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This module focusses on quality control practices in all phases of the lumber manufacturing process of a typical sawmill. The basic processes taking place in all phases of lumber production were thoroughly discussed in the Sawmill Technology course.
Damaged Log
Fibre Damage
The purpose of a log yard is to store logs delivered to a Sawmill until they are processed. The cost of logs represents 60-70% of the lumber production; hence, it is important to ensure the logs received meet the Sawmill’s requirements in terms of desirable species, log lengths, minimum top diameters, and knot and defect sizes and distributions. Any deviations from the Sawmill’s requirements can have an impact on the mill profit. Some of the common errors include bucking to incorrect lengths and log damage.
In a log yard, logs are stored in piles for a determined period. Logs may biodegrade if stored for extended periods. The piles of logs can be sorted by age, species, or place of origin. It is important to arrange the piles in a log yard to minimize log handling and avoid physical damages to the logs, which leads to loss of recovery. Equally important is to avoid log contamination with dirt and rock, which can shorten the life of debarking/bucking equipment and affect hog quality.
Saw Tooth Marks
Equipment Calibration
Equipment calibration is part of regular maintenance.
- Perform periodic maintenance and calibration of scanners following manufacturer recommendations.
- Perform regular computer hardware maintenance.
- Ensure optimization software is working as expected.
Warning Sign
In this module, we discussed the quality control practices in the manufacturing processes from log yard to trimmer. We have looked at common quality issues with logs and lumber, probable causes for quality issues related to the manufacturing process and measures taken to minimize their occurrence, and impact of quality issues on the operation are few of the topics discussed in this module.