Graf Brothers Flooring and Lumber
| File:GBF LOGO W.png | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Manufacturing, Basic Materials |
| Founded | 2003[1] |
| Headquarters | South Shore, KY |
|
Key people
|
David Graf, President |
| Products | Hardwood Flooring and Lumber |
| Owner | David Graf; Greg Graf |
|
Number of employees
|
275[1] |
| Website | www.grafbro.com[2] |
Graf Brothers Flooring and Lumber specializes in, and is the world's largest manufacturer of, rift and quarter sawn oak products.[3] Rift & Quartered lumber results from a unique way of sawing that maximizes the yield of lumber with vertical grain. Vertical grain is preferred because of its excellent technical properties. Lumber that has been sawed using this method expands evenly and vertically. Vertical grain also increases the structural integrity of the wood.[4]
Graf Bros produces Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). of lumber and Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). of flooring per day.[1] The company maintains Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). of logs, Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). of lumber and Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). of flooring in inventory, including stocks at four West Coast warehouses. Graf Brothers sells approximately half of its lumber to distribution yards and flooring and millwork manufacturers, and the other half goes into its own flooring production.[2] Graf Bros maintains lumber inventory at four different warehouses on the West Coast. The company's flooring is shipped to distributors in Europe, Japan, and Asia, as well as 260 flooring distributors in North America.[3] Graf Brothers also has a sales office in Brussels, Belgium.[2]
Graf Brothers’ headquarters and main sales office is a site of Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). in South Shore, Kentucky. This area houses a log yard of Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). that can hold up to Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). of logs under water, an ultra high-tech band mill, 18 kilns capable of drying 2 MMBF of lumber per month, a Walnut steamer, several warehouses, and two state-of-the-art computerized rip lines for manufacturing ripped-to-width lumber and flooring blanks. All of these facilities have been built since the site was acquired in 2003. Graf Brothers also operates satellite log yards in Vanceburg, Kentucky, and Chillicothe, Ohio. In addition to its own mill, Graf Brothers is supplied by two dedicated contract sawmills, Brown Brothers Lumber in Otway, Ohio, and Redoutey Lumber in Henley, Ohio. Appalachian Wood Floors (AWF), owned by the Grafs’ brother Jim, molds the flooring exclusively for Graf Brothers at its plant in nearby Portsmouth, Ohio.[2]
Graf Bros partakes in two practices that are unique to the lumber and flooring industries. The first is the production of "Monster Boards", which are boards with width offerings ranging from 9 to 32 inches.[2] The second unique practice is offering sorted or fixed widths in rift and quarter sawn lumber in almost any width the customer wants.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wood Products Manufacturers Association August 2008 Newsletter
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Hardwood Lumber Buyer - March/April 2007
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Hardwood Magazine - February 2007
- ↑ Small Business Environmental (search graf under keywords, then scroll to bottom of page and click on the graf bros link to view the article)
