Waste Control in Lumber Manufacture

The following cardinal principles and suggestions serve as a guide to analysis and control of waste in remanufacture of lumber: 1) Study boards by grades for expected yields and compare with actual results. 2) Select grade of lumber to match economically the dimension produced. 3) Grade boards for rip or crosscut as first sawing operation. 4) Combine grades of dimension in one set of cuttings. 5) Cut several lengths in combination that fit general characteristics of usable areas found in boards. 6) Saw random width material along with fixed widths. 7) Use a glue jointer rather than a rip saw to produce suitable gluing surfaces on rough board edge after surfacing. 8) Glue from rip-saw to eliminate jointing waste. 9) Do not over-conveyerize–highly mechanized operations that run at great speed may lead to greater waste of raw material. 10) Watch for excessive overruns of parts; an occasional shortage is desirable. 11) Dramatize waste information by use of charts. 12) Increase labor costs a little to save a lot on lumber cost. 13) Pay a bonus for better yields. 14) Do not give production incentives without regard to yields. 15) Check cutting bills, and improve specifications. 16) Keep machines in good running order. 17) Determine allowable waste by product class. 18) In match ripping panels, place wider stock in a position for ripping, leaving a piece sufficiently wide to serve as the edge piece of the next panel. 19) Adopt a questioning frame of mind. 20) Use control charts on lumber conversion operations.

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