Comparison of sawing variables by region of the United States

Sawing variables obtained from 650 studies of softwood sawmills were compared by region of the United States. Variables were headrig kerf, resaw kerf, total sawing variation, oversizing/undersizing, fixed-head planer allowance, and rough green size. Comparison-of-means tests were used to compare regional values of these sawing variables. Significant differences among regions were found for all sawing variables. The Pacific Southwest region had lowest headrig and resaw kerf width, while the Southeastern region had the highest. The Eastern and Southeastern regions practiced oversizing in both 4/4 and 8/4 lumber, all other regions practiced undersizing. The Pacific Southwest, Pacific Northwest-East, Pacific Northwest-West, and Rocky Mountain-North regions had significantly lower rough green size of 8/4 lumber than did the Rocky Mountain-South, Eastern, Southcentral, and Southeastern regions. It was also found that total sawing variation for 8/4 lumber was significantly lower than for 4/4 lumber at the same study sawmills. This indicates that more care was exercised to control sawing variation in the 8/4 lumber, which comprises 65 to 80 percent of total production.

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