I will discuss just a couple of essential tools needed today in the filing room. These tools work together to ensure quality and accuracy.

The side dial indicator
Like most precision tools, it has varying designs, different levels of quality and cost, and is produced by multiple manufacturers. Most will perform the task at hand. However, accuracy may be more a factor of the way it is used. This tool measures side clearance and can be used to check both radial (top to bottom) and tangential (front to back) angles. This tool’s accuracy should be checked often by placing it on granite block. The dial indicator’s foot and base must be flat and should always be held properly to obtain accurate measurements.  

The micrometer

The micrometer

A must in the saw filing room. It is used to check kerf and plate thickness. It’s always a good practice to double check with another device anytime it is possible. By using both – the micrometer and side dial indicator – you can be sure you’re getting correct information. The sum of the plate thickness plus side clearance on both sides of the tooth should give you the same number as the micrometer reads when checking kerf. Example: plate thickness .100 + .019 side clearance on one side + .021 on opposite side gives you .140 kerf, which should be the same number when checked with the micrometer. The micrometer can also be used to check radial and tangential angles by measuring to the far side of each and subtracting for total front to back or top to bottom measurements.

Double checking like this can save you time and problems. I have seen filers adjust their side grinding machine over and over when it’s only a bent tooth. And it’s just good practice to get this major step in grinding saw teeth correct. For long-term accuracy, the micrometer should have hardened anvils and come with a checking gauge. All measuring tools should be kept in a safe place to not be banged or dropped. They should be checked for accuracy before each use. I suggest using good, name brand, tools with protective storing cases. Tools that are well cared for should last a long time. Smith Sawmill Service – BID and most major saw manufactures can supply your filing rooms with these precision tools. 

Paul Smith is a saw filing consultant and founder of Smith Sawmill Service, now part of BID Group. You can reach him at paul.smith@bidgroup.ca.

The horizontal arbor profiler consists of one right and one left side profiling module assembly, each housing two chip heads and mounted to a solid base. Each carriage shifts in/out to properly position the chip heads horizontally for the width of the log; each chip head also shifts up/down via hydraulic cylinders.
The profilers remove the wane found at the corners of the cant. When a tapered log is processed boards can be recovered at an angle. As the log is being transported through the profiling heads, the heads can adjust in/out while at the same time moving up/down. This capability allows greater volume and value to be recovered from each log.

It uses smart anvils for precise positioning against sideboards, which can be cut at any angle, to reduce defects and improve chip containment while still allowing flexible cutting on angled solutions. With a feed speed of 225-675 fpm and a 200 hp motor on each side, it’s the ideal solution for even the most demanding operations.

The lumber guide is nested against the profiler heads to eliminate head and tail end defects and can be adjusted remotely.

On top of this, the new VFM uses rolls with an updated fine knurl pattern proven to provide more holding force than other knurl patterns. These rolls are backed by an 8” bore air cylinder and are mounted on a 20” diameter slewing bearing to offer higher holding forces on missed-face logs to maintain total control.

Four fire departments responded to the blaze on Saturday at the mill, formerly owned by Western Forest Products.

Read the full article from the Times Colonist here.

The transaction formally closed on Oct. 1.

Located, YGE is a trusted partner, having forged strong bonds with BID’S product lines, projects, and manufacturing facilities across North America.

“We are excited to reach this agreement with our longtime partners YGE and the Guillemette family. This marks another important step in meeting our valued customer demand for modern, high quality and innovative saw and tooling technology solutions,” said Simon Potvin, BID’s president, wood processing.

“This partnership builds on previous investments in Smith Sawmill Services, BLADE cutting tools, and the recently announced acquisition of Industrial Cutting Solutions in Alabama,” Potion added.

“I am pleased to be able to transition our business with the BID Group.”, said Yvon Guillemette, owner of YGE. “I would like to thank our team for their dedication and hard work to build YGE over the years. I am confident this partnership will provide our employees, suppliers, and customers with enhanced opportunities and benefits.”

The Sidewinder accommodates smaller log gaps than other turning systems and provides accurate log rotation with a precise transition control system. Capable of handling logs between 3″ and 24″ in diameter, the Sidewinder has a turn accuracy within 4.5 degrees at 700 fpm, which is 36 per cent more accurate than other systems. And on top of that, you’ll see reduced maintenance and upkeep costs, as well as easier maintenance thanks to the open framework.

Learn more at usnr.com.

“A lot depends on the type of raw material dried in the kiln. There is often a need to adjust the process over time depending on what passes through the kiln. The ability to visit the sawmills provides a great opportunity to capture these types of issues,” said Wamming.

During the visit, Wamming and Karbin also had the opportunity to provide additional training to sawmill employees in Valmatics 4.0, the Valutec control system that allows sawmills to optimize their processes in terms of quality, capacity, and energy consumption.

“To benefit from the kiln’s full potential, sawmill personnel also need a picture of how the TC continuous kiln interacts with the rest of production. While it’s partly a matter of raw materials, it’s also about loading and package lengths. The sawmills that are best in these regards also tend to do really well in terms of both product quality and the bottom line,” explained Wamming.

“The exit of Lenox Woodmaster C from the market presented us with a big challenge. We wanted to provide an alternative for the market, and specifically for Lenox customers, which is not only as good as Lenox Woodmaster C, but which is a massive improvement. We invested huge resources into R&D, innovation, new technologies and rapid prototyping. In independent tests, Quantum lasts twice as long as Woodmaster C and three times as long as the nearest competitor. We have patented the new technology and the product, and really look forward to working with our partners to help them grow their sales and market share,” Oliver Garside, Managing Director, Dakin-Flathers.

Produced in aerospace-controlled temperature conditions using the world’s first gaseous phase control: The new heat treatment process results in exceptionally low levels of oxidization producing a near-perfect grain structure for exceptional longevity and cutting performance. Dakin-Flathers is the world’s largest manufacturer of carbon bandsaw blades dedicated to delivering innovative, high-performance bandsaw blades.

Ripper37 Quantum is currently available in 1 in. x 2 hook to cater predominantly for pallet manufacturing with multi-head sawmills, though it is suitable for many other resaw applications. Customers can order the product through our authorized global network of distributors.

“This investment in Niagara Pallet is giving a thriving forest sector business the facilities and the tools to take its operations to the next level,” said Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Graydon Smith. “We are building prosperity and creating jobs right here in the Niagara Region and investing in a strong, sustainable forest sector across Ontario.”

Niagara Pallet’s $9 million project will help meet growing demand for the company’s products by adding 60,000 square feet of production space and installing automated sorting, measurement and lumber-cutting equipment. The project is expected to double the company’s U.S. export sales.

“Ontario’s growing manufacturing sector is second to none, and we continue to grow the sector by supporting local manufacturers like Niagara Pallet,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Niagara Pallet’s project will build on what our government is doing to make sure people across our province have good-paying jobs, while also growing the manufacturing sector and strengthening our province’s forest sector supply chain.”

Expanded production at Niagara Pallet will also strengthen the province’s forest sector supply chain – the company will increase its purchases of Ontario lumber by 60 per cent, providing greater opportunity for lumber harvesters, sawmills and trucking.

“As one of the province’s largest manufacturers and recyclers of pallets and shipping materials, Niagara Pallet continues to be a leader in innovation and sustainability in our region,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West. “I congratulate the Vrugteveen family and the hardworking team at Niagara Pallet as they plan to expand their growing operation in Smithville.”

Funding for this project is being provided by the Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program, a business support program designed to improve productivity and innovation, enhance competitiveness, support new market access and strengthen regional economies.

“We are thankful for the support of Ontario’s Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program,” said Mike Vrugteveen, vice-president of Niagara Pallet. “This investment has allowed us to purchase and install new equipment for the processing of lumber in our facility, which will allow our business to produce wood packaging products more efficiently.”

The higher the RPMs, the more tension will be needed. The RPMs will spin the saw while the tension will determine if the saw stands up straight. When a specific RPM is reached, the saw should stand up straight both in and out of the cutting process. One important factor with saw tension is that all the saws in the set are tensioned the same on both arbors. One saw out of tension can cause the saw or adjacent saws to cut bad lumber. 

What does this look like? A correctly tensioned saw where the RPMs have the saw standing up, cutting straight, but the saw next to it isn’t, produces wedge-shaped boards. Another scenario: the saw that has too much tension and is right on the verge of being correct, but RPMs are just not enough to keep the saw standing straight, resulting in the saw going from one side of the guide to the other, all the while making thick and thin lumber. 

Just as the tooth angles and side clearance must be the same, it is so very important for each saw to have the same amount of tension.

Remember that a saw plate should never rub or come into contact with the babbitt in the guides. They should run in the centre of the babbitted guides and only have contact with the thin film of lubricant. If the saws are tensioned correctly, they will run in the centre of the guides, cutting quality lumber. Keep in mind that saws should be benched flat, with even tension. Before ever tensioning a saw, flatness should be checked. Once the saw is tensioned, knots can be hidden from the gauge.

Most professional sawfilers can use a straight edge and “light” to properly tension a saw body. To be even more accurate, it is suggested that a tension gauge that fits your saws be used instead of a straight edge. Most saw suppliers can provide you with the tension gauges and straight edges you need. Smith Sawmill Service (SSS-BID) makes straight edges and tension gauges every Friday. When ordering tension gauges for circle saws, you will be asked for the length of the gauge and what tension is needed. I am sure different manufacturers will have their own way of checking for tension. We use a chordal measurement; this is the amount of curve calculated for the given length of the tension gauge where we take the diameter of the circle in inches. After many trials and studies in the mills we have concluded that the best running saws will be tensioned somewhere between 450-foot diameter and 250-foot diameter. Therefore, we machine tension gauges anywhere in-between these parameters – mostly between 200 and 400. The goal is to find your best running saw and build your tension gauge to best fit that saw plate. If we are currently selling your saws, you may want us to send you the same tension gauge that we use for your saws.

By having that correct tension gauge, you will be able to check tension and make sure the same tension is repeated each time.

SSS-BID regrinds and manufactures straight edges and tension gauges on a milling machine. We have found milling these products is far superior to grinding them.

We also have a saw design program that can check the load index on your saws. This will let us know if the saw design will allow the saw to stand straight up in the cut. This is a measurement of sawing accuracy that considers blade stiffness and the cutting forces. Saws must stand up straight to cut straight.  Hopefully this information will help you and your team to avoid a tension headache.

Paul Smith is a saw filing consultant and founder of Smith Sawmill Service, now part of BID Group. You can reach him at Paul.Smith@bidgroup.ca.

The ARC pusher is engineered to provide a single acting and balanced design, containing a robust and simple structure, an electric drive, oversized drive components and a complimentary hopper.

The log contacting surfaces are radial to easily withstand impact loads from dense logs. The lifting arms are balanced by utilizing an internal counterbalance, to efficiently lift and discharge the load of log(s) onto the built-in tail end of the take-away log deck.

The ARC design contains a drive and actuating mechanism external to the Bin Walls.

A robust infeed hopper is integral to the design, to ensure the optimal log presentation to the pusher face.

GCAR Design has a team with approximately 50 years of practical mill experience, including critiquing pushers and singulators across North America and Australia.

This experience has taught that outstanding performance, a long & reliable operating life with minimal downtime, low and easy maintenance requirements, the correct control system, plus convenient and minimal internal debris cleaning, are the major requirements for both sawmill and plywood operations.

All ARC Pushers & Hoppers are custom designed for both new & retrofit projects.

For more info: www.gcardesign.com.

For Carl Diebold Lumber in Oregon, the right moisture measurement tools have been key. 

Producing high-grade boards valued at $4,000 to $5,000 per 1,000 board feet, they couldn’t afford to end up with damaged wood. By monitoring the wood’s moisture content as it dried, they were able to prevent damage, and cut energy costs.  

To learn their secret, we’ll explore those moisture testing tools in depth. But first, we need to understand why moisture testing matters in this industry. 

Why moisture testing is important

Incorrect moisture content is enemy No. 1 of wood, causing an estimated 80 per cent of wood products defects. So, it pays to test for moisture and avoid that damage.

Doing so has many benefits for manufacturers:

Improved product quality

Proper moisture testing will help prevent underdrying or overdrying of wood. 

If wood dries too much, it can show defects like checks or splits. As a result, you may have to discard the wood or sell it at a lower price. 

And if the wood doesn’t dry enough, you may have to send it through the kiln process a second time, losing time and efficiency. 

Speaking of efficiency…

Decreased energy costs

Any extra time your wood spends in the kiln costs you money. Even if it doesn’t damage the wood, it’ll hurt your bottom line. 

Of course, you want the wood dry enough to prevent downstream defects and meet your customer’s requirements. 

But every per cent that your wood is dried below that threshold will cost you a minimum of $3 per 1,000 board feet of lumber. And let’s say a company that processes millions of board feet every year is drying their wood five per cent below what is needed. Think about how many thousands of dollars per year are being lost in operating costs! 

Moisture testing can streamline your process, helping you to dry to the exact percentage you need – and no more! 

A good reputation

Let’s say a customer files a wet claim against you because the batch they received from you had too high of a moisture content (MC). What might happen? 

They might demand a refund. Or refuse to pay for the wood. 

You might lose them as customers, but even worse, your reputation might suffer. After all, what’s to say they won’t tell others that your product quality is unreliable? 

But you can avoid all these risks with moisture quality control. The right tools can mean putting out products that consistently meet your customers’ expectations. 

So, what are those tools? Let’s find out. 

Industrial handheld meters

Industrial handheld meters are pinless moisture meters that use an electromagnetic sensor to detect the MC of a piece of wood. 

This non-damaging type of meter won’t leave pinholes in the wood the way pin meters do, and it’s a much more efficient way to measure moisture. 

The industrial version has a large scanning plate with an ergonomic handle – great for measuring large batches of wood. As you scan the wood, the meter can store over 5,000 readings and send them to PC-based reporting software. No manual record-keeping necessary.

Wagner Meters’ L622 handheld meter is a staple at Siskiyou Forest Products, which produces high-end finger-jointed and edge-glued wood materials at their facility in California. For them, an MC under 12 per cent is critical for wood to run through their glue line.

Aaron Duchi, who runs the kilns at Siskiyou Forest Products, appreciates no longer having to use a pin meter or record readings by hand.

He shares: “[The Wagner meter] not only measures the lumber faster, but it does all the recording work for me. It calculates all the information for each sample I take and sends it to my computer screen so I can quickly print it out.” 

But beyond using handheld meters, many businesses invest in large-scale moisture measurement systems, like the one we’ll discuss next. 

Companies can improve their ROI by using reliable tools for measuring moisture.
deorbem. Photos courtesy Wagner Meters.

In-kiln systems

An in-kiln moisture measurement system uses electromagnetic wave technology to measure the MC of the wood in a kiln. Each kiln unit has four to eight sending units with moisture-sensing zones. These zones connect to user interface software on a computer, allowing the kiln operator to monitor the MC of the wood in each zone. 

With this real-time view of the wood’s MC and drying trends, the kiln operator can track progress and stop the kiln as soon as the wood has reached the desired MC.

No overdrying and no wasted energy costs! 

And that brings us back to Carl Diebold Lumber, which processes about 1.4 million board feet of wood each month. 

By using an in-kiln system, they can be sure of meeting their customers’ requirements. They’ve even been able to shorten their drying times by a couple of days because they don’t have to guess when the wood is ready. 

And rather than performing many manual checks, the in-kiln system allows them to keep the kilns running while keeping an eye on progress. This saves the energy costs of shutting down the kiln and heating it again. 

In-Line systems

In-line moisture measurement systems usually sit at the beginning or end of planing or moulding operations. They scan every board, collecting data about the MC of each batch of wood and helping troubleshoot kiln performance. They can also identify moisture spots in the wood that can be trimmed out. 

There are two different configurations: end-to-end and sideways.

End-to-end systems are often on the outfeed side of planers and moulders and measure the moisture in the length of a piece of lumber. They are good for identifying spots with higher MC.

Sideways or transverse systems have sensors that the wood moves over sideways. There are up to eight sensors, which can trigger a mark on wood with moisture issues. 

For Manke Lumber Company, using an in-line system has allowed their business to compete in the export market. 

A lumber processing and treatment plant in Washington state, they’ve used the in-line system to help them meet Japan’s stringent requirements for housing lumber.

“Everything we do is based off of what the Wagner equipment tells us,” says Craig McNeil, the treating engineer there.

The result? 

“We’re able to do a good job because of it. Our report is that our lumber is one of the best they have in Japan.”

What could moisture measurement tools do for your business?

What if moisture measurement could save you thousands of dollars, improve your ROI, and give you a reputation for top-of-the-line products? 

With the right moisture measurement tools, those scenarios are within your reach. 

Kerry Cogburn, kiln supervisor for Teal-Jones, a lumber manufacturer in Oklahoma, didn’t hesitate to say that an in-kiln system saves him about $300,000 per year in time, energy costs, and wood-drying efforts. What could your business do with that kind of savings? 

Ron Smith is the Forest Products Division sales manager for Wagner Meters and has over 40 years of experience in instrumentation, measurement systems and telemetry in different industries.

Here’s a snapshot of what we learned during the week:

Process safety principles: WorkSafeBC’s Alexandra Skinner wrote about process safety in wood manufacturing, which involves managing risks by implementing effective controls to prevent and mitigate the risks associated with fires, explosions, leaks, spills, equipment problems, corrosion, component failures, and unexpected situations.

Complying with changing requirements: Michael Summers with Nilfisk shared five steps that manufacturers can implement immediately to keep up with changing combustible dust regulations for the protection of their employees, facilities and productivity.

Building a combustible dust program: Bill Laturnus with the BC Forest Safety Council explained how the province’s sawmilling industry has been developing strategies to minimize the potential for catastrophic wood dust explosions in their operations, leading to the creation of a sustainable and effective combustible wood dust program.

Wood hogger fires: DustEx Research’s Chris Cloney reviewed the incidents that inspired a BC Forest Safety Council and Manufacturing Advisory Group (MAG) safety alert about a smouldering fire in a hogging machine, along with the subsequent investigation and safety recommendations from WorkSafeBC.

Explosion protection solutions: Fike explosion protection global product manager Jim Vingerhoets explains how reliable protection systems – either passive or active – can mitigate the potential catastrophic consequences of a dust explosion.

We also shared news of a new, free e-learning platform for operators launched by the Wood Pellet Association of Canada and the BC Forest Safety Council that has a combustible dust focus, as well as an archived article from Pulp & Paper Canada in which Luc Cormier explains that the best way for pulp and paper operations to assess the hazards and ensure adequate safeguards are in place is to perform a dust hazard analysis.

Today is the final day of Dust Safety Week 2023, but we’ll continue to share archived new content throughout the year, housed on the Dust Safety Week landing page.

We’d like to once again thank this year’s Dust Safety Week sponsors for making it all possible: Biomass Engineering & Equipment, Fagus GreCon, Rembe, Fike and Nilfisk.

• Fires: 163
• Explosions: 53
• Injuries: 215
• Fatalities: 69

Of the 216 fires and explosion incidents, 49 (22.7 per cent) of these were wood dust.

The British Columbia sawmilling industry has been developing strategies to address these significant hazards since the two combustible wood dust sawmill explosions in 2012. In the 11 years since the explosions, the B.C. sawmilling industry worked to minimize the potential for catastrophic wood dust explosions in their operations.

Combustible wood dust mitigation program elements

WorkSafeBC lists nine main components for a sustainable and effective combustible wood dust program. These are:

1. Policy Statement: a statement that formulizes the program and defines overall aims, objectives and responsibilities of the program. Integral in building a sustainable and effective program is senior leadership support and commitment to the program activities.
2. Wood Dust Risk Assessments: a formalized risk assessment to identify your site specific wood dust hazards. This may be a Dust Hazard Assessment (DHA) or similar industry developed process. Hazard Area Classifications should be included in the risk assessment process.
3. Controls to Mitigate Identified Hazards: developing controls to mitigate the identified hazards using the hierarchy of controls is an important task that should include knowledgeable workers of the work activities, safety committee members, maintenance staff, operational management staff and third party consultants when there are gaps in mitigation control knowledge.
4. Inspections: using the risk assessment process learnings of accumulation rates of wood dust helps to determine site inspection frequencies to ensure there are no excessive accumulations of hazardous wood dusts.
5. Investigations: incorporating wood dust incidents into the investigation process helps to identify issues and the development of improvements to the combustible wood dust program. Near misses, fire events, flash fires and all sizes of deflagrations all need to be formally investigated.
6. Education, Training & Supervision: a key to the success of the combustible wood dust mitigation and control program is education, training and mentoring for combustible wood dust identification, maximum accumulation thresholds, mitigation strategies for workers, supervisors, managers and contractors.
7. Program Review and Auditing: formalize in your program an annual review of all sections of the mitigation and control program. Also consider third party auditing to assess the various elements of the mitigation and control activities. Auditing frequencies may be annually or other frequencies such as every three years.
8. Corrective Action Plans: all combustible wood dust related action plans should be tracked in a corrective action management system. These items should be rated as high risk and be reviewed by all levels of management including senior leadership. Flagging these types of actions as critical and must be addressed by their due dates helps to make the overall program more effective.
9. Records and Statistics: developing a simple system to control and track relevant records such as housekeeping activities, inspection results, investigations, training and maintenance work order activities allows for quick reference and the development of key performance indicators (KPIs). Tracking KPIs for fire events, excessive accumulations, housekeeping activities, completion of relevant work orders for engineered systems and training compliance helps to develop trend data and leading and lagging indicators.

How B.C. created our industry-based program

 The creation of a sustainable and effective combustible wood dust program for the sawmilling industry took years of collaboration with sawmill industry safety specialists and a recognition that combustible dust mitigation and control needs to be an important focus for all employees every day. The Manufacturing Advisory Group (MAG) members were the driving force that made it happen.

“Safety is shared and we don’t compete on safety” is a main belief of the Manufacturing Advisory Group (MAG) in B.C.

The MAG group began in late 2008 with six founding members. They agreed to meet regularly to share incident statistics for benchmarking and best practices to improve safety performance in all sawmill operations. Today there are 14 member companies that represent over 80 per cent of the sawmilling capacity in B.C. In 2012, two tragic explosions at B.C. sawmills resulted in four workers killed and another 41 workers injured. The sawmill CEOs met to discuss the combustible dust challenges and developed three key action plans:

• Understand wood dust and its explosive nature
• Develop a wood dust audit
• Understand NFPA 664 and the implications to industry.

These action plans were addressed by the group with the help of BC Forest Safety Council, FPInnovations, insurance brokers and industry insurers. A MAG working group was created and in a short amount of time the industry increased their knowledge of the hazards associated with wood dust, shared best practices and created the Combustible Wood Dust Mitigation and Control Audit. To support the activities of the BC Forest Safety Council and MAG group, the CEOs that originally met after the sawmill explosions also formalized their role as the steering committee for the MAG Groups activities.

An ongoing key activity for the MAG group is to share and support best practices for combustible dust mitigation and control. Over time, the MAG Group also expanded their focus to include a dedicated sawmill audit that focuses on five main high-risk activities that includes combustible dust. The CEO steering committee still meets bi-annually to provide leadership and focus and the MAG Group meets quarterly to share injury statistics, incidents, best practices and develop strategies to address industry high risk activities.

Support: you are not alone

For a business or industry groups wishing to create a sustainable and effective combustible wood dust mitigation and control program help is available. BC Forest Safety (BCFSC) will help answer your questions and direct you to the various free online resources available to assist in the building of your program. These can also be found at the links below:

BCFSC: www.bcforestsafe.org/combustible-dust-safety/

Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC): www.pellet.org/safety/

Dust Safety Science: dustsafetyscience.com/

WorkSafeBC: www.worksafebc.com/en/health-safety/hazards-exposures/combustible-dust

Bill Laturnus is a senior safety advisor, manufacturing, with BC Forest Safety Council. blaturnus@bcforestsafe.org

“By combining our strengths and resources, we aim to create a stronger, more innovative and competitive presence in the marketplace,” said Pat Thornton, Wellons Canada president.

With over 300 installation, MEC Dry Kiln is an industry leader in design, manufacture, installation and repair of wood drying equipment in Eastern Canada.

Smouldering Fire Detected in a Hogging Machine

A hogging machine produces hog fuel, which is a type of wood waste. In this particular instance, which occurred in 2016, a smouldering fire developed in one of these machines. When the workers put it out, a piece of burning wood escaped and left the two conveyor outfeeds. The machine was stopped to deal with burning wood but 10 minutes later, another fire broke out in a pile of hog fuel at the outfeed of another conveyor because not all of the material had been collected.

Despite their best efforts, the workers were unable to capture all of the burning mass. The mill yard was filled with flammable materials, so they were unable to put out this second fire. Another hog fuel conveyor caught fire, spreading to several structures and wood waste products. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the spreading fire in the hogging machine caused quite a bit of damage.

2016 Investigation and Recommendations

According to WorksafeBC investigators, the hog machine was inadequately maintained, resulting in a friction fire. They identified three main contributing factors.

The first was hog fuel accumulation under and on conveyors. This hog fuel, sawdust, and wood were very dry in the summer, making them a strong fuel source, so WorkSafeBC recommended regular cleanup moving forward.

The second contributing factor was inadequate training and fire procedures. WorkSafeBC listed a few things that could have been done:

• An employee could have been posted to act as a firewatch during firefighting as well as afterwards to prevent or at least detect the spread of the fire.
• Workers needed the basic skills to fight fires, monitor fire spread, and know when to call the fire department to extinguish the fires.

The third and final factor was that there was no way to detect smouldering fires. In this case, the fire had been detected by a passerby. Investigators stated that smoke detectors could have prevented the fire from spreading.

A Second Incident Occurs

In January 2021, the BC Forest Safety Council released a second Manufacturing Safety Alert. The date and location are not given, but according to that alert, smoke was found inside a hogger. Upon removing the access panels, it was discovered that the blockage in the hogger was causing the grinding, friction, heat, build-up, and smouldering combustion. As an employee used a bar to clear the hogger, a large portion of the room was engulfed in flames. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

One of the most insightful pictures in this Manufacturing Safety Alert shows five workers in the hogger room. They are assembled around the hogger, trying to get it cleared. The top picture shows a flame, which is probably the start of the deflagration. A second picture shows a fireball occupying around 15 per cent or 20 per cent of the room.

The machine is surrounded by fugitive dust, mostly around its base. They don’t go into much detail about what happened except to say there was a deflagration. While clearing the hogger with the bar, the employees may have kicked out the smouldering mass in the vicinity of combustible dust. When the combustible dust was dispersed in the air, there could have been a large flash fire.

Fortunately, there were no injuries. Although the fugitive dust wasn’t enough to cause a pressure rise in the room and destroy equipment, this open-air deflagration directly near the workers was a very dangerous near-miss. It serves as a reminder to be careful when dealing with smouldering masses close to combustible dust.

Recommendations for the Future

In the second alert, the BC Forest Safety Council recommends that when clearing equipment during a potential fire situation, one should always:

• Inspect the area for combustible dust before moving the equipment.
• Ensure the hogger areas are regularly checked for combustible dust to minimize accumulations.
• Review the emergency procedures to ensure they have clear instructions on how to deal with equipment fires.

These measures can control incidents when they do occur, minimize their damage, and save lives.

Sign up at bcforestsafe.org to stay up to date with BC Forest Safety and MAG Group Manufacturing Safety Alerts.

This article originally appeared here and is republished with permission. The article is based on a podcast episode recorded by Dr. Chris Cloney, managing director and lead researcher at DustEx Research Ltd., and was originally released August 9, 2022 on the Dust Safety Science Podcast.

Chris Cloney, PEng., is the managing director and lead researcher for DustEx Research Ltd, a company with a world-wide focus on increasing awareness of combustible dust hazards and reducing personal and financial loss from fire and explosion incidents. 

This article is part of Dust Safety Week 2023. To read more articles on dust safety, click here.

We’ve got tons of great content coming at you this week from our partners, including WorkSafeBC, BC Forest Safety Council, the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, Dust Safety Science, and our sponsor experts.

The Dust Safety Week landing page, hosted on Canadian Biomass, is the year-round hub to learn best practices and find the latest information on wood dust safety.

Find the landing page here and enjoy Dust Safety Week!

Now in its seventh year, Dust Safety Week’s landing page is the year-round hub for forest products manufacturers – pellet plants, sawmills and pulp and paper operations – to learn best practices and find the latest information to keep their operations and operators safe.

Follow along all week as we will highlight feature stories, columns and research reports both from our archives as well as brand-new stories from contributors across Canada.

Find the landing page here, and stay tuned to our websites and social media (#DustSafetyWeek) for more information as we approach Dust Safety Week 2023!

Thank you to our generous sponsors for making Dust Safety Week possible: Biomass Engineering & Equipment, Fagus GreCon, Rembe, Fike and Nilfisk.

Based in Carp, Ont., Capital Timber Co. started up in 2013 when Andrew decided to open up a tree clearing service for the Ottawa Region. A few years later his brother, Greg, was enrolled at Algonquin College’s furniture and cabinet-making program, and started re-purposing the trees his brother was removing for residential and commercial clients.

“I started with a chainsaw mill and was cutting any leftover logs from Andy’s job sites and selling them as slabs,” Greg recalls. “We bought a bandsaw mill in 2017, then I was doing portable milling for people. I would go to their properties with the mill and saw the logs on their property.”

As Andrew removed trees from clients’ properties, he would let them know about Greg’s milling business, and the business slowly picked up.

“People are tuning into the fact they can re-use their trees,” Andrew says.

As customers showed interest in having their trees re-purposed, the two brothers started searching out clients that wanted to repurpose their trees rather than trying to sell slabs to other customers. A few years ago, the two brothers set up their headquarters in Carp and merged the tree removal and wood processing operations in one location.

“If we’re removing someone’s tree on their property, we usually let them know about our services, that we can also saw the trees into lumber if they want something out of it. It’s definitely becoming more popular,” Greg says.

While clearing larger properties, there are a lot of opportunities to salvage the trees and turn them into useable wood products, he says.

“When someone is clearing a property to put up a new building, we’ll come in and clear it for them. And then we’ll work with them to salvage the logs and process them into something that they can use for the new building on the property. In Calabogie, we took down a bunch of oak trees and turned them into flooring for a client,” Greg says.

Another interesting project the Clifford brothers have worked on is clearing a lot to make way for a forestry school for children. 

“It was a few acres, primarily pine trees. We took the trees, processed them all into their requested dimensions, and now they’re getting siding made for the school – over 3,000 square feet of siding,” Greg says. “They have some other wood as well that they’re going to be using for furniture for the building.”

To be able to process larger amounts of logs more efficiently, the brothers recently invested in an upgraded mill, a Wood-Mizer LT40 hydraulic portable sawmill.

They also built a small kiln on their property in 2019 using a Wood-Mizer KD250 dehumidification wood kiln, a shipping container, and a rail conveying system for unloading and loading the wood.

“It’s primarily for our stuff at the moment, like our own lumber that we’re selling, but we rent out the kiln space if people want us to dry something,” Greg says.

Building their own kiln for the first time required some trial and error. 

“Everywhere online had said that the climate is going to dictate how you operate your kiln, how your insulation is going to operate and dictate how you operate,” Greg says. “One thing that we did need to change is the plastic PVC piping, which couldn’t sustain the heat… there’s stuff like that you don’t know until you until you try it.”

Growing pains

(L-R) Andrew and Greg Clifford recently invested in a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill.

Building this business up has come with its own set of challenges for the brothers. 

“There are a lot of upfront costs. The sawmill was expensive, and the trucks and the fuel,” Greg says. 

“Employees are hard to find as well,” Andrew adds. “It’s hard to find people that do all aspects of tree removal work.”

Selling the wood products can also be a challenge for the small company.

“It’s not like it just flies off the shelves,” Greg says, adding that clients sometimes want to haggle over price because they are taking the trees away. 

“People think they’re going to get a good price on their tree because we can sell the wood, but there’s a lot involved between us taking it off your property and turning it into a useful piece of wood. And then you’ve got to process it. You’ve got to dry it. You’ve got it all these costs added to it. We like to have customers that want us to do it for them. That way we already have a buyer,” Greg says. “Otherwise, if we remove a tree from someone’s property and we bring it back to the shop, then we cut it, air dry or kiln dry it, and sell it. It’s a big-time investment.”

Expansion plans

Building a business has come with its own set of challenges for the Clifford brothers.

A large amount of their wood products currently being produced is being resold to a combination of woodworking businesses and hobbyists, but Greg and Andrew have plans to expand their company to take on larger projects and increase their product offerings to include more customized timbers specifically designed for contractors working on projects throughout the Ottawa Region.

“I think that a big part for us is hopefully shifting towards the clients having their trees processed, whether it’s a single tree or it’s a whole bunch of them they had to get removed because they’re putting up a new house or building,” Greg says. “We did a job recently not far from here and the guy cleared three acres of trees. Most of them couldn’t be salvaged for much, but those that we could save, he was adamant on saving. And then when the time comes, he’s going to bring the trees to our sawmill.”

Greg and Andrew really like that their business is contributing to a more sustainable way to remove trees.

“Ideally, we’d be able to utilize everything. We would use all the off-cuts from our sawmill,” Greg says. “We have some people that will come by and they’ll use it for firewood. One guy comes by that makes maple syrup, so he needs to burn a ton of wood. He’ll come and pick stuff up regularly. There’s some money, or at least some use, out of everything. Even the mulch that we chip, it’s not really being used for much, but the people that want it actually need it for a purpose. Whether it’s to fill in a wet part of their property or make trails.”

Well fortunately for our industry, a well-designed and well-maintained circle saw can cut through a log as if it were butter. Yes, my fellow sawfilers and colleagues, we may put more design, planning and effort into making a saw perform its job than the proverbial rocket science necessary to send a rocket into space. 

Allow me to touch on a few things that are in play with this phenomenon. 

RPMs: The circle saw must be operating at the proper RPM. This allows the saw body to stand up and not “wobble or snake” through the wood. Mills want a straight cut and that is what you get with the right tension, proper tooth geometry and correct RPM. Make sure your saw manufacturer is provided with the correct RPM when designing your circle saw. If machinery in the changes always update your saw provider. 

Guides: The guides are the saws best friend or worst enemy. The circle saw should never touch the guide but slip through a thin film of saw lubricant. Because the saw is running between the guides in a very tight space (.002-.003 per side), improperly designed or maintained guides can cause the saw to overheat and lose tension, lay-over, cut bad lumber and cause the mill unscheduled saw changes. Like the saws, a saw guide has critical tolerances that must be maintained. Each run time they should be checked for damage or unusual wear. Changes in saw plate thickness will affect guides. Make sure to consider how a plate thickness change will affect your guides and communicate this with both saw and guide manufacturers or your sales rep.

Machinery: The machine centre that the saws and guides are in must be mentioned if we are to be successful in producing grade lumber products. By documenting upkeep and maintenance done on the machine centre, it’s possible to make good decisions on why saws are not running to the best of their design and help determine when and what maintenance needs to be done on the machine itself. Alignment and wear and tear must be addressed when saws and guides aren’t the issue. 

Data: I recently spent some time with a group of mill professionals and was impressed at the data they had at the touch or swipe of a device. These new sawing systems give mill owners, operators and yes, filers DATA. So, I suggest we use it. Understanding and knowing what happened in the past allows your choices in the future to be successful. Choices that seemed difficult or didn’t pan out in the past can be addressed once data is reviewed and variables identified. The best way to ensure success during each saw run or rocket launch is to document and learn from the success and failures of the past. 

Tracking: If part of your job involves reviewing data, you’ve probably used terms like tracking, drilling down, or unique identifiers. This is the main reason we at SSS/BID Group etch each circle saw we manufacture with an identification number. This number allows both our team and the mill to keep up with the saw’s history, including number of times the saw has been benched, retipped and sharpened. Knowing the history and how the saw(s) ran in the past gives us the knowledge and ability to know what to expect in the future. These identifiers can help track when variables such as hook or kerf are changed. SSS and the BID Group can help your mill with the equipment, tools, and software to accomplish successful sawing. If you are working with another professional saw company, I’m certain they can do the same. 

Paul Smith is a saw filing consultant and founder of Smith Sawmill Service, now part of BID Group. You can reach him at Paul.Smith@bidgroup.ca.

Q1 2023 showed the outcome of capitalizing on strong 2022 results and making smart investments to further impacts. The SLB and its funded programs continue to advance the industry’s goal of stimulating demand and expanding markets for softwood lumber.

Key highlights include:

• 439 MM BF of incremental demand generated, which has a carbon benefit of 1.1 MM metric tons of CO2 stored and avoided.
• The Mass Timber Conference, held March 27-29 in Portland, Ore., welcomed an estimated 3,000 design and construction professionals, and the predominant sentiment was enthusiasm and confidence in mass timber.
• The American Wood Council launched its second year of EPD data collection – an ongoing project to compile data on the production processes and environmental impacts of lumber products from source to end use.
• Think Wood secured the highest ever conversion rate of qualified leads to new projects, at 29 per cent. With 10 new projects converted in Q1 alone, the program is on pace to set a record number of new projects in 2023, an early indication that lead nurturing is continuously becoming more effective at priming practitioners to want to build projects with wood.
• WoodWorks directly influenced 123 projects and indirectly influenced 309 projects in Q1. Combined, the projects represent 18 MM SF of impacted wood construction, 180 MM BF of incremental lumber, 36 MM BF of incremental engineered wood products, and 108 MM SF of incremental wood structural panels.
• The Wood Institute saw 661 new accounts created and 1,080 courses completed, greatly exceeding Q1 2022. The SLB’s Education program also had 881 engagements with students and emerging professionals and 113 engagements with university faculty, continuing the focus of increasing exposure to wood design in more schools so future professionals are prepared to confidently implement wood systems in the built environment.

Learn more here.

“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth in terms of sales,” says JoeScan president Joey Nelson. “So we have some additional demand on our engineers to answer support questions. But we also want to continue to develop new products and features to make 3D scanning even simpler and easier to use for sawmills.”

JoeScan has a full product development schedule underway, with a new “super snapshot” scanner model featuring 3 inch laser spacing slated for release later this year. “We designed the Z8 scanner for places in the mill where you can’t move the log or board at all,” Nelson says. “Getting data every three inches instead of every six gives you much more accurate models which means you get better solutions from your optimizer. But there are also instances when you need to run very, very fast, and the Z8’s smaller laser spacing can help you get there.”

The JoeScan engineering group is also working on a suite of software features to simplify start-ups including additional diagnostic and calibration tools.

Massive Canada is renovating and equipping an existing 91,000 square-foot manufacturing plant to pre-fabricate laneway homes, apartment units, townhouses and commercial projects using mass-timber building products and systems.

Gaetan Royer, CEO of Massive Canada, said in a government news release the company will bring together sustainable mass-timber products and prefabrication into one facility.

“We manufacture buildings to help B.C. communities achieve their affordable housing and climate goals,” Royer said. “The B.C. government’s 2022 Mass Timber Action Plan was a pivotal document for us. Thanks to the Manufacturing Jobs Fund, we will create jobs for knowledge workers and tradespersons in this innovative industry.”

The Williams Lake project is the first approved through the province’s new $180-million BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund.

“Supporting manufacturing companies to grow and develop innovative, value-added products creates opportunities to get more jobs out of every tree,” B.C. Premier David Eby said in the release. “Innovative projects like this one support families and communities through the transition from high-volume to high-value production. Everyone involved in this exciting new initiative should be proud of this good, province-building work.”

Small-scale operations are expected to begin at the facility this year, with full operations in 2024.

Applications for the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund are open and being approved on a rolling basis.

Here’s a snapshot of our takeaways from the featured articles, videos and columns.

1) Past, present and future: Our main coverage this week was from the BC Saw Filers Association annual convention that took place in Kamloops on the weekend. From the sector’s rich history, to current issues afflicting the trade and recruiting future sawfilers, a lot to was covered at the two-day event.

2) Products and technologies: We shared advancements from the convention and trade show, and we are working on videos to showcase in the coming days – hence keep an eye on our landing page here for these video spotlights!

3) Increasing sawmill circular blade life: William Shaffer highlights the benefits of edge prep geometry when applied to the cutting edges of the teeth of wood-cutting circular sawblades. He also introduces us to the edge prep process Engineered Micro-Geometry.

4) Don’t expect, inspect!: This is a phrase that every sawfiler would find useful. Dave Purinton writes about maintaining good control of the variables one can control to help prevent even a few unscheduled saw changes.

5) Saw Filing 101: CFI saw filing columnist Paul Smith writes about one of the biggest breakthroughs in our time for sawmill and lumber production and manufacturing: knives and their applications for chipping. As a bonus, Paul writes a second column where he discusses a world of chaos involving supply chain and other disruptions and advises mills to better have plenty of supplies on-hand and on-order.

CFI’s File Week landing page is a year-round hub for both sawfilers and other stakeholders to learn best practices and find the latest information on advancements in saw filing technology. Find the landing page here, or anytime on our website’s MENU tab, under Explore.

See you next year for File Week 2024!

Thanks again to our generous sponsors: BID Group and Petro-Canada Lubricants.

]]> https://www.woodbusiness.ca/microtec-to-supply-log-scanner-to-j-d-irvings-n-b-mill/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=microtec-to-supply-log-scanner-to-j-d-irvings-n-b-mill Thu, 01 Jun 2023 19:24:29 +0000 https://www.woodbusiness.ca/?p=98776 …]]>  J.D. Irving has purchased a Microtec CT Log for installation at its Veneer Sawmill in St. Leonard, New Brunswick. 

Microtec’s CT Log is a worldwide unique computed tomography scanner in the wood products industry, allowing J.D. Irving to scan and digitally reconstruct the internal features of their logs in 3D. Delivering the optimal cutting solution in real time, this technology is consistent with J.D. Irving’s mission to ensure the use of 100 per cent of every tree.

The computed tomography scanner provides a complete reconstruction of the internal features of the logs, allowing the logs to be graded and sorted by quality and optimization. The CT Log solution developed by Microtec’s engineers provides quality grading and virtual grading information in addition to the full 3D log description. 

Integrated with Microtec’s Maxicut Pro, Winlog, and Microtec Connect, the CT Log communicates with the Logeye Stereo, providing the head rigg operator the exact degree of log rotation to provide maximum value. Working with the CT Log, Microtec’s Maxicut software optimizes cutting patterns based on value. 

The newest investment is part of J.D. Irving’s continued partnership with Microtec. Beginning in 2014 with a Lucidyne scanner installation at their Dixfield, Maine, location, J.D. Irving has since installed Lucidyne scanners at their Doaktown and Kedgwick, N.B., locations, with another Wanescan installation at their Dixfield facility in 2023. Their recent investment of the CT Log is accompanied by a commitment of five Microtec Logeye Stereos, which execute 360° scans during rolling, adding to the information gained before the log is sawn. 

Speaking to the solutions provided by Microtec, Jerome Pelletier, vice-president of J.D. Irving, sawmills division says, “We are very excited to further grow our partnership with Microtec. We firmly believe that this strategic investment in the newest scanning technology will allow us to maximize log yield as well as improve the value of the products offered to our customers.” 

The CT Log solution and Logeye Stereo applications will be installed in early 2024. 

Once the old bent knives and round back knives were replaced with disposable knives, the market was open to faster speed feeds, increased lumber production and yield. As most remember, the old bent knives and round back knives would push and pull cants causing thick and thin lumber, and other issues and problems. 

Equipment manufacturers quickly jumped in and made these disposable knives a very important mainstay in lumber producing mills. New mills being built changed from modular to straight line mills because of the high recovery and faster feed speeds this new product and process allowed. 

Today, the vast majority of lumber production is made from these new mills. The new conical heads and chip heads allowed the chipper knives and the saws to work side-by-side manufacturing lumber efficiently. This breakthrough with the knives allowed for attack angles and knife angles to be changed as needed. Also, the precision that the heads and knives are manufactured to today create smooth running heads that will operate very well, producing good sawn lumber and quality chips at fast speeds. Because these new disposable knives are smaller and thinner than the old bent knives and roundback knives, they are manufactured much more precisely, and with better heat treat process that allows for better knife quality. Correct hardness for knives increases knife life.

Although it may sound easy to pair the knives and the saws to run together, there is a process. To pair the chipping knives with saws together for best results, it does take some orchestrating and knowledge of RPM, feed speed, log diameter and maximum depth of cut to determine exactly what is required for best performance. The quality of chips produced is critical for both production and profits.

There are many different types of chipping heads with a growing number of manufacturers getting in the business of also manufacturing the knife itself. I have had the privilege to see different heads and knives manufacturers get started and create success for themselves and the wood industry. Most of these manufacturers are successful and can help any mill with chipping issues, including producing the correct chip size needed for optimal profits.

Smith Sawmill Service saw this breakthrough for our sawmill industry in the late 1990s and helped to introduce Key Knife in the South; changing bent knives and chip-n-saw knives over to the disposable Key Knife system. This worked out well for us and the customers for a few years until Key Knife went direct. We then came up with our own system. The knife was as small as disposable knives, but could be sharpened and babbitted. This ensured the knife location would be the same after every change. Now, we are a part of the BID Group and working side-by-side with Comact providing saws to pair up with Comact’s new knife system. It’s our belief that each company suppling these conical, cylindrical and profiling heads with their knife systems will all have their own advantages. 

If any mill is having problems with chipping, knife life, yield and lumber quality, I suggest you reach out to some of these knife manufacturers for help. I personally see pros and cons for the different knives offered today in the wood industry. Depending on the application and your needs, it will be possible for you to select the knife and heads that will best perform in your mill.

Most equipment manufacturers will let you pick the knife of your choice to be in their equipment. Make sure you get all the information you need to help determine the knife you choose to use. Of course, if you decide to mix the equipment manufacturer with a different knife and head manufacturer, I suggest you have them in the same room to determine what will be expected from both. Most knife and equipment manufacturers will work very well together for your best interest. 

Paul Smith is a saw filing consultant and founder of Smith Sawmill Service, now part of BID Group. You can reach him at Paul.Smith@bidgroup.ca.

This article is part of CFI’s 2023 File Week. Find the File Week landing page here.

Members of the BC Saw Filers Association (BCSFA) meet annually  to share knowledge and resources for the benefit of all involved in the saw filing trade.

BCSFA president Sean Wright welcomed around 100 sawfilers, mill managers and maintenance supervisors, as well as 36 exhibitors on Friday with a little bit of history.

In his welcoming remarks, Wright showed a video of the only fully-functioning miniature sawmill in Canada built in the early 1960s by Phil Quelch, who was a saw filer and educator. Wright said the 16-feet model sawmill comes complete with conveyor belts, saws, lights and a wood chipper, and is on display at the Westbank Museum in the Okanagan. He encouraged attendees to donate to keep the model mill operating since it is a valuable teaching tool for saw filing apprentices.

“We’re losing our trade – it would be nice to keep this model mill going. We’re looking for donations for parts to keep it going and use it for educational purposes,” Wright said.

Filing room quality expectations

John Hebert, former head sawfiler for Gorman Bros. took the podium next and talked about best practices to maintain quality in the filing room. This include watching out for and cleaning burrs on clamping surfaces; replacing guides every 10-15 years depending on usage, wear and damage, and replacing all guides at least every two weeks.

“The combination of discarding saws in poor condition, new guides and regular guide changes resulted in roughly five per cent reduction of planer skip,” Hebert said.

In terms of saw guide lube settings, Hebert said saw guides must be pressurized and balanced. Using good quality oil is key, as oil must emulsify with water and should “feel light” on saw and guides and not dripping like honey.

When it comes to arbor sleeve maintenance, he said sleeves should be moved .200 at least every four months in gangs.

“Make sure to clean thoroughly, remove rust, apply liberal grease on reinstallation at every movement,” he advised. Using good quality waterproof grease is also important, as oil will dry out resulting in rust, possibly requiring puller to remove sleeves.

Always make sure gauges are straight and not dog-eared before using, he added. If bent, it should be gently hammered, and regrind when straight.

Lastly, Hebert shared some of the attributes that should be in every saw filer apprentice: being on time, good work ethic, being coachable, having energy and passion, among others.

“This has nothing to do with saw filing, but everything to do with saw filing.”

Machine center alignment

“We always think alignment is some other people’s problem,” said the next speaker Marty Vatkin of Sawline Consulting and former head filer and BCSFA president. Alignment is crucial in the entire machine’s operation, he said.

Vatkin explained the three types of alignment being used in the trade.

Wire alignment is performed with wire stretched through the machine and anchored at either end. Components are measured in relation to the wire and adjusted as required.

Straight edge alignment is performed with a precision ground straight edge. Measurements are taken using rulers, levels and dial indicators.

Laser alignment is performed much the same as wire alignment. The laser system utilizes a light source, a detector and a computer box. Several different jigs are used to allow measurements to be taken.

As for which one is the best to use, Vatkin said, “Any system you don’t understand is a bad system. The system you should use is the one you’ve got and preferably everyone in the shop knows how to use it and the responsibility does not fall on just one person.”

Vatkin explained the “law of compensating for errors” that some mills operate under.

“My dad once said ‘you didn’t have time to do it right, but you had time to do it again and again, and again.”

Unfortunately, most mills think the only time to do an alignment is when things are broken, but Vatkin reiterated that the better way is doing it before things break. Infeed is important too, as if it is not set properly, then it does not matter what else one does – one will just keep compensating.

“It’s like closing the gates after the horse is gone.”

He added that the mill’s quality control team is “the biggest enemy you will ever have, and the biggest asset” because they understand the problems that saw filers encounter.
In conclusion, Vatkin said, “The one thing that we should be doing often, we do less of: maintaining the machine is crucial.”

New saw lube system

Roland Davyduke of Real Performance Machinery (RPM) introduced his Virginia-based company and its ProLube saw guide lube system that was  developed for the company’s proprietary ProSaw system.

Davyduke, an electrical engineer, also briefly talked about RPM’s other equipment and technology in engineering design, manufacturing, automation, controls development and support.

Anodizing aluminum guides

Josh Bergen of Precision Machinery talked about the process of anodizing aluminum –an electrochemical process that converts the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion-resistant, anodic oxide finish.

Bergen highlighted guide dressers, the high-tolerance machines that directly affect saw performance and lumber quality. He discussed the causes for guide dressers to cut out of tolerance, including worn cutters, foreign material, damaged or worn/out of spec guides, and machine crashes caused by operator error – and ways to prevent it, which includes evaluation, training, torque sensing, accountability and reporting.

Chip quality

“We really need good chips at the pulp mill,” said Tom Hoffman, fibre manager at Kruger, Inc., who introduced the sawblade experts to Kruger’s Kamloops Pulp operations via his presentation.

Built in 1965 as a 250 tonne/day pulp facility , the mill is now producing more than 1,150 tonnes/day of pulp, employing 340 workers onsite and 1,000 indirect workers.

Hoffman clearly stated what his mill is looking for in terms of ideal chips for kraft pulping: thickness of 25 mm x 25 mm x 4 mm; 100 per cent sound stem wood; no bark or knots, plastics, metal, sand or rubber; and has 50 per cent moisture content.

Quality control

SiCam Systems’ Nick Barrett ended Day 1 of the conference and presented on SiCam’s quality control technology for the sawmills and planer mills, to help them utilize better yields all throughout their production process, cut closer to target using their different variety of scanning technology and proprietary software.

2023 BC Saw Filer’s Association trade show in Kamloops, B.C. Photo: Annex Business Media.

The trade show opened in the afternoon, where 36 vendors exhibited and showcased their new equipment, tools and services.

Door prizes donated by the vendors were given at the trade show floor for both attendees and exhibitors.

(L-R): Sean Wright and Scott Courtney giving away donated door prizes. Photo: Annex Business Media.

The sawblade ninjas then enjoyed the evening with a buffet dinner and entertainment featuring comedian Leland Klassen, followed by a dance with music from a live band.

“It’s the perfect blend of education, business and socialization,” described BCSFA vice-president Scott Courtney.

Day 2

Bryce Hamre. Photo: Annex Business Media.

Day 2 started with BCSFA’s Bryce Hamre showing the association’s website redesign, which now includes a forum where the filers can exchange information, post jobs on the job board, and buy and sell tools.

Eric Gabara. Photo: Annex Business Media.

Eric Gabara of HMT Machine Tools subbed for Grasche USA co-owner and president Richard Comer in presenting about saw steel. HMT Machine Tools is a dealer for Grasche’s equipment and Gabara did a great job explaining Grasche’s products and their importance in the filing room, especially because “these days, everybody is short-hand,” he mused.

Jennifer Booth. Photo: Annex Business Media.

Jennifer Booth from SkilledTradesBC, formerly called Industry Training Authority, updated the attendees about the Saw Filer Trade Program. As of April 1, SkilledTradesBC has registered 199 apprentices: 127 active and 72 inactive who could continue their training at any time.

“The association’s input is very important, and the program will be reviewed in the near future based on BCSFA’s feedback,” Booth said.

Reg Hewitt. Photo: Annex Business Media.

Reggie Hewitt, instructor at Thompson Rivers University’s (TRU) Williams Lake saw filing training centre closed out the conference with some updates about the sawfiler program and a call for donations.

“TRU is committed to supporting the trade. Classes are capped at 16 apprentices,” he said. “Band saws have been donated to the program, and donations sure help us out,” he added.

He reiterated, however, that the school is similar to a testing centre, where apprentices are bein prepared for the exam and certification.

“You have to be trained enough before you go to the TRU program … you can’t be trained from scratch in four weeks.”

The BCSFA president agreed saying, “Make sure your apprentices are ready before they go to the program.” Wright explained, “Mills tend to rush sending apprentices to the program because we are worried of losing the school again, but we have to make sure the apprentices are ready.”

Future editions

BCSFA’s Matt Graves. Photo: Annex Business Media.

Despite the lower turnout from the previous year, BCSFA secretary and treasurer Matt Graves is positive saying, “We had a great turnout, considering the way the market is going. It’s great to see the support of the sector.”

This article is part of CFI’s 2023 File Week. Find the File Week landing page here.

When it comes to operating a sawmill, I’ve always said it’s called a SAWmill for a reason. That reason is because, to operate at all, one has to have saws and since the trend has moved to narrower kerf and thinner plate, your mill better have plenty on-hand and on-order!

So whose responsibility is it to make sure the mill has plenty of saws and why has it become an issue? When I started Smith Sawmill Service over 30 years ago, in Southern U.S., saw plates lasted months, even years at some mills. These saw plates were thicker, kerf was wider, mills didn’t run 24/7, and most mills weren’t curve sawing or running the high production of today’s mills.

Manufacturing changed to meet the needs of mills when curve sawing and thin kerf technology came on the scene and saws were usually delivered to the mills in six to eight weeks. As mills added shifts and ramped up production, we in the industry observed delivery dates fluctuate. Ten to 12 weeks was a long lead time in most situations, until approximately two years ago. 

The world of chaos caused by COVID-19 and nationwide shutdowns has led to disruptions that we are experiencing today and will probably have to deal with for years.

We are a smart industry, and we’ve maneuvered through log scarcity, natural disasters, endangered species and of course politics, but the international supply chain and logistics interruptions we’ve had to endure have changed how we plan, purchase, operate and, yes, even overstock the items we deem critical. Today’s lead times aren’t given in weeks but rather months. Machinery dates are out this year and in 2024, and saws can be as well. So planning has become everyone’s responsibility, especially the head filer. Planning for normal wear and tear, unscheduled changes, and saw failure has always been built into how many sets of saws a mill had. Now that same filer has to plan for logistical chaos as well – steel shortages, shipping shortfalls, labour shortages, and supply chain disruptions. Filers are forced to make their existing saws stay in production, many times beyond their best performance.

Today’s head filer has to work closely with management and their vendors to make sure saw inventory is sufficient, not only at the mill, but in the storeroom, as well as at the manufacturers and suppliers. The head filer and the mills’ purchasing department should be making sure that they have scheduled saw deliveries for all operations: head saws, trimmers, edgers, gangs. If it cuts wood at your facility, make sure you have it ordered. Don’t wait until you need it because your supplier may be waiting on their delivery as well. A good supplier is working with you to make sure they have raw plates, tips, saws in process and some saws ready to go. But remember, like everyone else, their supply chain has been affected too! 

What is a good number? How do you determine how many saws to order? Work together, look at data, and in case your mill is looking at any line changes that will affect your saw design, get that info to your supplier early in the process – but that’s a whole different article. Today’s planning is tomorrow’s smooth sawing!

Paul Smith is a saw filing consultant and founder of Smith Sawmill Service, now part of BID Group. You can reach him at Paul.Smith@bidgroup.ca.

This article is part of CFI’s 2023 File Week. Find the File Week landing page here.

Welcome to File Week 2023, where we highlight what’s new in the wonderful world of saw filing.

Keeping up with the latest on the filing room – from industry challenges to the newest in automation technology – is important for not just sawfilers, but everyone in the mill.

We’re posting cutting edge content both from our archives as well as brand-new stories and product news from the BC Saw Filers Association convention that took place on May 26 and 27 in Kamloops, B.C.

We are highlighting:

• stories from the filing room
• technical articles on saw filing automation
• equipment spotlights on the latest saw filing gear
• columns from Paul Smith
• coverage from the BC Saw Filers convention, and more!

CFI’s File Week landing page is a year-round hub for both sawfilers and other stakeholders to learn best practices and find the latest information on advancements in saw filing technology.

Thank you to our 2023 sponsors for making this week possible: BID Group and Petro-Canada Lubricants.

Find the landing page here and enjoy File Week 2023!

]]> CFI Staff https://www.woodbusiness.ca/new-research-on-wood-behaviour-can-help-develop-and-optimise-drying-processes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-research-on-wood-behaviour-can-help-develop-and-optimise-drying-processes Fri, 26 May 2023 14:22:30 +0000 https://www.woodbusiness.ca/?p=98599 …]]> Wood is a naturally growing material that has been used as building material for centuries. However, its high moisture content makes it difficult to use as load-bearing structures without drying processes. In a new dissertation in building technology, Winston Mmari studies the interaction between heat, moisture, and transport mechanisms in wood and develops a model to predict the behaviour of wood under mechanical load at different moisture and temperature conditions.

Wood has high initial moisture content and a chemical composition that makes it very sensitive to moisture. The moisture content of wood affects its physical and mechanical properties and requires drying processes for use in load-bearing structures. Describing moisture distribution and moisture transport in wood is challenging, as wood consists of different phases and processes such as absorption, evaporation/condensation, and swelling/shrinkage of wood fibres.

“The primary goal of the dissertation is to develop a model that can predict the macroscopic behaviour of wood under mechanical load while also exposed to varying moisture and temperature conditions,” says Winston Mmari, Ph.D. in building technology at Linnaeus University in Sweden.

Wood exposed to moisture or mechanical loads

The dissertation studies the behaviour of wood that is exposed to moist or subjected to mechanical loads. The properties of wood are described, and theoretical models are used to predict its behaviour. The dissertation consists of four parts with models and simulations.

In the first part, it is described how moisture moves in wood. The model is then improved in the following parts to take into account also moisture levels and distortions of wood due to moisture changes. Simulations are also conducted to test the models. In the final part, the study focuses on how wood cracks, and a special model is used for this. Through simulations, the model’s capabilities are examined, and the results are compared to experimental observations.

“The processes of moisture absorption and movement within wood go hand in hand with temperature changes in the material. My dissertation shows that these complicated moisture transport mechanisms in wood and the resulting distortions and cracks can be described with models built on strong mathematical theories and be predicted through computer simulations,” Mmari continues.

Tools for analysis and prediction

The study can be useful both for the wood industry of today and for future research.

“The model that has been developed can be used as a tool for analysis and to predict the behaviour of wood elements and structures. The models can be used to investigate and possibly optimize the drying processes for wood. In addition, the results from this study help direct researchers towards the right directions for future experimental and theoretical studies aimed at improving the knowledge and understanding of this environmentally friendly material,” Mmari concludes.

TRUMARK-EVO operates in conjunction with Wellons’ computerized control system (Winkiln-Evo) to develop precise drying schedules to automate the drying process and achieve consistent results. MC is continuously measured while Winkiln-Evo monitors and adjusts the drying process. TRUMARK-EVO in a batch kiln will determine the end-point of a drying schedule and in a CDS will determine push rate adjustments using real-time data.

Installation of TRUMARK-EVO systems require minimal down time and are available for both new and existing drying systems.
Benefits include:

• Accurate MC measurement above and below fiber saturation.
• Seamless Integration with Wellons Winkiln-Evo control software.
• Automatic push rate adjustment in Continuous Drying Systems (CDS).
• Automatic end-point determination in batch kiln systems.

Count on TRUMARK-EVO for truly accurate drying results and to achieve your target MC.

Speakers at the Canadian Woodland Forum’s 2023 Spring Meeting outlined the labour shortage forecast over the next decade in Atlantic Canada, and offered solutions through business best practices, partnerships, government support, and technology.

Patrick Brannon with Atlantic Provinces Economic Council – an independent, non-profit economic and policy research organization – set the stage for the labour discussions with an overview of the skills challenge in Atlantic Canada.

Patrick Brannon with Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. Photo: Annex Business Media.

The pandemic, Brannon noted, made dramatic changes to the general labour market with work-from-home orders, but the forest industry’s size and labour force was less affected, remaining steady since 2009. However, there is a “reckoning” to come over the next decade, he cautioned, with more than 50 per cent of forestry and manufacturing workers over 45, and around 30 per cent over 55. Those retirements will lead to large vacancies by 2030 in all forestry occupations.

Among his recommended solutions for the forest industry, Brannon dug into automation, noting 2019 data shows Atlantic solid wood product firms lag in technology adoption compared to the Canadian average. Twenty-eight per cent of Atlantic mills were using some form of advanced technology in 2019, compared to 45 per cent Canada-wide, and just four per cent in Atlantic Canada were using emerging technology compared to 10 per cent across the country.

In surveys, Atlantic wood products companies often point to lack of information as a reason they’re not investing in autonomation, as well as doubt it will help the bottom line, Brannon said. Yet research shows automation improves productivity, quality and consistency, as well as improves attraction and retention of workers and leads to new, more desirable jobs.

Brannon acknowledged Atlantic companies are generally smaller than their Canadian counterparts, which means fewer opportunities and less capital for expensive solutions such as cleantech and artificial intelligence. He also noted paper firms in Atlantic Canada were above the national average in technology adoption.

Among Brannon’s other suggestions to address workforce challenges were labour market co-ordination, drawing from underrepresented groups, social infrastructure to attract new workers, better training and wages, and refining the employment insurance program.

Several forestry companies took to the stage to share their business and productivity strategies with peers, among them Terry Mallais with Aurèle Mallais & Fils Ltée (AFM). AFM is a family owned and operated forestry, trucking and civil construction company out of St-Isidore, N.B.

Terry Mallais with Aurèle Mallais & Fils Ltée (left) and J.D. Irving’s Brian Williams (right). Photo: Annex Business Media.

Mallais – the self-described “bean counter” for the company – credited standardization as the first component of their success. When his generation purchased and took over the company, he said it took them five years to standardize their inherited 140 pieces of equipment and narrow in on “the bleeding.” Having the same pieces of equipment allows them to run one training program, compare machine data, forecast costs, and balance the budget, Mallais said.

“Sitting at the desk,” and not in the cabs allows him the time to strategize for the business and set up and renew targets, he said. “You need to know where you want to go with the business.” AFM recently took on snow plowing and crushing and screening services.

J.D. Irving’s Brian Williams took to the stage after Mallais to share their strategy for growing their workforce. Growing the capacity within their current workforce through skills development and technology adoption is one strategy, he said. Another is international recruitment. In 2022, J.D. Irving recruited 77 people from other countries.

Forestry trade designations

Jim Ketterling with J.D. Irving Woodlands Division. Photo: Annex Business Media.

Jim Ketterling with J.D. Irving Woodlands Division updated the CWF members on New Brunswick’s introduction of two new trade accreditations: harvesting equipment operator and forwarder equipment operator.

After years of work among many partners to create the designations, and the first certifications were given out in December, making those operators the first in Canada to hold a forestry equipment operator trade certificate.

“This is all really driven by the operator,” Ketterling said. “You’re the ones applying for it.”

He noted the new designation will likely help with retention of existing operators, as well as recruitment both of trusted experienced operators and new operators.

Julia McMillan with MacMillan Forest Inc. Photo: Annex Business Media.

Nova Scotia is developing its own similar trade designations.

Julia McMillan with MacMillan Forest Inc. in Nova Scotia is on the trade advisory committee along with three other contractors in the province. McMillian said they are heading into the contractor consultation phase of the process, and noted they are looking to be consistent with New Brunswick’s designation.

“We are going to be able to show we have skilled operators – recognized and respected,” she said.

Technology updates

Some forestry equipment and software suppliers took to the Spring Meeting stage to introduce new products and services to current and potential customers.

Groupe Système Forêt introduced their new GSFLog, a time clock tool for forestry and road machinery. Gaby Dubuc presented the system, noting it replaces a paper log book, wirelessly transferring machine activity data, including accelerometer data and GPS positioning, to the office. It also allows the office to send updates to operators.

Forsite’s Maurice Leblanc shared how the company’s individual tree species identifier has been used at commercial scale with customer case studies in Ontario and the U.S. South. The tool uses machine learning to interpret LiDAR data, verified by photo interpretation.

Francis Landry with A.L.P.A. Equipment gave us a look at the brand-new 63,000 square-foot Landrich production facility in Eel River Crossing, N.B. The facility’s new manufacturing and assembly line has state-of-the-art tools to increase production of their purpose-built track harvesters. As the Atlantic Canadian dealer for Ponsse, Landry also shared an overview of Ponsse’s R&D projects, noting their goal is to simplify technology to improve new or mid-tier operators faster.

Jim O’Halloran with John Deere and Allain Santerre with Brandt Tractor spoke on the latest introduction of Intelligent Boom Control (IBC) for John Deere’s tracked harvesters. Early customer feedback found the IBC was an easy adoption to simplify operation of boom, and to reduce operator fatigue.

Weiler Forestry’s Dirk Neilsen gave an overview of the company’s 17 new models they’ve introduced since purchasing CAT Forestry in 2019. Another 17 models are on the way, he said. Among the new models is the new H157 tracked harvester, which replaces the CAT501 as a low-impact, small foot-print machine. With equipment offerings spanning the full range of forestry machines, the company recently hit the 1,000-machine milestone since the CAT takeover.

Outstanding contractors

CWF executive director Peter Robichaud announced the latest winners of the Outstanding Forestry Contractor of the Year. For the trucking award, Aurèle Mallais & Fils Ltée took home the prize. The logger award went to Noble Resources in Newfoundland.

Learn more about the award here. cwfcof.org/Outstanding-Forestry-Contractor

IWI brought forward plans in 2017 for the $145-million sawmill in Bonfield, Ont., east of North Bay.

Read the full article in Northern Ontario Business.