Updated 3/7/10 © 2010 www.goatlake.com

Providing Quality since 1979

Manufacturing Process - the Mill

The next stop for the wood is the shake and shingle mill just South of Powell River in Lang Bay.

Salvaged blocks and log purchases are transported to the mill and become inventory. Log purchases need to be cut into blocks to be combined with the salvaged blocks.

Log purchases are loaded by forklift onto the mill's deck. They are cut into 18" or 24" blocks and split with a hydraulic splitter, if necessary. The blocks are loaded onto conveyors and passed through to the sawmill.

The blocks pass through a saw which cuts them to the correct dimensions to produce shingles, which are sawn on both sides. The sides are then squared up using another saw that cleans each edge.

Blocks are also made into handsplit shakes. An operator uses a hydraulic splitter that allows the block to split with the natural grain of the wood.

The season, quality of wood and demand dictate which of Goat Lake's many types of shakes and shingles it is producing.

The products are sorted by grade, type and size. Then specially-trained individuals pack the shakes and shingles into bundles. The bundles are packaged into palettes and, if appropriate, shrink-wrapped. The inventory sits well-protected in a covered storage building at the mill until needed.

As orders come in the bundles are loaded onto trucks and distributed. Goat Lake's shakes and shingles can be seen on buildings around the world!