MINDEMOYA—After sitting vacant for over 35 years, the old Knetchel’s Mill in Mindemoya has reopened its doors as Cooper Wood Products.
Tim Cooper and his brother Rob Cooper, both originally from Mindemoya, have reopened the mill, leasing the land from their uncle who purchased the mill in 1983.
“Tim’s dad Lloyd Cooper was the head sawyer at Knetchel’s Mill,” explained Tim Cooper’s wife Annalee Cooper. “Tim and Rob own a trucking company in the States which Rob is very passionate about, but Tim was looking to switch gears so we started talking about moving to Manitoulin and reopening the mill a couple years ago. He wanted to return to his roots and get back to working with his hands.”
The couple moved to Mindemoya in November of last year along with their two children and began work on the building, which has been vacant since it closed in the ‘80s, reaching out to Lloyd Cooper for advice when needed.
“We replaced the circular saw from the ‘60s with an industrial band saw,” explained Mr. Cooper. “It is much more efficient—it creates 37 percent less sawdust.”
“We are trying to reduce the amount of waste, using the top of trees for fire wood and the saw dust for pellets,” said Ms. Cooper.
Mr. Cooper, along with his three employees, spent the winter cutting wood in addition to setting up the new band saw and fixing up the building.
“We have four employees currently but we are hoping to grow as we get into new markets,” said Ms. Cooper.
Cooper Wood Products is focusing mainly on hardwood, but are also milling white pin and cedar.
“A good chunk of our wood is going to the States for furniture,” said Mr. Cooper, who noted that currently they sell their wood green but would like to eventually get their own kiln to dry wood on-site.
“It has been a lot of work transferring over the new business but we filled our first order in June,” Ms. Cooper shared.
The Cooper family owns 500 acres in Mindemoya that they have been harvesting, but are looking to begin purchasing logs in the next few months (information is available on the Cooper Wood Products website).
“When my dad (Lloyd Cooper) worked here there were nine sawmills on the Island,” said Mr. Cooper. “It was one of the largest markets. I’m hoping to help bring that back—it’s a big opportunity here on Manitoulin.”
Knetchel’s Mill was constructed in the spring of 1967, with Ray White as the original contractor. The first crew was: Bill Montgomery, Dave Spry, Ernie Pine, Dale Harper, Len Young, Wayne Cooper, Loren Metta and David Stapleton. The first sawyer was Ron Corbiere, but Lloyd Cooper later served as the head sawyer.
For more information about Cooper Wood Products or if you have logs you are interested in selling, visit www.cooperwoodproducts.com.
