TABLE OF CONTENTS Logs are delivered to the saw mill and are sorted and stored according to species, length, diameter, and expected end use. Handling at the saw mill is by cranes, heavy lift-trucks, or derricks. Bark is removed and the logs are sliced into slabs, which become boards when their edges are trimmed and their ends are cut square. The boards are seasoned (dried) and given a smooth surface.
Is carried out by several different methods. One common approach utilizes self-tumbling of the logs in a revolving drum. The tumbling action of the logs against one another breaks the bark free from the logs. Other methods are the Cambio ring or Rosser head debarkers that chip the bark away using blunt knives or metal teeth mounted on a rotating ring or wheel. Other debarking machines have two or three debarking tools that rotate against the log as it is fed axially through the machine. Another method uses chain flails as the logs rotate and move through the debarking chamber. High pressure water is used in some sawmills, particularly when logs are irregular.
The Rosser head debarker rotates each log while a rotating tool, similar in appearance to a gear or wide circular saw (but not sharp enough to cut the wood significantly) bears against the log surface with hydro-pneumatic pressure. This debarking tool breaks the bark free as the log and the tool rotate. The log is fed axially so that the tool...
