Barns and Stalls: Quality is Key for Equestrians
Jan 16 2017
Barns and Stalls: Quality is Key for Equestrians

In the equestrian world, where your horse sleeps, eats, exercises and spends it’s time is an important part of raising healthy, happy and successful horse. Equestrian architect and owner of Blackburn Architects, John Blackburn explains in his blog “When you take a horse out of its comfort zone—the wild—it’s your obligation to create an environment that protects its health and safety. A poorly designed barn can be worse than no barn at all.”

To fulfill this “obligation” the design, construction and overall decisions related to building barns, training arenas and even stalls are large investments of both time and resources. As Blackburn suggests, your horses should be provided with the best environment possible. Not only should the overall design be considered, but also the quality of the products that go into the design.

Equestrian riding arena with wood interior.

One of the most prevalent products in this type of construction is lumber. A common choice for lumber in the equine industry is pine. Eastern White Pine is a fantastic option; it’s versatile, sturdy and beautiful. Pine timber and beams can be used for framing barns or arenas—providing the spaces with a luxurious rustic feel.  Tongue and groove pine planks provide a great option for a strong wall. The interlocking pine wood planks are perfect for stalls, walls and even ceilings and will help prevent gaps from forming as the wood ages. To ensure your lumber has been properly dried, we recommend purchasing your pine lumber from a mill with a dry kiln. This will help prevent wood from warping leading to difficulty opening and closing stall doors and other issues further down the road.

Here at Robinson Lumber we know choosing the right type of lumber is only one piece of the puzzle, but it is an important one.  High quality lumber that will withstand the test of time in your local climate and is durable enough to withstand the use of the barn’s primary inhabitants will help you build the right environment for your horses.

For more information about options for equestrian facilities check out our stables and arenas page or contact us.

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Sep 27 2013
Why Buy Direct From a Sawmill?

W.R. Robinson Lumber differs from many other lumber retailers as we are in a unique position of operating not only a retail building stocked with Eastern White Pine lumber products but a sawmill, two dry kilns, and a planing operation as well.

One of the questions we often hear from our potential customers is: why should we buy directly from a sawmill instead of the huge lumber retailer 20 min away?  Below are just a few of the reasons we give them.

1.) Eliminate the middleman: One of the largest benefits of working directly with a lumber retailer that operates a sawmill vs. purchasing from a large lumber yard is the cost savings associated with eliminating the “middleman”.  When you purchase from a company like ours, you the price is based on the cost to produce the lumber.  Additional add-ons simply do not happen.  This means that even when shipping nationwide we are able to provide you with a low priced option that is of the highest quality.

2.) Interaction with industry experts:  A sawmill is one of the main hubs of lumber production.  Employees like those at Robinson Lumber have decades of experience and a core set of expertise regarding the quality, grades, and uses for the lumber.  Our customers are able to establish unique relationships with these experts helping to ensure they receive high quality results or even just a little help keeping an eye out for special logs, knot patterns, etc. that interest you.

3.) Flexibility to meet your needs:  Maybe you’re looking for a specific dimension of a board, plank, or timber in a size that is difficult to find?  Unlike large lumberyards that can only provide you with what they have in stock, a sawmill like Robinson lumber can often cut to your specification.  With a planer and dry kilns on site we can ensure you get exactly what you need for your next project when you need it.

4.) Focus on quality: Because we produce our own lumber – we focus heavily on quality.  One way we are able to do this is by knowing exactly where it comes from.  Unlike large lumberyards that ship products in from various suppliers, local mills usually harvest their timber in a specific area.  For Robinson lumber the majority of ours is found within a 25 mile radius of the sawmill.  We even manage the majority of these woodlots to be re-harvested in 10-15 years providing us with sustainability that can’t be found at a lumberyard.

With over 40 years of experience in the lumber industry we know the benefits of buying directly from a mill.  If you still have questions or would like additional information please contact us or simply give it a try.

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