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June 13, 2021ARCHIVE SUNDAY—SAWMILL & LOGGING: On March 15, 1878, the three founders of our monastery arrived from Indiana. On March 16th they set about building an altar. They had only an old hatchet, but a young man by the name of Mr. Gruwe (later to become a monk and priest) took on the task. Listen here to the tale recounted by Fr. Luke Hess: A few saplings, cut in the bush, were nailed together with rusty nails pulled out of the wall of the old cabin. The unhinged door served as altar table. The porch of the house was the temporary sanctuary, where the altar, veiled with linen and laces, found its place. Over the years, harvesting wood from our own land has been an integral part of who we are as monks at Subiaco. As seen in the photographs, some early notable logging monks and sawmill operators have been Br. Maurus Strobel, Br. Francis Morat, Br. Andrew Zwyssig, Br. Michael Fuhrmann, and Fr. Bruno Fuhrmann. Today our sawmill is overseen by Fr. Patrick Boland. In fact, when you purchase wood items from our Abbey online store or at Coury House Gift Shop, you are getting products grown from our own land and crafted by our own monks. We asked Fr. Patrick to describe to us some of the sawmill and logging operations today with a series of questions. If you are local and need the sawmill services, then stop by and see Fr. Patrick. We are proud that he continues this logging and sawmill operation that has gone back to our monastery first being founded in 1878:
Q--What types of wood do we gather from our own land? A--: Primarily pine for pulp wood. Good oak trees are saved for the abbey sawyer, as well as a few (a dozen or so) good pines; but the majority are sold and we always include re-planting in the contract. We have over 400 acres of timber, broken into about 8-10 plots, that are aging at different stages so that we get a continuous, relatively frequent harvest every 4-6 years.
Q--What types of wood do we prefer to get? A--: We prefer pine, oak, and cedar. Of course, a nice cherry, apple or maple wouldn't be rejected, but usually the people that have these, want the wood.
Q--Would you please describe the present unit that cuts the wood? A--: We have a Portable Wood-Mizer LT40 that was graciously donated a few years ago (anonymously) that cost $28,000 which includes a hydraulic lift, debarker, and electronic measuring guide to ensure consistent cuts. We bought the unit from a dealer in Mt. Vernon, MO; the home office is in Indianapolis, IN.
Q--What are our limitations on cutting wood in the present sawmill? A--: Length: 8-20 foot; Diameter: 8-34 inches.
Q--Do we also offer the sawmill services for the local community or just for ourselves? A--: Approximately 40% of the wood is custom cut, meaning that we are cutting a customer's log and he gets the wood. Our charge to mill the lumber is $0.75/board foot and we can cut any size the log will allow. Another 40% is lumber being cut for sale from either our own logs or donated logs; primarily pine, cedar, and some oak. We keep a supply of various sizes and tree varieties of 2-inch-thick live edge slabs for tables, mantles, and such. Finally, about 20% of lumber cut is used in our carpentry shop and maintenance department.
Fr. Patrick Boland:
Fr. Bruno Fuhrmann (1929-2018):
Br. Michael Fuhrmann (1920-2005):
Br. Michael Fuhrmann and his famous "Personnel Carrier" logging unit:
Sawmill in 1932:
Br. Francis Morat (1874-1960):
Br. Andrew Zwyssig (1867-1952):
Br. Maurus Strobel (1861-1931):
