Issuu

Cutting edge news and stories from the sawmilling industry

Proﬁtable Sawmilling UK EDITION

info@woodmizer.co.uk 01622 813 201

2018

CONTENTS

22 2

Great oaks from little acorns grow

COMPANY NEWS Wood-Mizer acquires MOReTENs to add woodworking machinery to range

NEW SAWMILL Wood-Mizer introduces LX450 twin-rail sawmill

TECHNOLOGY A better sawmill for a better forest future

12 13

NEW PRODUCTS Create octagon-shaped beams with Wood-Mizer’s new sawmill bed attachment BiMETAL blades from Wood-Mizer

ADVICE How to select a sawmill blade type NEW BLADE Wood-Mizer releases Vortex sawdust-removal bandsaw blade

WIDEBAND SAWMILL Wood-Mizer releases updated WB2000 sawmill in two versions

SAWING Sawing logs into lumber

BED RAILS Angled bed rails are now a sawmill option

INTRODUCTION Welcome to our latest edition of Wood-Mizer’s Proﬁtable Sawmilling.

I would usually call this our spring edition, but at the time of writing there is little evidence that spring has sprung! While we wait for the weather to improve, one thing we’re not having to wait for is innovation in the world of sawmilling. As you flick through this magazine you’ll see numerous examples of new products and improvements to Wood-Mizer’s existing range which are all set to benefit owners of our products here in the UK. For many years we have been trying to ensure that we can offer products that suit a number of markets, from hobby miller to commercial-scale sawyer, and everything in between. In the UK we have made a significant amount of progress. In this edition you can hear about the introduction of the WB2000 – which debuted in the UK last year and has now been installed in Scotland – and our new twin-rail LX450, a world first. New, high performance Vortex blades which provide a 98% dust-free saw have also come through the pipeline for those who need really clean boards. If you’re not sure about how to select the right blade for your machine, we’ve got a handy guide within this magazine to help you out.

Wood-Mizer UK 01622 813 201 info@woodmizer.co.uk www.woodmizer.co.uk

Further news of Wood-Mizer’s growth comes in the form of a buy-out of Swedish firm MOReTENs which many of you will know from seeing its range of planers and moulders. Read on to find out more about UK distribution of these, which is now through us. And finally, seeing customers making a living from Wood-Mizer’s mills is something I personally take a great deal of satisfaction in, so I am pleased to be able to share Paul Grainger’s story with you in this edition. Paul is someone I have grown to know quite well while he has developed his milling business in Yorkshire using an LT40. I hope you enjoy his story. We hope to see you all at some point this year – needless to say we will have a strong presence at APF 2018 for all of you who make the trip every two years. Wishing you a profitable (and dry!) spring and summer.

Northern England Martin Phillips 07572 999 406

David Biggs General Manager Wood-Mizer UK

Scotland Keith Threadgall 07789 551 686

Connect with Wood-Mizer for all the latest sawmilling news, videos, and success stories: www.facebook.com/woodmizereurope www.youtube.com/woodmizer08

COMPANY NEWS

Wood-Mizer acquires MOReTENs to add woodworking machinery to range Global sawmill brand Wood-Mizer has acquired MOReTENs to add popular woodworking machinery to its product range. The deal will see Wood-Mizer distributing the full range of four-sided moulders, planers, table saws, spindle moulders and CNC routers manufacturerd by the Swedish company. MOReTENs has been established for 38 years and is renowned for quality in woodworking machinery. “Throughout its history, Wood-Mizer has been committed to providing the best quality equipment to process logs into ﬁnished wood products,” said UK general manager David Biggs. “The affordable and versatile moulder and planer product lines from MOReTENs have been proven worldwide for decades and are now backed by the high-quality service and support network customers expect from Wood-Mizer. “We expect signiﬁcant interest in the UK market and look forward to showcasing the products to customers.”

2 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

The founder and owner of MOReTENs, Bo Mårtensson has joined Wood-Mizer as the general director of the factory in Ostersund, Sweden. The factory in Sweden marks Wood-Mizer’s ﬁfth manufacturing plant throughout the world including three facilities in the USA and one in Poland. “Many years ago, I was a young engineer with carpentry experience when I started MOReTENs and began building woodworking machinery,” said Bo Mårtensson. “I’m proud to see my products in workshops worldwide, and now we are very pleased to be joining the Wood-Mizer team, which will see our existing products being available to a much wider customer base and will also accelerate our capability to introduce new products to meet our customers’ needs.” Wood-Mizer will offer the new range of moulders/planers through its distribution network.

Visit http://www.woodmizer-europe.com/products/planer-moulders for more information on Wood-Mizer’s new line of woodworking machinery.

The latest acquisition of MOReTENs builds on Wo o d - M i z e r ' s p o s i t i o n a s a w o r l d w i d e manufacturer and supplier of narrow band sawmills, now offering a full range of equipment that can seamlessly convert logs into dried lumber and ﬁnally into ﬁnished wood products - all backed by Wood-Mizer's expertise and commitment to excellent customer service. 3

NEW SAWMILL

4 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

Wood-Mizer introduces LX450 twin-rail sawmill

Wood-Mizer has become the ﬁrst manufacturer to give sawyers the option between a monorail or twin-rail sawmill. The launch of the LX450 will accommodate various sawing applications and customer preferences. Featuring many of the same beneﬁts of the worldrenowned Wood-Mizer LT sawmill series, the new LX450 sawmill expands the available cutting width capacity on a professional Wood-Mizer sawmill to 80cm, and expands the depth of cut to 41cm. “Wood-Mizer has long been the only sawmill manufacturer of the monorail cantilever design, holding several patents on this technology and trusted by 75,000 sawmillers throughout the world,” said Robert Baginski, COO of Wood-Mizer Industries in Europe. “Every sawyer has different

6 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

needs and preferences which led to the addition of the LX sawmill series. You can now own an LT series monorail or LX series twin-rail sawmill and receive the best support in the industry enjoyed by WoodMizer sawmill owners throughout the past 35 years.” A key innovation of the Wood-Mizer LX450 sawmill is the rigid LX Frame sawhead tower that holds the control panel, engine, and the sawmill head. Designed to accommodate a larger width and depth of cut, the LX Frame travels on parallel hardened steel bars on the bed and allows the operator to have better visibility during the cutting process.

Wood-Mizer’s sawmill range has continually expanded over the decades, but the company’s new LX450 offers a completely redesigned mill that has never been available from the company before. Standard features for the LX450 sawmill include power feed, power up/down, hydraulic log handling with a bi-directional chain log turner, a walk along operator control console with SW10 setworks, six heavy-duty ﬁne adjustment outriggers, drag back board return, powered blade guide arm, hydraulic blade tensioning system, blade lubrication, roller blade guides, and an auto-clutch. Optional features include a debarker and heavy duty central clamp. LX450 Sawmill Speciﬁcations Power Options - 11, 15, 18.5kW electric motors 92cm diameter x 6.4m length 80cm width of cut and 41cm depth of cut

TECHNOLOGY

A better sawmill

for a better forest future By using smarter solutions, sawmillers can improve their proﬁtability and business resilience while reducing their timber requirements, costs, and waste. 8 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

In the late 1970s, a simple idea took hold of two American inventors – what if you could take a sawmill to the trees, instead of the other way around? The possibility of saving transport costs intrigued them. They worked on several prototypes in their garage, and after four years, they had successfully tested a truly portable sawmill. In 1982, they founded WoodMizer (wood saver) with the motto – From Forest to Final Form. The innovation of portability By taking the sawmill to the logs, the environmental impact of timber production is reduced. Fewer lorries are needed for deliveries, and fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are reduced. Wood-Mizer’s portable sawmills were a completely new product on the market in the 1980s, and as a result, a new niche industry suddenly formed – sawmillers who could efﬁciently and affordably

travel from customer to customer and process any number of logs into timber on site. In the old days, a small pile of logs would not be worth taking down to a local sawmill, and so would simply end up as ﬁrewood. With a portable sawmill, those logs could be converted into valuable timber, with the same or better quality than available previously. The Eco beneﬁts of thin-kerf blades Their success in building an affordable and portable sawmill was solely due to one factor – they used a thin-kerf bandsaw blade to cut with. Traditionally the sawmilling industry always thought that ‘bigger was better’, because a thicker blade could cut faster. However, a blade with 1.5mm thickness and kerf of 2mm removes a very small amount of wood with each cut (compared with circular blades with thicknesses of 6mm). So with Wood-Mizer blades, sawmillers were able to get more planks and less sawdust (waste) from every log. Depending on log size, total timber recovery can reach 70% - 80%.

Wood-Mizer mobile sawmill is towed by car and can operate anywhere, even in the woods. Thanks to unique design Wood-Mizer sawmill produces smooth cuts when it installed on uneven ground in forest.

On the left it shows how a log is cut with band blade, on the right - with a circular blade. Band blades can increase the yield of ready product from wood up to 80%. On average, one more board is obtained from every log.

Zoran Jakovlevich, a pallet producer from Serbia, said that after transitioning to Wood-Mizer sawmills, he was able to get an additional five pallets out of every cubic metre of timber. Thin-kerf technology saves on raw materials, and so to produce the same level of final products, fewer trees are required. Fewer trees are needed to produce the same final products. Energy consumption improvements Wood-Mizer sawmills don’t just offer advantages from one or two areas. They deliver comprehensive cost savings from a variety of perspectives, affecting many different operational costs in positive ways, such as energy consumption, an area that is often overlooked when investing in new machinery. Wood-Mizer’s smaller blades require significantly less power to cut effectively than other sawmilling methods, reducing energy costs. The blades themselves, being smaller, are cheaper and easier to replace and sharpen. Sharpening Wood-Mizer

10 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

blades can be done with minimal training, whereas large blades require a sharpening specialist. Portable sawmilling – a new industry and lifestyle Over the last 35+ years, more than 75,000 WoodMizer sawmills have been sold into more than 130 countries around the world, as the ‘niche’ industry of thin-kerf sawmilling has grown and grown. Many people that previously were limited in their options for business diversiﬁcation, after buying a sawmill, have found themselves running with a new sawmilling career. Farmers, estate owners, contract sawyers, tree surgeons, furniture workshops, natural parks, and established timber companies – there are countless examples of people from these backgrounds choosing and successfully integrating a Wood-Mizer sawmill into their existing businesses. Many ﬁnd that a sawmill allows them to begin a new enterprise, live more independently, and have a closer connection with work in the outdoors – all

‘intangible assets’ created by owning a sawmill. A Czech bus driver, Pavel Kadlec, says that his life changed for the better when he decided to buy his own sawmill and offer custom cutting services locally. He likes to be able to work at his own pace, and know that the work he is doing fulﬁlls a need and he’s proud that the product he provides is of such high quality. “I’m my own boss now,” he said. From Estonia, farmer Aigar Tuusis added: “You look at your life differently when you have your own sawmill.” And sawmills seem to foster better social interactions as well in rural areas. From Italy, Anna de Guidi, who operates a pallet manufacturing company, said: “A sawmill is the best tool to make many friends. Every day we meet with new local customers who become our friends.” Sawmilling’s place in the circular economy Wood-Mizer sawmills generally function as the basis for small and medium-sized businesses, processing local timber for local end users, while employing local workers.

With a circular blade, you pay more for the transportation of logs.

This is a perfect example of sustainable development at local level, which has a positive impact on the larger regional or country-wide economy. This kind of business is exactly what many analysts have predicted for years – as a result of a prolonged recession, smaller companies will grow that can react quickly and more efﬁciently to the market needs and incorporate new technology faster. Experts often refer to this as a ‘circular economy’ where raw materials are reduced and waste becomes zero. Promoting companies to adopt this model is very important to the European Parliament and other European institutions, who wish to both preserve the environment and stimulate innovation in business. The success experienced by small companies with Wood-Mizer sawmills conﬁrms that the transition from the theoretical to the practical is possible and happening even now.

NEW PRODUCTS

Create

octagon-shaped beams

with Wood-Mizer’s new sawmill bed attachment You can now easily produce octagonal timber beams and other shapes with your sawmill. The new Octagon-Beam attachment simply bolts onto the sawmill bed rail (two units required – more may be needed depending on cant length and thickness). Square cants are placed inside and secured with the clamp. Depending on the ﬁnal shape required and the size of the cant, the sawmill head is lowered to the correct position and cuts off

12 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

one corner of the cant. The cant is turned 90 degrees, and the process is continued three additional times, removing the four corners to produce the octagon-shaped beam. This simple attachment will provide sawmillers extra variety in the types of ﬁnal products available to customers, without a large investment in an additional machine. Part #: 520495

BiMETAL blades from Wood-Mizer Wood-Mizer’s BiMETAL blade for cutting wood is designed for high performance in industrial production environments. The high-alloy backing material of the BiMETAL blades offers a combination of durability and fatigue resistance, resulting in longer sharp life than MaxFLEX or DoubleHARD, especially when cutting harder, more abrasive wood species. The new BiMETAL Extreme blade offers even longer runtimes before the blade needs to be changed. The BiMETAL Extreme blade is even more ﬂexible, and provides sawmillers with more efﬁciency when cutting in production environments and with hard tropical logs.

ADVICE

How to select a sawmill blade type Wood-Mizer offers bandsaw blades to meet every type of wood cutting application from green softwoods to dry hardwoods. Offering more than 60 bandsaw blade proﬁles with an extensive array of combinations based on hook angle, tooth set, width and thickness, which Wood-Mizer sawmill blade and type is best for you?

14 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

BANDSAW BLADES

SilverTIP is an ideal blade for primary and secondary breakdown as well as for high volume sawing environments. Manufactured from carbon steel, SilverTIP blades can be used on both portable and industrial sawmills and is also suitable for horizontal resaws. Carbon is the most common steel used in narrow-band sawing and can be resharpened, but typically not as often as a blade made with high-alloy steel. Width: 32mm, 35mm, 38mm, 40mm, 45mm, 50mm, 63mm, 75mm Thickness: 1.00mm, 1.07mm, 1.14mm, 1.40mm Softer than “high-alloy steel”

INDUSTRIAL BANDSAW BLADES

DoubleHARD is a durable all-purpose blade for sawing softwoods, hardwoods, knotty woods, and frozen woods. DoubleHARD’s original blade material is manufactured from “high-alloy” steel and is designed for portable and industrial sawmills. With induction hardened teeth, DoubleHARD blades deliver twice the toughness and twice the sharp life compared to standard carbon blades.

Width: 32mm, 35mm, 38mm, 40mm, 50mm Thickness: 1.00mm, 1.07mm, 1.14mm, 1.27mm Harder than "carbon steel» Tough, non-chip material Durable blade even with multiple resharpenings

PREMIUM BANDSAW BLADES

INDUSTRIAL BANDSAW BLADES

BiMETAL is made from “high-alloy” two-piece steel with a wire-welded, hardened tooth tip. Generally used for primary breakdown sawing in portable or industrial sawmill operations, BiMETAL blades hold a sharpened edge up to three times longer than carbon blades. BiMETAL offers a longer sawing sharp life than most carbon and high-alloy blades and is engineered for production sawing environments.

Width: 34mm Thickness: 1.07mm Maintained with CBN grinding technology

STELLITE® BANDSAW BLADES

MaxFLEX is a premium quality all-purpose blade for use in sawing and resawing environments where ultimate ﬂex life is desired. Featuring “premium high-alloy” steel for maximum ﬂexibility and sawing life, MaxFLEX blades are primarily used in portable and industrial sawmill operations but can also be used in resawing applications.

RazorTIP Stellite® performs very well when longer run times, excellent wear power, and multiple resharpenings are desired for tropical hardwood and even softwood sawing applications. Manufactured from “high-alloy” steel with a Stellite® set tooth, RazorTIP Stellite® blades have a high wear characteristic that stands up to normal and difﬁcult sawing longer than other high-alloy or carbon blades.

Width 32mm, 35mm, 38mm Thickness 1.00mm, 1.07mm, 1.14mm, 1.27mm, 1.40mm Maintained with CBN grinding technology Material hardness resembles DoubleHARD

Width: 32mm, 38mm Thickness: 1.07mm, 1.14mm, 1.40mm Maintained with CBN grinding technology Teeth are more resistant to dulling than high-alloy

NEW BLADE

Wood-Mizer releases Vortex sawdust-removal bandsaw blade A ground-breaking bandsaw blade which signiﬁcantly reduces dust during the milling process has been launched by Wood-Mizer. The Vortex sawdust-removal bandsaw blade is available now to customers who need boards as free from excess sawdust as possible. 16 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

The Vortex blade removes dust while sawing in order to minimize or eliminate the need for sawdust removal after the lumber is processed. This extremely unique blade proﬁle has generated positive results in high-production pallet factory tests and normal sawing conditions.

The result is cleaner boards and cleaner board edges. Cutting softwoods as well as hardwoods, such as s spruce, oak and ash, has become easier too. Pallet producer Jeff Coomer of USA-based Coomer & Sons Sawmill, tested the blade and says: “The

Vortex blade was getting 98 to 99% of the dust off, so it was impressive on how much dust it took off compared to a typical saw blade.” Paul Smith of Smith Sawmill Service added: “The new Vortex blade does a great job of getting the sawdust off the wood. It’s going to be an asset for companies.” The Wood-Mizer Vortex proﬁle is now available to order in various lengths.

WIDEBAND SAWMILL

Wood-Mizer releases updated

WB2000 sawmill in two versions

In 2016, Wood-Mizer’s new WB2000 wideband sawmill was successfully installed on six continents. In 2017, the ﬁrst of its kind in the UK was installed in Dumfries.

18 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

Now the sawmill is now available in two versions – PRO and ECONOMIC – has a new look, and has been added to Wood-Mizer’s recently acquired wideband TITAN sawmilling range. The new PRO and ECONOMIC versions expand the versatility and affordability of the sawmill to

meet the varying needs of sawmilling companies around the world. The WB2000 can be used as the primary log breakdown sawmill, or in addition to existing equipment in order to process irregular logs and custom orders more efﬁciently. Due to the variety of hydraulic packages and bed lengths, the

sawmill is very versatile and can saw large diameter softwood, hardwood and tropical logs from 2.4m to 12m in length. The WB2000 features heavy-duty construction, low maintenance requirements, and efﬁcient operation. The WB2000 uses wideband 75mm blades or 100mm stellite-tipped blades. When using 75mm blades the sawmill is especially cost-efﬁcient in terms of blade maintenance costs. The heavy-duty bed has a log capacity of up to six tonnes. All hydraulic log handling functions - such as the log clamps, chain turners, power rollers, side supports and hold-down clamps - are modular, and can be moved to different positions on the bed as needed. Various hydraulic packages with different strengths are available. To ensure the best visibility of the cutting and log handling processes, the WB2000 is equipped with a video monitoring system (two cameras are

20 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

included standard on sawmills sold in CE-regions). Up to four cameras can be mounted on the sawmill, and the video feeds are viewed on a display screen at the Operator Station. This makes it possible for the operator to observe the entire cutting process. WB20000 PRO The PRO version of the sawmill uses an automatic PLC setworks system. The 12-inch touch-screen displays various parameters such as the dimensions of the material, current head height, feed position and main engine power consumption. To adjust these parameters, the operator simply has to use the touch screen to enter new settings.

When using 75mm blades the sawmill is especially cost-efﬁcient in terms of blade maintenance costs.

The raised platform includes an operator’s chair and two joystick controls. An air-conditioned operator’s cabin is available as an option. WB2000 EC The EC (ECONOMIC) version uses a 5.7-inch touch-screen with the latest version of the SW PLC3 Setworks system. The operator station is

equipped with an integrated control panel. All head functions are controlled with by the operator, and hydraulic functions are adjusted with levels.

BEST PRACTICE

22 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

Great oaks from little acorns grow Ben Pike meets engineer-turned-carpenter Paul Grainger who has spent 20 years building a thriving business with a Wood-Mizer LT40 at the heart of the operation.

Yorkshireman Paul Grainger is an engineer at heart. Whether it’s restoring motorcycles, repairing farm machinery or building timber-framed roofs, he can turn his hand to it. An eye for detail and a healthy dose of passion for carpentry has seen him build a diverse, busy business across North Yorkshire. Having three Wood-Mizer LT40s since starting the business has helped him go from selling waste wood on eBay to becoming an intrinsic part of a multi-million-pound restoration project at a luxury rural hotel.

24 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

In search of a niche “I went to college as an engineering technician, but I got bored of that so I left and started agricultural engineering work,” he said. “I worked on Case and International farm machinery and raced motorbikes before I went in to forestry where I’ve been ever since.” Paul didn’t like seeing the timber he was pulling out of woodland going to waste so, in the mid-1990s, a friend lent him a Wood-Mizer LT40. “I started converting oak in to beams and selling them on eBay. Local builders and businesses

started buying off me and it's just grown from there.” Fast forward 20 years and while the shape of the business hasn’t changed, its scale and diversity is unrecognisable. Middleton Lodge One signiﬁcant moment that has contributed to the success Paul has seen is the ﬁrst job he did at Middleton Lodge. The Georgian estate is set in 200 acres near Richmond in North Yorkshire and over the past seven years has been restored and extended to

create a luxury spa, hotel and wedding venue. Its owner, James Allison, asked Paul to build an eyecatching pergola that could be used for marriage ceremonies. Great oaks from little acorns grow, as the proverb goes, and Paul is now an intrinsic part of the site’s future development. “I started with the pergola then James asked me to do some trusses on the main building and in some derelict stable blocks. “We did some repairs and renewals in one of the wings and then when we got to the other wing we found the trusses were all rotten.

26 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

“I suggested that we make nine whole new trusses out of softwoods as that is what they originally were.” Further expansion has seen the addition of another, smaller bar and function room and Paul has just ﬁtted several large trusses to a new block which will act as a further large wedding venue. “We got the wood for the jobs as close to the site as possible, with a lot of the larch coming from the estate itself,” Paul said. “It’s probably been growing there for 100 years and now it’s part of a building that will be there for the next 100 years so it’s a nice story.”

Local sourcing, local custom Paul’s work at Middleton Lodge is not the bread and butter of his business, which comes from typically smaller projects near his workshop at Masham. A signiﬁcant job he recently completed for a customer saw a decrepit agricultural building saved by replacing the roof trusses. Its end use is still to be decided but now has the potential to become a house after being elegantly restored in local larch. “When I originally went to see Claire, the client, she wanted a couple of trusses to go over a doorway with a big arch in it. “I said to her that it would be beneﬁcial to do the whole building, showing her some of the work I had done at Middleton Lodge on a similar building.

28 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

“Oak came back as too expensive so we went for larch. I’m not sure she really knew what to expect but she’s absolutely delighted with the end result.” Just a stone’s throw from that restoration, Paul’s craftsmanship is further demonstrated. A porch, beautifully ﬁnished in oak, frames the front of a house in the small village of Snape. These projects, although less grand in scale, help fuel further work. “Much of it is word of mouth. People come to me and say what they want. I'll go and measure up and then go out and build it for them. I'll do anything really.” Paul’s latest endeavours are, for once, for his own beneﬁt. The family’s Masham Old Station Caravan Park is being expanded to include some permanent accommodation – built with timber-framed trusses.

“We have had the park in the family for years. It was an industrial grain storage site and a train station which closed in 1963. “There is a café in the middle which I put an oak beam ﬂoor in to about 12 years ago. “We’re currently converting some coal bunkers in to four cottages and a new garage to accommodate storage for the caravan park. “I don’t have many days off. Or nights!” Reliability and performance Craftsmanship and quality have clearly played huge roles in Paul’s success. He recognises the importance of his sawmill in being able to deliver exactly what his customers want. “Without the Wood-Mizer I would be snookered,” he

said. “It took me years to get to the point where I actually owned my own but it's been well worth it and I would deﬁnitely buy another one in a few years time and keep renewing as we go. “I don't think I'll go for the LT70 as the LT40 does all I want. It’s portable and fully hydraulic. But I will probably buy a molder/planer to be able to manufacture more.” Reliability has been as important as performance. “The LT40 has been a reliable mill since the 1990s and three mills I have had over the years have never given any trouble. “It cuts well and I have a bed extension can do up to 10-metre beams on it. Importantly, it will cut all the sizes I require.”

SAWING

Sawing logs into lumber There are many different sawing methods and techniques to turn logs into lumber including live sawing, cant sawing, plain sawing, grade sawing, and quarter sawing. To get you started, here is an introductory course in sawing your logs to lumber.

Live Sawing Live sawing, also known as slab sawing or through and through sawing, is when a log is sawn about halfway through on the opening face and then turned once to the opposite face for sawing until the log is ﬁnished. Although this can be the easiest and quickest sawing method, live sawing means that every piece of lumber must be edged after it has been sawn to get the highest value. Live sawn lumber is often wide and heavy, lower in grade, and can have excessive warp during the drying process. Live sawing is generally recommended for lower quality logs because of these disadvantages.

Cant Sawing With cant sawing, the ﬁrst cuts are made across the top of the log and ﬂipped 180 degrees to saw the second cuts across the opposite face. Once rotated 90 degrees to saw the third side, and rotated another 90 degrees to saw the last side, the log is squared into a center piece called a cant. This cant is either sent to another machine for further processing or sold as a large and heavy timber. Cant sawing maximizes sawmill production in board feet per day and is commonly used throughout the hardwood sawing industry. Primarily used on medium and low quality logs, cant sawing can save valuable time and effort when working with low grade and low value lumber.

Plain Sawing Similar to cant sawing, plain sawing begins with rotating and sawing the outer sides of a log into boards until the center is squared into a four-sided cant. Instead of leaving the cant as is, it is rotated and sawn to produce the maximum amount of lumber. If needed, the

30 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

boards are then edged by sawing the rough edge off. Although there are many different techniques for achieving the best quality and yield from a log, anyone can get great lumber from plain sawing.

3 1-5-9

3-8

Grade Sawing The grade sawing is mostly popular in USA and Canada, but anyway it is useful to know how the log is cut by this method. With grade sawing, the log is sawn, turned to a new face, sawn and 4-7 turned again as many as ﬁve times. Financially, grade sawing is the best sawing method for medium and high-quality logs, even though it may be difﬁcult to turn a log on some mills and daily production volume may be lower.

2-6 Quarter Sawing There are several reasons to consider quarter sawing your lumber because the grain patterns in some hardwoods are in great demand. For example, quarter sawn oak is more valuable than plain sawn oak. Quarter sawn wood is also more dimensionally sound meaning it will not cup or dish while drying and will shrink less than plain sawn lumber. Due to these advantages, woodworkers, cabinet makers, quality furniture shops, and craftsmen typically prefer quarter sawn lumber to work with. However, not all lumber will increase in value when quarter sawn due to the amount of handling and time involved to produce. Quarter sawn lumber refers to the angle at which the tree’s growth rings intersect the face of the sawn board. Although there are differing opinions on the term, fully quarter sawn lumber is generally deﬁned as growth rings that are 80 to 90 degrees to the face of the board. The quarter sawing method can also produce rift sawn lumber which is considered to have growth rings that are 45 to 80 degrees to the face of the board.

Advantages of Quartersawn Lumber • Heavy ray fleck is a valuable characteristic to woodworkers. • Half the shrinkage in width vs. flatsawn lumber when drying (3% vs. 6%). • Dries flatter with less risk of checking during drying. • More stable in an environment with varying humidity. • Wears more evenly when used as flooring. Disadvantages of Quartersawn Lumber • Often results in 20% lower yields from a logs. • Lower lumber production rates. • Requires 15% or so longer drying times. • Shrinks twice as much in thickness vs. flat sawn lumber. • Has spike knots compared to circular knots which reduce strength.

BED RAILS

Angled bed rails are now an available sawmill option A new angled bed rail shape that was initially developed for the new LX450 sawmill is now available for LT20, LT40 and LT70 static sawmills and bed extensions. The angled bed rails allow the rails to be additionally reinforced and resistant to deformation, and the shape reduces the possibility of debris landing and remaining on the bed rail during cutting. The bed rail shape is available optionally on all bed versions for LT20, LT40 and LT70 static sawmills. Customers can retroﬁt stationary mills with the new angled bed rails.

32 PROFITABLE SAWMILLING 2018

INTRODUCING Wood-Mizer planer / moulders PRODUCE FLOORING, MOULDING, TRIM, FRAMES AND MORE!

www.woodmizer.co.uk

SAVE 10% on all Wood-Mizer Sawmills! For a limited time, Wood-Mizer’s popular professional LT10, LT15, LX100, LT20B, LT20, LT40, LX450 and LT70 sawmills are on sale! Save 10% on all these sawmill models in any conﬁguration and with any ﬁtted options and accessories! Contact us today for a custom quote for the sawmill model of your choice. The promotion is valid until 30 June 2018.

-10%

LT10 / LT15 / LX100 / LT20B LT20 / LT40 / LX450 / LT70