May
11

Project Spotlight – B.H. Whipple Federal Building

Posted by Tom Nye, Regional Sales Manager

The Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building project is located in Fort Snelling, Minnesota near the runways of the Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport and it opened back in 1969. The time has come for major renovations and the GSA awarded Ryan Construction the project with HGA as project architect.

Currently, the building consists of over 684,000 sq. ft. of office space that houses over 1,100 government employees working for 39 federal agencies including Veterans Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

This renovation is one of the biggest projects on the GSA’s national green building renovation list and will include:

  • Making improvements to the building’s energy efficiency
  • Removing hazardous materials
  • Adding thicker insulation
  • Updating plumbing, heating & cooling, fire protection and electrical systems
  • Replacing windows
  • Renovating common areas

Eggers is proud to be providing over 900 flush wood doors and transoms. What is unique about this project is that the veneer is from the Ash trees that were cut down during renovation. This is recycling at its best. All of the Ash trees on site were harvested and the logs were sent to the Bacon Veneer Company in Iowa.

This is not the usual process for acquiring “A” grade veneer. Veneer suppliers like Bacon Veneer would normally send out master log buyers to look for the best trees that could be used for veneer. Typically, 1 out of every 100 trees supplies veneer to meet “A” grade standards. The rest is used for lumber and wood fiber.

In this instance, Bacon chose the very best of what they had to work with, sliced the veneer and made the faces per our specifications. This resulted in beautiful doors with a lot of natural characteristics and a rustic appearance.  The trees from the site are now a permanent fixture in the B.H. Whipple Building’s doors and paneling.

These FSC®-certified doors will also contribute to the project’s goal of achieving a LEED® Silver rating.  This project is slated to be finished in June of 2014.

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Apr
30

Got Skills?

Posted by Barry Schoening, Regional Sales Manager

SkillsUSA is a national non-profit organization serving teachers, high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health care.

SkillsUSA services more than 300,000 students and instructors annually. The Wisconsin State Conference was held April 17th and 18th in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

This year marked the second year Eggers Industries has participated in this event. Members from Eggers chaired and judged the cabinetmaking contest in addition to Eggers donating material for this year’s event.

This year’s cabinet making contest was the largest ever at the Wisconsin State level. On the first evening, (11) post-secondary and (32) secondary students began a two-day event with the distribution of plans, materials and a written test. Students were then given the opportunity to review their plans and ask questions of the engineering team before they departed for the night.

Day two began bright and early with the review of a few safety topics. The students were then allotted (8) hours to complete this year’s project – a table. The hall was filled with the sounds of sawing, cutting, gluing and drilling throughout the day. Additional AWI Wisconsin members were also on hand to provide assistance with safety, judging and education.

When the competition clock ran out, it was time for the judges to go to work. Multiple criteria such as completion of the project requirements, dimensions, joinery and overall appearance were assessed by the judges for each table. In the end, the top three competitors from both the secondary and post-secondary were identified. Prizes and scholarships were awarded to the winners.

These are the skilled men and women that will soon be joining the work force. The joy on all of their faces after they completed their task confirmed why Eggers chooses to participate in this annual event.

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Apr
17

Ecoustics – Acoustical Architectural Plywood

Posted by Eggers Industries

Eggers is thrilled to now be offering four new architectural plywood panels to our existing family of acoustical products which includes acoustical flush doors, stile & rail doors, and jambs. The new Ecoustics line of plywood panels offers both Noise Reduction Coefficient ratings (NRC) and Sound Absorption Averages (SAA) for each panel type.

Eggers’ acoustical panels have a wide range of characteristics to meet your acoustical and building specifications. We have an option available depending upon what criteria you desire: FSC® certification, LEED® contribution, fire-rating, NRC rating or SAA.

These plywood panels can be blueprint matched to our acoustical doors and are available in any veneer. High performance core construction combined with perforated technology results in superior acoustic performance that is pleasing to the eye. Add Ecoustic plywood panels to your next project and create an environment free of noise pollution.

The convenience of acquiring all of your acoustical and fire rated products from one manufacturer just became easier. Eggers is your source for high-quality products that continue to push the envelope of innovation.

When you select Eggers as your manufacturer of choice you no longer have to worry about poorly matched finish, inconsistent quality or the hassle of dealing with multiple manufacturers. Eggers is your one-stop shop that is committed to excellence and is ready to exceed your expectations.

Contact your account manager today or email us at sales@eggersindustries.com for more information. You can read more about the technical details regarding the Ecoustics line here.

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Apr
10

Americans Urged to Prevent Invasive Pests

Posted by Mike Miller, Dir. of Environmental Stewardship

The month of April has been dedicated to sharing information about the serious threat that invasive plant pests, diseases and harmful weeds post to our fruits, vegetables, trees and other plants.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced earlier this month that dedicating the month to educating Americans is being done so we all have the knowledge necessary to do what we can to safeguard nature’s agriculture, fishing and forestry industries.

Asian Longhorned Beetle

Invasive pests threaten our natural resources. Pests such as the Emerald Ash Borer and the Asian Longhorn Beetle will have an impact on the wood species we use in the architectural woodworking industry for years to come. It also hits close to home by having an impact on the food we serve our families, the lumber we use to build our homes and the flowers and vegetables we plant in our gardens.

What can you do?

  • Buy local and burn local. Invasive pests and larvae hide and can travel long distances within firewood. Buy your firewood where you plan to burn it to prevent transporting pests.
  • Plant carefully. Choose your nurseries carefully and avoid using invasive plant species at all costs.
  • Do not transport or mail fresh fruits, vegetables and plants. Unless cleared by agricultural inspectors first, these types of gifts can be left at home.
  • Cooperate with any restrictions in place. Agricultural quarantine restrictions are put in place for the benefit of all, please cooperate and follow all restrictions carefully.
  • Keep it clean. Hunting, camping and fishing season is upon us. Wash all outdoor gear thoroughly between fishing, hunting or camping trips. Keep lawn furniture and all other outdoor items clean, especially when moving from one home to another.
  • Be informed.  Learn to identify invasive pests or diseases, take a picture of what you see and report it to www.HungryPests.com
  • Speak up. Always declare all agricultural items to custom officials when you return from international travel. Call the USDA if you have any questions. Plant questions: 301.851.2046 or Animal questions: 301.851.3300

Also available at www.HungryPests.com:

  • Interactive Pest Tracker – See what pests are threatening your state and learn how to report invasive pests
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Public Service Announcement
  • Optimized for mobile devices

There is no minimum age required to get involved, the USDA featured a young advocate this month on their blog. We could all learn something from Commander Ben Shrader and his quest to fight invasive species. Check out the post here.

Learn what you can about invasive pests and diseases and help the USDA make this campaign a success by reducing the spread of these pests.

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Apr
6

Natural Characteristics of Wood

Posted by Kyle Newman, Quality Systems Specialist

Each day, in our daily activities in the roles we perform in the architectural woodworking industry, we run across technical terms and jargon. Some may be familiar to us and others may leave us wondering where they came from. Understanding these specific natural characteristics of wood can help us draw connections between the things we know and the things we have yet to learn.

Today let’s touch upon a few terms: Pith, Fleck, Turkey Tracks and Glassworm. They may be common language to folks that work with Maple and Ash lumber and veneer but many of us have something to learn. These terms are used to describe three distinct visual characteristics that are linked together by a group of insects called Cambium Borers.

Cambium Borers burrow into the layer just below the bark of a living tree during the growing season. This layer is called the cambium.  The tunnels damage the living tissue and the tree reacts by filling the voids with scar tissue.

When the wood is eventually machined, the tunnels are revealed on exposed surface features that we have come accustom to identifying as Pith, Fleck, Turkey Tracks, and Glassworm. Because these features are small in size and well distributed, their structural damage is insignificant and are typically only considered visual defects.

Figure 1

In Figure 1, you can see an example of pith fleck in soft maple. Pith fleck appears as an oval or oblong spot in cross section, but as a somewhat irregular or intermittent streak on the face.

Pith flecks commonly occur in maples and birches, however, they can also be found in many other hardwoods, including basswood, willow, cherry, and aspen.

Figure 2

As you can see in Figure 3, turkey tracks in white ash are very similar. They are both caused by the same type of scar tissue developed by the tree as a result of Cambium Borers.

The zigzagging glassy feature in Figure 3 is called Glassworm. The glassy appearance of scare tissue is often persistent even through the finishing process. Although Glasssworm appears differently, it is also caused by Cambium Borers.  Glassworm is a feature that is almost exclusively associated with Ash.

Figure 3

The uniqueness of these features is just a small part of what makes wood the warm, natural, and organic material that makes our industry special. These features tell the story about the life of the material and make it personal.

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Mar
20

Stile and Rail Doors – What you need to know

Posted by Eggers Industries

What exactly is a Stile and Rail door? Are you familiar with all of the terminology, components, choices available and how each stile and rail door is crafted? If not, you will after reading this post.

When designing, specifying, estimating or ordering Stile and Rail wood doors, it is helpful to have a thorough understanding of the component definitions. What is a mullion or a muntin? What is the difference between sticking and bead? What about the panel options – which is more costly? This post will answer those questions and more. 

First, let’s begin with the basics:
Stiles are the upright or vertical outside components of a door which at Eggers can be of solid wood or veneered construction.

Sticking holds the panels in place and we offer four standard profiles for customers to choose from. Special custom sticking profiles are also available. Sometimes sticking and bead can be confused. Sticking is fixed to the stiles and cannot be removed from the door. Bead, on the other hand, is offered loose on one side or two.

Rails are the cross or horizontal components of the door and they include the bottom rail, top rail, lock rail and intermediate rail. Lock rails are also known as cross-rails.

Panels are made of solid wood, plywood, or composite material and they fill the frame formed by the stiles and rails of a door. Eggers offers three panel types:

  • Raised Panel – This is the most expensive option.
  • Membrane-pressed Panel
  • Flat Panel – The most cost-effective option.

                          

Mullions are the upright or vertical components which are typically larger than a muntin and are located between panels or lites. Their function is similar to a cross-rail.

Muntins are used at glass openings. It is a shorter horizontal or vertical member extending from a muntin bar to a stile, rail, or another muntin bar.

A few things to remember regarding stile and rail wood doors:

  • Eggers’ standard stile & rail construction requires minimum stile dimensions to be 5″ if the door is over 1’9″ wide and 2-1/2″ if the door is under 1’9″ wide. Min 6″ stiles are required when machining for mortise locks. Min 5″ required for top rail, 8″ for bottom rail (non-rated doors) and 8-3/4″ (fire-rated doors). Eggers’ standard construction is to use a 10″ bottom rail as this complies with ADA requirements.
  • Stile and rail doors use thicker veneer than standard flush wood doors, therefore, veneer availability is different.
  • Fire-rated stile and rail doors are available with many configurations available with up to a 90-minute label.
  • FSC® certified and no urea-formaldehyde requirements are available with stile and rail doors.
  • Eggers’ stile and rail doors are available with acoustical ratings up to STC 40 with lite openings up to 1,296 square inches.
  • Pair matching is not available on stile and rail doors, all pairs will be pleasing match.
  • Creativity has no limit with the classic stile and rail door. Here are our standard door and sidelite patterns. Custom designs, however, are our specialty.

Download a simple Stile and Rail Door Nomenclature drawing and please visit our website for more information regarding our stile and rail doors or download our brochure here.

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Mar
8

Project Spotlight – The Great American Tower at Queen City Square

Posted by John Smrtnik, Regional Sales Manager

When you approach downtown Cincinnati, the tallest building in your sights is the Great American Tower at Queen City Square. If you happen to be a fan of the television program, Harry’s Law, you will find this building quite familiar. It can be seen each week during the opening title sequence. It is unmistakable due to the Princess Diana tiara inspired design feature at the top of the building – the work of architect Gyo Obata.

Built by Western & Southern Financial Group, the Great American Tower at Queen City Square opened in January of 2011 at a cost of $322 million. It is currently the third tallest building in the state of Ohio. Since Cincinnati is nicknamed the “Queen City,” the tiara design is an appropriate design detail and the “crown” of the building.

Eggers was honored to provide the majority of the 5,000+ doors in the building. All of the doors on the shell of the building are either 8 or 9 foot plain-sliced Cherry flush wood doors and Eggers also provided full glass doors in wooden side lite frames as shown in the picture to the right.

Exquisitely designed oversize 6 foot wide sliders are used as room dividers in a conference room and sliders with custom kerf faces that align perfectly with the wall paneling can also be found in the same conference room.

This building has a wide array of doors which also include Walnut flush wood doors with specified flitch faces to stile and rail doors with figured Makore or paint grade faces on the executive floors.

It is truly a royal building with elegant wood doors to match.

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Feb
23

Eggers Seeking Air Quality Certification

Posted by Mike Miller, Dir. of Environmental Stewardship

As the sustainable building trend continues to grow, more and more environmental programs are coming to the forefront. One of the areas receiving a lot of attention with environmental designers and architects is indoor air quality.

This is an important issue because people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors between work, home and school. There are several factors that affect indoor air quality such as ventilation, cleanliness and emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

To help solidify our commitment to indoor air quality we recently contracted with Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) to certify that both our flush and stile and rail door offerings meet their Indoor Advantage Gold program. SCS is a global leader in independent certification and verification of environmental, sustainability and stewardship.

Some of the benefits of SCS certification include:

  • Reinforced Environmental Commitment – Eggers has offered environmentally-friendly products for many years to include no added urea-formaldehyde particleboard, MDF and cross-banding. We also continually use products which meet the California formaldehyde emission standards known as CARB, which are the lowest formaldehyde emission standards in the world. As an organization, Eggers had the foresight 20 years ago to eliminate urea-formaldehyde glue at our pressing operations in Neenah. We have followed that same initiative at the Two Rives facility in recent years. 
  • Quality Assurance – Eggers’ certified products are held to rigorous standards. 
  • Continued Progress Toward Improved Environmental Sustainability – Eggers continues to make sure the products we produce improve indoor air quality where they are used. Continuous improvements to our UV finishing process at both facilities has had major impacts on our environmental footprint due to our ability to reduce the VOC levels in our facilities.
  • LEED® Credits 
  • Compliance with California Special Environmental Requirements Specification 01350

The process for the SCS certification has begun so stay tuned to the Eggers Blog for more information on this and other environmental programs and initiatives to be implemented throughout 2012.

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Feb
17

LEED® 2012 Update

Posted by Mike Miller, Dir. of Environmental Stewardship

LEED® 2012 is now holding its third public comment period and it will take place from March 1st through the 20th. This marks the start of the LEED 2012 program delivery process.

According to the USGBC, the focus of this third draft is on “providing a simple-to-use, technically advanced and more robust system.” Members will be able to access the updated draft along with technical refinements, scorecards, and responses to comments from previous public comments in order to comment on this third draft. Members will be allowed to comment on any changes made since the second public comment period which ran from August 1 through September 14, 2011 and was discussed in a previous blog post.

Important Dates to Remember:

  • March 1-20 - Third public comment period is open
  • March 1 – Eligibility deadline to bring membership to “good standing” status to vote in LEED 2012 ballot per USGBC Membership Policies & Procedures.
  • April 2 – May 1 – LEED 2012 ballot opt. in period
  • June 1 – 30 - LEED 2012 ballot voting period

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Feb
7

Triple Play

Posted by Karl Jerde, Corporate IT Manager

Whenever I talk to other IT managers, consultants or read the blogs about IT technology that is reshaping the landscape, it’s about three things: mobility, cloud computing and social media. This “Triple Play” of technologies is being researched, planned and implemented by companies all over the world. Data-demanding devices of all kinds, from Android, BlackBerry and iPhone to the iPad and other tablets are being deployed in all types of business operations.

Back in November, I discussed cloud computing and its impact on the way we do business.  Cloud computing was defined as applications (Apps) or services provided over the internet. This month, I would like to review the “mobility” one-third of the triple play; where mobility is defined as wireless.

Last year, some 5 billion smartphones were used worldwide, according to Gartner Research, and by 2015 a projected 6.7 billion will be used around the globe. Apple is projected to sell iPads at the rate of 60 million units a year, and application software is being developed at a feverish pace.

So what does all this mean for you?

The inevitable business demands of an anywhere-anytime-any device future will require a different approach to network structure, software and security. Just two short years ago very few phones in the company had email, let alone Web access or an App. Today, it’s getting difficult to buy a phone without a data plan and more and more employees are mobile and using smartphones.

At Eggers we recently ran into a minor problem when our Sales dept. sent out a standard report to our outside sales reps that wasn’t readable on all of the various company mobile phones. The report had to be reproduced in a different file format and a universal conversion app was loaded onto the phones. This sounds like a simple thing, but it underscores how closely mobility will need to be accounted for in the future.

As we all move forward in 2012, all hardware, software and development projects must keep the mobility one-third of the Triple Play in mind. The inevitable business demands of an anywhere-anytime-any device future will require the leveraging of this technology.

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