next step

[red oaks lumber]

when you are out doing a custom sawing job or at your site. does anyone really give any thought to what will happen to the lumber you just sawed? will the wood stay rough or be machined into v-groove or flooring. for someone like myself that planes wood for alot of people, having the sawyer know how to saw for specific applications is really nice. talking with the customer before cutting to find out his plans would really help. after the lumber is cut, and brought in for planning sometimes making our job alot harder to give the customer what they want.
we all know the places that do finish planning, maybe talking with them to see how theylike to see the wood can make us all look good. how thick to saw, making flooring what width works best, same with v-groove or just s4s.
most wood sawn at some point will be planed, just helping out the guy doing the next step benifits everyone. just something to think about.
this is by no means a slam on anyone or their abilities as sawyers

[Tom]

As a traveling man, I always got as much information about the use of the wood as I could.  It helped me do my job and it helped to make sure that the customer had what it took to do his job. 

Unfortunately, there were many obstacles in making sure that the product was sufficient for the next step.

The first obstacle was that the log owner had no idea what he was going to do with the wood.  It might be used by him.  It might be sold.  It might be finished and it might be used rough.  One of the common instructions a sawyer is given in this instance is "get whatever you can out of it".

The second obstacle was that several different goals were planned for the wood.  In that case, as hard as you would try, you couldn't be sure that the lumber destined for one project stayed with the inventory for that project.

The third obstacle was the expectations of the person or company that was providing the added value.  Some wanted it one way, while some wanted it another.  I never had any of my lumber refused, but I do know that one planer mill would complain about too thick while the other might complain about too thin.  It's not that they couldn't get the desired product out of the rough lumber but that they had preferences.  The problem with that is that the sawyer can only cut the lumber one way.  Once it is cut, it stays cut.  The planer mill that complains  is attacking the reputation of the sawyer.   It might not be deserved.

I actually sawed for a planer mill that wanted 1 3/8 boards to get 3/4.  I knew what he was doing.  He was thinking himself smart and was going to sell the dressed product that made 1" as  5/4.  After my discussing it with him and showing my dissatisfaction, I did the job and refused to go back.  That is always an option that a sawyer keeps in his pocket.

One thing I tried to do as a sawyer was to visit other sawyers, planer mills and treatment plants to introduce myself and make sure that they knew that I would bend over backward to make sure my lumber was something that they could work with.   Many times I've wished that they could have given me the same consideration.

The third obstacle was that I had to do what the customer wanted even if it wasn't the best approach.  Many times, the customer would have me stand 1 x 12's up and split them.  After they were sawed, he would think that he would rather have 1 x 6's.  No amount of explaining may change his mind and the planer mill that gets the boards might think the sawyer is a hack.  Complaining just gives the customer someone to blame and it falls back on the sawyer and tarnishes his reputation.


So, it works both ways.  Sawyers need to keep the end product in mind when they saw, but planer mills or other added value operations, need to keep in mind that what they are given might not represent the sawyer's  product or ability.

[Dave Shepard]

Most of the sawing I do now is for in house use. I have talked with the guy who does our millwork to make the product fit his operation the best it can. This helps him work efficiently, and has saved us effort as well.

[sigidi]

I'm with Tom on this one.

I get as much info from the customer of the intended use for the timber I cut - the info I get helps me to decide what is acceptable in the timber I'm cutting.

In the past when cutting a fella's log for on-selling to a mill, I like Tom, at least get on the phone and talk to them or better still go and see them. They ask questions about the gear I'm using and my experience and I ask questions about what there preference is with the 'finished' rough sawn product they want.

But again as Tom said - a lot of custom fella's don't know what they want to have cut from the timber and we can give them the best advice we can, but ultimately it is up to them

[Magicman]

I always know what the customer will do with the lumber.   I'll advise when things don't seem right, but I also never argue.  Bottom line is that it's the customer's logs and lumber.

I sawed 1X16" pine lumber on my last job.  He's going to use it for paneling.  He said that he had an 18" planer and that's what he wanted.  I told him to sticker it close.

[stonebroke]

Tom

Showing my ignorance, what was wrong with milling 1 and3/8 to plane to one inch?

Stonebroke