that, Tyler passed the final exam in Tennessee with 97 percent.

Tyler joined the PDM department as a vibration data collector eight months ago. The PDM department monitors vibration on most Bright Wood equipment rotating above 600 RPM, taking monthly readings at 7,709 points in Madras, Redmond, Prineville, and Culver on 9,300 pieces of equipment.

“Right away, it was apparent he was great with computers,” PDM Coordinator Jolynn Pangerl said. “He is patient, analytical, and understands the equipment thanks to his 12 years in production. After learning the data collector’s role, Tyler moved on to understanding the bigger challenge: vibration analysis.”

Before taking the certification exam, Tyler spent four days in the classroom with level 4 and 5 certified instructors. “I learned a lot about how the energy on a graph points to different problems,” Tyler said. “Misalignment looks different than a bearing issue. When you know how to read a chart, you can dial it down even when there are multiple moving parts.”

“I love that you can catch a small problem with vibration analysis before it turns into a really expensive one,” Tyler said.

Well done to the Predictive Maintenance Department’s Tyler Sanders for earning his Vibration Analysis, Category 1 certification. Not only that, Tyler passed the final exam in Tennessee with 97 percent.

Art Frost is Redmond Bright Wood's Go-To Fingerjoint Expert

Art Frost: Redmond’s Go-To Fingerjoint Expert

[October 7, 2024] Art Frost is the Redmond site’s go-to guy for all things fingerjoint. He has worked all but five of his 51 years in the fingerjoint plant.

“I started in the cut plant on May 22, 1972,” Art said. “I was barely 18 years old, and my starting wage was $2.97.” It didn’t take Art long to decide that he wanted to work in the fingerjoint plant instead, but getting in was a problem. “Nobody moved, so it took me about five years to get in there, and then only because a whole new graveyard shift started in 1979. I’ve been here ever since and had no reason to go anywhere else.”

Art was promoted to swing shift lead on a Wednesday in 1983. “I had Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to learn how to set fingerjointers,” Art said. “After that, I was on my own, and that is how I learned most of it.”

Art stayed on as the lead after Bright Wood purchased the Redmond site from Crown Pacific in 1997.

“Art is an extremely experienced fingerjoint setup person,” said Orville Wray, former Madras Plant 6 and Redmond Fingerjoint Plant Manager. “His knowledge of the fingerjoint process and products is priceless. His relentless pursuit of quality in machine setup, maintenance, and products is outstanding. Very few compare. He will dive into any issue and not give up until it’s been figured out.”

Thanks, Art. People like you are the reason customers seek out Bright Wood products. We wish you nothing but the best for retirement next spring.

Madras Grinding’s Steve Lakanen Retires After 34 Years

[October 3, 2024] It won’t be the same looking through the window into Plant 13’s grinding room and not seeing longtime lead Steve Lakanen (second from the right) hard at work. Steve retired on October 2, 2024. On his last day, the grinding team, saw shop, and several other folks gathered in the education center to wish Steve well and send him off with some parting gifts to thank him for his 34 years on the job and remind him of his friendships here.

Bright Wood gave Steve an embroidered Carhartt jacket with his name and years of service. Charles Blender (Plant 13 Grinding) painted the wooden board Steve stood on for years while grinding with metallic gold paint and this wording in black script: “Should you ever feel low … Stand upon this and hold your head high.”

Steve joined Bright Wood in August 1989. He started out grinding ceramic knives in Madras Plant 7. He moved to Madras Plant 13 when the window component milling plant opened in 1993. He left Bright Wood for two years in the early 2000s but has been here ever since.

The good news is this is not a forever goodbye. Steve plans to take some time for himself, and then he may be back on the rota to fill in whenever grinding is shorthanded.

Redmond Day Shift Recognized for Safety Performance

[August 1, 2024] The Redmond site hosted a barbeque on July 31 for the day shift in recognition of finishing the second quarter without a recordable injury.

Darrell Matthews of the Maintenance Department served as barbeque master, grilling hamburgers and hot dogs for the day shift crew of 100.

Redmond’s manufacturing operations include cut, fingerjoint, lamination, profile wrapping, and veneer slicing plants. Their safety performance is a testament to the team’s vigilance in preventing unsafe acts and following procedures.

“Thanks to all the crew members for the increased focus on safety and use of safe work behaviors,” Redmond Safety Manager Laci Brown said. “You care, and it shows.”

Photos courtesy of Laci Brown and Emily Anders.

New Smart Guarding Uses Sensors to Keep People Away from Hazards

[June 26, 2024] Until now, Bright Wood has relied on “hard guarding” to keep people away from hazards. The downside to metal guarding is people must make good decisions 100 percent of the time for it to work. It doesn’t do any good if a crew member leaves a guard off or ducks under a chain.

Enter “smart guarding,” which is now used at the Madras, Redmond, and Culver sites to automatically 1) shut off machinery when people get too close to moving parts, 2) deny access until equipment stops, and 3) alert pedestrians to traffic and trains.

Safety Light Curtains

Safety light curtains stop equipment if a person or object crosses in front of the array of photoelectric sensors. “The light curtain sends a beam of light, and the other side receives it to a percentage,” Nicholas Picard, Electrical Automation, said. “If it goes below a certain percentage, the light curtain shuts down the machine.”

“The sensors are an excellent deterrent to keep people out of running machines,” Jim Sanders, Safety Manager, said. “The system will not let it run if you even mistakenly reach in. We are using light curtains where wood travels in and out of tooling.”

Laser Scanner Traffic Alerts

“We have a laser scanner outside of Madras Plant 1 to alert people when there is traffic in the area,” Nicholas said. The flashing lights give them notice that they are not alone and to be aware of their surroundings.

“We will be doing a similar setup outside of Madras Plant 5 towards their parking lot to alert employees when a train is coming,” Nicholas said.

Smart Gates

Smart gates will not open until the machinery stops moving. Madras Plant 6’s gate at the 611 laminator keeps people away from rotating saws. The one at Culver’s planer turns off the feed, so crew members can walk through the outfeed without going around the machine.

The safety light curtain automatically shuts down the belt if a body part or object crosses in front of an array of photoelectric sensors.

Bright Wood' Midwest team has worked over 19 months without a recordable injury.

Midwest Team Thanked for Getting the Job Done SAfely

[June 10, 2024] Shout out to the Menomonie, WI operations for no recordable injuries since December 2022. According to George Loudermilk, Midwest Operations Manager, the 85-person crew’s 19-month run is down to: “Making sure people are aware of the hazards in their surroundings and the equipment they work with. We encourage everyone to watch out for each other and make safety equal to throughput and quality.”

“We want people to understand that Bright Wood’s safety policies and procedures are there to protect them and provide them with a safe work environment,” George said.

The busy Menomonie operations include a custom-sized extension jamb line, a paint line, and two warehouses. Every day, the team delivers components in the exact order they will be used to a nearby customer’s window assembly line. The Freitag location ships a truckload every 1-1/2 hours, averaging 50-plus outbound loads weekly. The Walton facility ships 45 truckloads weekly.

“We rolled out the STAR program (Safety Training Awareness and Responsibility) earlier this year,” Kim Miller, Menomonie Plant Manager, said. “Participation has been good, and people have become more aware of their surroundings.”

“I have heard a lot of positive comments about the high-vis vests from people on the floor along with truck drivers and vendors,” Kim said. “Everyone is very pleased with the focus on safety.”

All Menomonie team members received a $100 safety award bonus and a water bottle as a thank you and encouragement to keep up the good work.

Joe Krauss Honored as a Master Lumberman

(April 16, 2024) Bright Wood lumber grader Joe Krauss was recognized as a Master Lumberman at the Western Wood Product Association’s annual meeting on April 15 in Vancouver, WA. This is a prestigious honor given to veteran lumber industry professionals, and only 441 individuals have received the award since the program started in 1968.

To qualify, candidates must have been Certified Graders for at least 20 years, have extensive experience in lumber manufacturing, and hold supervisory responsibilities.

Well done, Joe. You deserve this recognition from your peers. Thanks to your expertise and hard work, Bright Wood’s plants have the material they need to fill customer orders.

Bright Wood lumber grader Joe Krauss was recognized as a Master Lumberman at the Western Wood Product Association’s annual meeting on April 15 in Portland, Oregon.

Madras Plant 1 Swing has worked 942 days (and counting) without a recordable injury

Madras Plant 1 Swing Is a Safety STAR

[March 29, 2024] Well done to Madras Plant 1 swing shift for working 942 days (and counting) without a recordable injury as of March 29.

“We pay attention to what we do,” Sam Cabral, Swing Supervisor, said. “We use the STOP* and STAR** cards and all the available tools.”

“We do get a lot of STAR cards, and we are always pushing for more,” Miguel Sevilla, Swing Lead, said. “People are well aware of the dangers and watch out for one another.”

“It also helps that most have been here for a while, so they know what to do,” Miguel said. “When we first started, everybody and this plant were brand new, so it was harder.”

*STOP: Safety Training Observation Program

**STAR: Safety Training – Awareness and Responsibilities

Madras Plant 8 Ripsaw Ready for the Next Chapter

[March 22, 2023] Madras Plant 8’s ripsaw has been a critical part of the 5/4-pine cutting program since 1988. Thanks to a major upgrade by Support Services (SSV), the ripsaw is even better than before and capable of meeting new expectations.

The SSV team replaced the ripsaw’s 1) pneumatic actuators with electric servo motors and 2) shadow lines with servo-controlled lasers. “The servo motors are better than the pneumatics,” Cole Starkel, Plant 8 Manager, said. “We’ve had minimal downtime with the servos. The laser lines versus the shadow lines are night and day difference. It is a huge improvement.”

“The new computer program makes adjusting the rips simple,” Cole said. “If you need to adjust Saw 2, you push a button. You can move the saw 5/1000” one way or the other. It takes seconds compared to minutes the old way.”

A new screen provides instant feedback so operators can adjust the saws and lasers mid-run.

All these changes give Plant 8 rip sawyers more control over their outbound quality, which is important to pros like Jaime Gutierrez (pictured). Jaime will celebrate his 35th anniversary with Bright Wood in June. As the rip sawyer, he sets the pace for the entire cut plant, and last year, Jaime demonstrated how true leaders adapt, learn, and grow even after they’ve done the job for a long time.

Thanks to all the Bright Wood people who quickly got on board with the new Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) policy requiring all associates and visitors to wear high-visibility attire while on company property.

Safety Is the Fashion Statement

[March 14, 2023] Thanks to all the Bright Wood people who quickly got on board with the new Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) policy requiring all associates and visitors to wear high-visibility attire while on company property. The only exceptions are offices and breakrooms.

High-vis clothing is one more tool for preventing workplace accidents and injuries. That pop of fluorescent orange and yellow makes people stand out in busy work zones and low-light conditions.

So, when you put on your high-vis gear before you get out of your car, know that you are making a difference.

P.S. Thanks to our models Jeremy Ross and Terrie Heflin of the Redmond Saw/Sand Plant. High fashion at its best.