Missoula
Saws, Inc
In 1970, George Miller joined his dad in Missoula as sales manager and brought years of filing experience with him, Like Clay, sawdust was in his blood, and in 1954 when he was 26 years old he was head filer at FK&L Lumber Co, in Martin City, Montana. Other head filing jobs followed. George said; "I worked with some of the best expert filers"; and while I never actually filed for my dad he was my mentor and always ready to help.
George’s younger brother Bob Miller has been vice president and general manager of Missoula Saws since 1973. Before then he worked in the filing room at Broeder Bros. Lumber Co. in Kalispell, Bob would go into the filing room at Broeder Lumber and watch George and that got him started in filing. Bob say’s I learned about half of what I know about saws from George, and the other half from dad. It was great to have two good teachers in the family.
Bob’s oldest son, Brian Miller began work at Missoula Saws in 1986, before that he worked on the green chain and was a tail sawyer behind the head rig and the edger at Superior Lumber Co. in Columbia Falls, Montana. Brain say’s he liked the idea of being part of the family business working on saws is one of the most enjoyable jobs I’ve ever had, Grandpa had retired when I went to work at Missoula Saws, my dad and uncle George helped me learn how to put up a good saws.
Brian wasn’t the only son to join Missoula Saws. Barry Miller started in 1991 as a teenager working part time, and is now our full time saw filer. In between he worked at nearby Plum Creek Timber. And like his dad he worked the green chain, and was also a dry chain grader. In 1996 Rodney Munson also a teenager started working for Missoula Saws in the shop after school, also learned how to put up a good saws learning from his dad and Uncle George.
All the Millers of Missoula Saws feel they’ve done well in saw milling, and that saw milling has done well by them. They say keeping up with change is what it takes." You can never stop learning "is George Miller’s advice to young people going into filing these days. That’s good advice for anyone.
In keeping up with the times now in the year 2003 Clay Miller and George Miller have pasted away, and Bob Miller retired in January 2002 leaving the third generation of Millers to move on into the future and carry on the valuable knowledge that has been pasted down from generation to generation.
As Brian Miller, Barry Miller and Rodney Munson begin the next generation of Missoula Saws they remember what Uncle George said, "You need to keep up with the change whatever it takes" So in September 2002 they purchased Saw Performance Specialists in Kalispell, Montana. The company owned by Scott Emmert, who started the saw filing business five years ago after working for Plum Creek Timber. (Emmert now operates Saw Pro, a filing room consulting company, also based in Kalispell.)
Barry Miller runs the Kalispell office and Brian and Rodney run the Missoula office. Both facilities feature state of the art precision sharpening equipment, sharpening services for primary and secondary forest products and other industrial facilities, as well as for the cabinet and furniture industry. Along with Simonds wood and metal cutting band saw welding centers.
Today, both companies are major distributors for
several saw and saw maintenance equipment companies.
Contact Missoula Saws, Inc
212 Commerce Street
Missoula, Mt 59808
406-721-2580 / 1-800-735-7161
E-mail Info
Contact Saw Performance Specialists
5322 Hwy 2 W.
Columbia Falls, MT 59912
406-893-1347 / 1-877-895-7297