For more than 45 years Barbers Sawmill in the heart of Tasmania has provided high-quality Tasmanian Oak hardwood for commercial and residential use.
Since opening in 1978 the mill has produced timber that is ideal for a wide range of applications and purposes and can withstand the extremes of Australia’s harshest elements.
Customers know they can depend on hardwood timber from Barbers Sawmill for use on construction sites, in garden fences, and everything in-between.
The team has built a solid reputation for reliability, with customers confident their timber will be cut and ready on time. Customers are also reassured by Barbers Sawmill’s commitment to maintaining unbeatable country mill prices.
The mill stocks a diverse range of fresh green timber products. The advantages of this timber include its strength – considerably stronger than pine. It is its strength that makes it a better choice for heavy duty use in the transport industry, used to build decks for truck floats, as well as bridges and farm buildings, where strength and durability are more important considerations than the aesthetic.
While fresh green timber might shrink a little over time and offers a rougher finish than other types of timber, it does deliver huge savings.
Barbers Sawmill is also committed to purchasing sawlogs from Tasmanian private forest owners, forest managers and harvest contractors, meaning logs are both grown and processed locally. This is part of the mill’s pledge to supporting sustainable forestry practices.
In addition to its existing green mill, Barbers Sawmill has recently completed a timber drying kiln refurbishment and installation of its dry mill operations. This initiative has seen the training and employment of additional local workers.
The dry mill upgrade was partly the result of a 2022 grant of $250,000 from the Tasmanian government’s On-island Processing Initiative.
The dry mill perfectly complements the existing green mill operations, adding value by processing the ever-increasing volume of low-grade logs arriving as part of the long-term log supply.
Most of the dry mill’s finished product is used as feedstock to create engineered beams and panels at a local Tasmanian-based laminating plant. Some higher-quality timber is sold as Dressed all round (DAR) timber to the Australian building market.
These activities demonstrate the long-standing commitment of Barbers Sawmill to fully processing Tasmanian timber from Tasmanian grown trees, and employing Tasmanian workers to supply Australian customers, in the face of strong interstate and international competition for state’s the limited resource.
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