A Snyder County lumber mill elbowed its way into the competitive world of bat making, writes Arthur Petrosemolo
The slow-growing, straight-grain hardwood trees of northern Pennsylvania and southern New York are just that — hard. They are coveted by fine furniture makers across the country and by companies that make thousands of baseball bats from youth leagues to the majors.
John Alderfer, owner of Alderfer Lumber in Mount Pleasant Mills, about 40 miles north of Harrisburg in Snyder County, has sawdust in his blood. He has worked in sawmills and construction all his life. For the past two decades, he has been supplying quality lumber to the furniture industry and natural edge slabs to woodcraftsmen.