Turn Bull Lumber Company was founded in 1993 in the Bladen Lakes State Forest. We’ve been investing in better equipment and tighter tolerances ever since.
Turn Bull Lumber Company opened its doors in May 1993, when Pem Jenkins leased the facility from Evans Lumber Company. The mill, then equipped with a circle saw head rig, gang edger, and a simple trim saw, employed 17 people. In 1996, TBLC purchased the facility outright and replaced the head rig with a 6-foot band head rig — the first of many investments aimed at higher yields and tighter accuracy.
Today, more than 40 people work at the mill, and we produce 12–14 million board feet of hardwood lumber a year. We hold within-and-between board tolerances to +/- .015″ because the furniture builders, flooring companies, and cabinet shops we sell to need lumber that yields predictably on their lines. Consistency is the foundation of how we grade, mill, and ship.
We’re located off Sweet Home Church Road between Elizabethtown and White Lake — close to Interstates 95 and 40, and within 60 miles of the Port of Wilmington. About a fifth of what we mill goes overseas, primarily to Asia. The rest ships to customers across the United States.
Every entry below represents a step toward higher yields and tighter accuracy.
Our product mix runs 4/4 through 8/4, with primary emphasis on 4/4 and 5/4. We mill six species: Cypress, Red Oak, White Oak, Poplar, Maple, and Ash. Our inspectors are NHLA-trained, and we grade to NHLA rules — or to any other specification a customer requires.
million board feet milled annually
within-and-between board tolerance
team members
TBLC is a member and certified partner of the organizations our team has helped build. Our leadership has and continues to serve in leadership positions within these associations:
Tell us what you're building, and we'll quote it.
