Each month in FDMC Magazine we feature the 'Notable Nine Online', nine stories that were the most viewed and engaged with from WoodworkingNetwork.com over the past month. The following stories were chosen by our readers by what they were most interested in from August 12 - September 12, 2024.

#1 Fire destroys family-owned sawmill in Utah (Posted September 3)
An August 21 fire destroyed sawmill operations at Utah-based K & D Products. Dozens of firefighters battled the blaze at the sawmill, which employs about 20 people. The mill has been owned by multiple generations of the Fransden family.
 

#2 Abandoned correctional facility to become lumber site (Posted August 29)
The Westbury Lumber Company, a distributor of hardwood lumber for cabinets, flooring, and building materials, will take over the abandoned Butler Correctional Facility, which operated from from 1989 through 2014 as a minimum and medium security campus.
 

#3 Cochrane plywood plant down due to fire (Posted August 22)
Rockshield plywood plant in Cochrane, Alberta, will be non-operational for up to six months as the result of an August 12 fire. The fire appears to have started in a dust collector, and was contained to the debarking line.
 

#4 Festool's ExoActive exoskeleton hits the market (Posted August 15)
Need help lifting wood, assembling boxes, installing cabinets, closets, or in other ways handling heavy parts? Applications requiring a long reach? If so, this new tool might be of help.  Festool has launched a new exoskeleton product called ExoActive that takes much of the effort out of strenuous work.
 

#5 Interfor ceases operations in two sawmills (Posted August 21)
Interfor Corporation will indefinitely curtail operations at its sawmills in Meldrim, Georgia, and Summerville, South Carolina. The company says this decision is due to weak lumber conditions. Interfor deliveries will be curtailed immediately.
 

#6 Fast growing cabinet company gets bigger: Fabuwood acquires Plain & Fancy (Posted September 9)
Fabuwood, a major semi-custom cabinetry company, has acquired Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry, a leading cabinet manufacturer.  Terms of the acquisition, announced Sept. 9, were not disclosed. Plain & Fancy will retain its name and identity.  
 

#7 Milestone Reached: Sierra Pacific Plants 300 Millionth Seedling (Posted  August 18)
Sierra Pacific Industries announced planting its 300 millionth seedling on its timberlands this spring. The company said the milestone reflects its commitment to sustainable forest management and ensuring we have forests for future generations.
 

#8 Builders FirstSource acquires Wyoming Millwork (Posted August 27)
Delaware-based Wyoming Millwork Co. has been sold to Builders FirstSource. Founded in 1994, Wyoming Millwork has two locations in Delaware that offer custom and semi-custom builders with lumber and sheet goods, windows, doors, millwork, trusses, and other building products.
 

#9 Countertop company failed to protect workers, including two with incurable lung disease (Posted August 27)
A Chicago countertop manufacturer failed to protect its workers from silica exposure, according to federal inspectors. A 31-year-old employee of Florenza Marble & Granite Corp. needed a double lung transplant after suffering accelerated silicosis after he was exposed to silica dust levels six times greater than permissible limits.