Mectec Sawmill - a Brief History

The Mill
Mectec Sawmill is a boutique, old style Hardwood sawmill operated by JM & EC Mekken & Family, with staff from the original sawmill owner, Henry Silverberg (Henry’s Timber) and hand picked workers who originally trained on the older type of equipment.

The Business
The business was re-established out of the ashes of the old licensee system that used a much higher grade log resource. As this is a new enterprise, protocol and procedure are still undergoing refinement. We take logs from a market area not previously sourced, as it is too big for pulp and too low grade for other mills to viably utilise. Working within the new system of log tendering we are able to access a much lower grade log resource. Utilising the old technology of the four man bench we are able to maximise each cut, giving yields of a high grade quality timber product achieved only by the eye and skill of the bench-man and his crew.

The Resource
The mill’s log resource is purchased from Forestry NSW sustainable yield, Vic Forest sustainable yield, Private Bush re-growth clearing, Salvage, Wildfire boundary clearing and our own Private hardwood re-growth blocks which produce a better grade log, with some small amounts of log come from thinning operations and plantation.

The Products
Amongst the timber products we produce are garden stakes, pallets, palings, rails, posts, beams, bridge decking, sleepers, building and carpentry timber. We also produce commercial and industrial size timber; our largest cut is 8100 mm long x 325mm wide, both in O.B. and K.D..

Specialty Timber
We also mill a range of specialty timber in Blackwood, Southern Mahogany, Ironbark, Manna Gum, Mountain Gum, and Yellow Stringybark in natural feature, select in O.B and Kiln Dried.
We use native species which reflects the seasonal diversity in natural feature and colour, with durability and strength not found in many timbers. Our objective is to value add until we recover as much viable product as possible from the resource.  

By-products
Some locals say we are the Phoenix mill that takes the logs that John West rejects.
To reduce waste, we strive to locate an outlet for all our by-products such as;

• Wood chip
• Fines (euchre mulch)
• Saw-dust
• Fire wood - Sawn timber dockings, Dry timber shavings, Hearts and Pulp wood

We cut logs into timber orders on Contract, to any size within our capabilities. We will inspect any parcel of logs, regardless of size, and make an offer if viable.

Log resource officer Sales & Dispatch Orders

- Ray Barr - Clinton Mekken - Trevor Wilson