Must see factory tour southern Indiana

[low_48]

If you are within 1000 miles of this place, you MUST go for a tour. The place, Forest Discovery Center at Koetter Woodworking, Starlight, Indiana. http://www.forestcenter.com/ I think it is about 20 miles north of Louisville and something less than 10 miles off I-65. I went there Monday to pickup a piece of surplus equipment I bought from them on a surplus auction. I WAS BLOWN AWAY I bet they spent close to 1/2 million to build this amazing place. They have an indoor forest; artificial trees, saplings, seedlings,leaves, active stream, stuffed racoons and a fox, bird calls, videos or species and forest info. On the second floor they have the largest wood mural in the USA. I think it is something like 100 feet long. The artisan is there on Tuesdays and Thursdays, working in a shop area. They have a 200 seat theater with a movie every half hour on forest stewardship. Then the amazing part. You go out into the factory on a catwalk that must be 2 1/2  stories above the floor. I bet they have a 1/2 mile of walkway that basically covers the entire factory. From the breakdown of the lumber bundles to an amazing line of at least 18 five head molders in a row. I don't think my jaw was off the floor for the entire walk. On the way into the factory you walk along side two conveyors. One with sawdust, one with shavings. These come from the dust collector (largest cyclone I have ever seen, must have been 25' diameter) and the wood grinders that are grinding the waste. All that goes to the boilers for building heating and heating the 18 kilns they run onsite. Yup, 18 kilns I then realized that these people are the Koetter's of Koetter Dry Kilns. They own nearly all there own forests, so they go from the log to the final product. All family owned, all started be Grandpa Koetter. His amazing contribution to this educational facility should be greatly rewarded. Don't forget to look up when you go through the education building. Crown molding and curved crown that must be 16" tall or more. It must have at least 8 or 10 pieces built up to make that. All the walls on the 1st floor are curved, so all that crown is curved. The 200 seat movie theater has tremendous wainscoating and trim, inlayed hardwood floor at the exit, and the 250 seat banquet facility has poplar trim that is stained cherry that will drop your jaw for a half hour at least.
Can you tell I was impressed? This was almost more fun than my machine! It might be a good idea to have a get together some day at this place. Great people, very friendly. They will cater a lunch, and give guided tours for groups larger than 20.
Across the road is a winery, and an orchard with special weekend meals. Then it is not that far from the Louisville Slugger factory, or all the motels in Louisville.
I would be glad to help organize this, but have absolutely no idea of when it would be a good time of the year for this. Anybody closer to them for help organizing? Don't wait for this though, GO FOR A TOUR 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

[Tom]

that sounds like a note to be put in the book for when I'm on a  trip.

[Faron]

I toured it on a Saturday.  It's everything  Lower 48 says. 

[pigman]

My wife and I toured the place in 2005. Very impressing.

Bob

[Cedarman]

This place is almost in my backyard, so it is easy to take for granted. It is a great place.  It all started when Tom put a moulder in his garage to take up some slack at the place where he worked.  He grew out of the garage.  It also helped Tom that  has five sons that each found a place in the business.  I taught his son Jerry in Jr. high at Borden.  Then Jerry and I took a lumber grading short course together in the mid eighties.  My brother's old LT 40 originally was purchased by the koetter's. In the early 90's I took my manual LT 30 to there plant and sawed large backing boards that they purchased from the veneer mills into 1" and 2" lumber that they could then process.

There mill is one of the cleanest and neatest I have ever been around.  When we were done sawing for the day, shovels and brooms were used to get the sawdust off the concrete and into the dumpsters.  I learned a lot from them.  The last spell I worked for them in 92 I was invited to eat dinner with them each day.  A lot was learned around the dinner table too.

They are a class act.  Lower 48 is right to jump up and down with excitement about the Discovery Center.  The rest of you have a great experience waiting.