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.

(Check out CFI’s exclusive video of Davyduke explaining the technology coming soon on our File Week landing page here.)

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.

The sale is aligned with Twin Rivers’ strategy of investing in and growing its core business of specialty and kraft paper production.

The transaction includes a long-term supply agreement for Groupe Lebel to provide Twin Rivers Paper with by-product chips and biomass utilized by Twin Rivers’ pulp and cogeneration operations in Edmundston, N.B.

“We are extremely proud of the work we’ve done at Twin Rivers to strengthen and solidify the Plaster Rock operation during our ownership,” stated Tyler Rajeski, chief financial officer of Twin Rivers Paper. “As a longtime valued supplier to our Edmundston pulp operation and having a proven track record of investing in its assets and driving operational improvements, Groupe Lebel is the right partner for our Plaster Rock mill and we look forward to expanding our relationship with them in the months and years ahead. We’re confident this transaction will positively impact mill employees, Plaster Rock’s customers and vendors, and the entire community of Plaster Rock.”

Groupe Lebel is one of the main lumber manufacturers in Eastern Canada to be vertically integrated, from the cutting of trees to the distribution of finished products.

Twin Rivers Paper had announced its intention to sell the lumber mill in December 2022.

Researchers and innovative manufacturers offered valuable insight into the cutting edge of sawmilling technologies and processes, and shared strategies to optimize production and boost mill’s profits at OptiSaw – the sawmilling optimization and automation forum – in Quebec City on March 17. 

Sawmill of the future

The BID Group opened the event with a peek into the sawmill of the future powered by a combination of cutting-edge technologies and an inspired workforce. The company is leading the way in several areas related to Industry 4.0: IIoT, augmented reality, robotics, artificial intelligence, and designing the next generation of sawmills. 

BID’s Diego Braido dos Santos, David Dubé, and Sylvain Dionne showed the crowd of 50 delegates and exhibitors some of BID’s innovative technologies, including AI and robotics and their individual impact on operations such as monitoring and optimizing process flow in sawmills and planer mills.

Smart eyes: reinforcing scanners with AI

The next presenter, Finnos Oy’s Jyri Smagin walked the audience through the sawmill’s different scanners at various locations, showing how the latest technology enables the scanners to connect with each other via fingerprint technology. Smagin demonstrated how applying AI optimization to the whole raw material flow linked by fingerprint can detect defects, and increase fibre recovery and yield significantly.

Energy transition

Experts agree, the energy transition in the industrial sector must be achieved by 2050. Incentives are available to initiate the transition, offered by energy suppliers or governments, but where can one start a project? Martin Tremblay of IDÉA Contrôle, an internationally recognized energy management equipment manufacturer, shared their efficient and effective tools to simplify the energy transition, which can reduce sawmill emissions and costs.

Jedi, Big Data and IoT

The next speaker, Tim Melburn of Arrow Speed Controls, a self-described Jedi-level asset performance engineer, helped attendees visualize the invisible by showing how to increase productivity with cutting-edge technologies.

Optimizing machine productivity and maintaining a competitive edge can become increasingly difficult in a global economy, but Big Data and IoT technologies offer a wide variety of potential improvements from production efficiency to predicting machine failures to managing employees. 

“Have you ever wondered how to get the most out of your equipment while ensuring they run at optimal performance? Having the right KPIs and a solid preventative maintenance plan will provide incredible cost savings,” Melburn said.

Cutting downtime in halF

The first of two case studies presented at OptiSaw was a planer safety pilot project, given by UBSafe’s Ian Rood. 

UBSafe performed a functional safety system upgrade to a Stetson Ross planer at Conifex Fort St. James in B.C. To utilize the safeguarding system for minor servicing tasks, such as clearing jams, the WorkSafeBC approval process under regulation 10.10 for control system isolation device (CSID) use as an alternative control measure to lockout was triggered. Rood detailed the results of the project – a safe, compliant, efficient system that was measured to reduce jam clearing-related downtime by 50 per cent.

Sawmill simulation

FPInnovations’ Mohammed  Khachan provided an overview of the new software platform OptiTek, including drying and planing simulation, profit evaluation and flow analysis. Khachan said the platform allows stakeholders in the sawmill ecosystem to validate, analyze, and measure the impact on key performance indicators of new technologies and processes. His two-part presentation included an introduction of AI into the simulation process and its interest in estimating the value of stems supply from the forest to the mill.

Optimizing value chain

Maximizing a mill’s efficiency with unique CT technology and the power of prediction and optimization were the focus of the next speaker, Microtec’s Patrick Freeman, who went into thorough detail to describe the Microtec AI platform. Utilizing these tools, along with the innovative SMART Link solution, companies are able to streamline and optimize each stage of your value chain to drive maximum value, said the CTO, who described himself as the ‘chief nerd’ in a room full of nerds. 

Case study on drying

Secovac founder Pierre Gilbert was the final speaker,  and presented the second case study and “the most important presentation of the day,” he joked. Gilbert shared results of the installation of the EchoStop system, Secovac’s latest technological breakthrough in the field of  drying control, at Clermond Hamel’s sawmill in Quebec.

EchoStop was designed to measure wood moisture without contact for continuous kilns. It has optimized the sawmill’s operations, eliminated the down grade caused by overdrying, increased production and reduced the energy required.

The 5710E is particularly suited for land clearing operations or other applications where mobility is desired. The horizontal grinder is equipped with several features designed to improve efficiency and help operators reduce material handling costs.  

Michael Spreadbury, product manager for Astec, says, “We are excited to reveal the 5710E at CONEXPO and have the opportunity to demonstrate the innovations we’ve made to an already strong design.”  

The 5710E features a larger rotor that can accommodate a greater number of grinding bits.

“The new rotor is eight per cent larger and 19 per cent heavier than the previous model,” states Spreadbury. “More mass means more grinding power.” To keep up with this improved power, the screening area has also been increased, to allow for greater throughput. Additionally, the grate change process has been simplified.  

 While weight and size have been increased where it counts, the machine is lighter overall.

“In our redesign process, we’ve examined how to maximize efficiency and simplicity at each stage of the grinding process,” explains Spreadbury, “You see that from the rotor to the screens, and even in the new compression roll cylinders, which offer better downforce to help process material as it is fed to the rotor.”  

The project totalling $20 million started in 2019 and includes the automation and optimization of the Chibougamou plant using artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0 technologies. The initiative has already created more than 50 new jobs, according to a statement by the Quebec Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy.

The funding consists of a $5 million loan from Investissement Québec, and $2.5 million from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, under the Programme Innovation Bois.

The Chibougamau facility in Northern Quebec has one of the largest sawmills and largest engineered wood manufacturing plants in the province.

Click here to read the full news release in French.

Featured presentations:

Visualizing the invisible: How to increase productivity with Big Data and IoT technologies
Optimizing machine productivity and maintaining a competitive edge can become increasingly difficult in a global economy. Big Data and IoT technologies offer a wide variety of potential improvements from production efficiency to predicting machine failures to managing employees. Have you ever wondered how to get the most out of your equipment while ensuring they run at optimal performance? Tim Melburn, Asset Performance Engineer, Arrow Speed Controls will show you how having the right key performance indicators (KPIs) and a solid preventative maintenance plan will provide incredible cost savings.

Sawmill simulation with OptiTek
Optitek II is a sawmill simulation software platform that allows stakeholders in the sawmill ecosystem to validate, analyze, and measure the impact on KPIs of new technologies and processes. FPInnovations senior researcher Mohammed Khachan will provide an overview of the new software platform including drying simulation, planing simulation, profit evaluation, and flow analysis. A second part will be dedicated to the introduction of AI into the simulation process and its interest in estimating the value of stems supply from the forest to the mill.

Plus, network with our exciting group of sponsors who are releasing cutting-edge technology to the market.

Seats are limited and open only to sawmill management and owners, process engineers, continual improvement managers, optimization staff, researchers and design consultants.

Check out the agenda, speakers and register online at www.optisaw.com

Register now!

The two-day class includes a manufacturing facility tour, equipment operation best practice training, hands-on demonstrations and plenty of networking opportunities allowing machine owners to learn from each other as well. This year the education focused on ‘how to properly feed your machine’, ‘how to perform preventative maintenance’ and ‘how to troubleshoot’. The hands-on demonstrations showed attendees how to install the main rotor bearings and how to adjust the sheave and tension the drive belt on a Rotochopper grinder.

“After attending Rotochopper University I feel very confident in my knowledge of operating and maintaining our equipment,” shared one event attendee. Another attendee commented, “They go over a wide scope of topics, but also personalize the information they’re going over for the class attendees and the equipment we operate”.

Rotochopper hosted 60 students during the two-day event from various companies across the globe. Rotochopper customer service manager and event instructor, Adam Asmus, shared the following thoughts, “Rotochopper University continues to be an event that we find has a great benefit to our customers. The attendees can connect with our service team, our company and each other in ways that will benefit their operation for years to come. As an instructor for the event, I was thoroughly impressed with group of attendees this year and enjoyed the time we were able to spend with them”.

Rotochopper continues to focus on and invest in ensuring the owners and operators of Rotochopper equipment are trained and supported through this course. Their world class factory direct support team provides attendees the foundation for optimal operation and positive operational outcomes.

“Factory-direct service and keeping our customers happy are at the core of Rotochopper’s value proposition. Rotochopper University is one of the ways our team brings these values to life. It was great to see so many Rotochopper customers together not only building a connection with us, but also each other. I know Doug Meyer and our service team work extremely hard on an agenda that helps customers minimize downtime and decrease maintenance costs. It was a great two weeks, and we look forward to hosting more Rotochopper Universities in the future,” said Chad Angeli, Rotochopper vice-president of customer experience.

Hosted by CFI magazine, the OptiSaw Mill Optimization and Automation Forum will let you come away with insight into the sawmilling of tomorrow.

The day’s sessions will feature these case studies:

• CSID: Functional safeguarding of a planer system: UBSafe performed a functional safety system upgrade to a Stetson Ross planer at Conifex Fort St. James, B.C., facility. UBSafe principal Ian Rood will share the results of the project – a safe, compliant, efficient system that was measured to reduce jam clearing-related downtime by 50%.
  Installation of EchoStop system at Clermond Hamel sawmill
• Secovac installed the EchoStop system, its latest technological breakthrough in the field of drying control, at Clermond Hamel’s sawmill in Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce, Que. Secovac founder Pierre Gilbert will share the results and how the EchoStop system, designed to measure wood moisture without contact for continuous kilns, has optimized the sawmill’s operations, eliminated the down grade caused by overdrying, increased production and reduced the energy required by fbm.

Get an in-depth look at these projects from those who made it happen at OptiSaw – the one-day education forum for those driving the future of sawmilling – taking place in Quebec City on March 17.

Seats are limited and open only to sawmill management and owners, process engineers, continual improvement managers, optimization staff, researchers and design consultants.

Check out the agenda, speakers and register online at www.optisaw.com

Register Now!

The measures includes funding for eight new regional “Forest Landscape Planning (FLP)” tables focused on old-growth management, with participation from around 50 First Nations. The tables will determine if and where old-growth harvesting happens in those regions, the province said in a news release.

The announcement included news the province is doubling and expanding eligibility of its BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund. The now $180-million fund will support projects such as sawmill retooling for smaller-diameter trees or higher value wood products.

“As we work to protect more old growth, we know we need to accelerate our efforts to build a stronger, more innovative forestry industry that better shares the benefits with workers and communities. Forestry is a foundation of B.C.’s economy,” Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said in the release. “That’s why we are doubling provincial investments to help mills retrofit to get off old-growth logs and manufacture more high-value wood products right here in B.C., so we create more jobs from every tree.”

The province is taking further actions to implement its Old Growth Strategic Review this year, including:

• “developing and implementing alternatives to clear-cutting practices, such as selective harvesting techniques, that better support forest resiliency, ecosystem health and climate adaptation, through a new $10-million silviculture innovation program;
• repealing outdated wording in the Forest and Range Practices Act regulations that prioritizes timber supply over all other forest objectives, like water quality, wildlife habitat and biodiversity;
• increasing Indigenous participation in co-developing changes to forest policy through $2.4 million provided to the First Nations Forestry Council;
• protecting more old-growth forests and biodiverse areas by leveraging hundreds of millions of dollars of philanthropic donations to fund conservation measures supported by the Province and First Nations, through a new conservation financing mechanism to be set up within six months;
• enabling local communities and First Nations to finance old-growth protection by selling verified carbon offsets that represent long-term emission reductions through the new Forest Carbon Offset Protocol 2.0, which will be finalized this year; and
• completing the Old Growth Strategic Action Plan by the end of 2023, to be developed in collaboration with First Nations and in consultation with stakeholders.”

Read the province’s full backgrounder here.

B.C. First Nations Forestry Council CEO Lennard Joe said in the release the council is looking forward to working with the province to modernize forest policy.

“The province’s commitment to continue implementation of the Old Growth Strategic Review and to increase forest landscape planning opportunities for First Nations are both vital to increasing the participation of First Nations in the forest sector as full partners,” Joe said.

In a separate news release, BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) president and CEO Linda Coady welcomed the positive steps in investments, frameworks and relationships to advance old-growth management in B.C.

“In addition to important capacity funding for Indigenous Nations and the First Nations Forestry Council, actions being taken to accelerate the old growth review process will also support land use planning at the local level. Strengthened Indigenous and local engagement on land use planning at the regional level will help ensure goals for forest health and biodiversity are met while also creating more predictability for workers, communities and forest-related businesses across B.C.,” Coady said.

Featured presentations:

Smart eyes: reinforcing scanners with AI

Finnos Oy’s Jyri Smagin will walk the audience through the sawmill, with its different scanners at various locations, and show how the latest technology enables the scanners to connect with each other via fingerprint technology. He will demonstrate how applying AI optimization to the whole raw material flow linked by fingerprint can increase fibre recovery and yield significantly.

Cut on demand: Predict and optimize your value chain

Maximize your mill’s efficiency with unique CT technology and the MiCROTEC AI platform. Utilizing these tools, along with the innovative SMART Link solution, you’ll be able to streamline and optimize each stage of your value chain to drive maximum value. MiCROTEC CTO Patrick Freeman will help you discover the power of prediction and optimization with MiCROTEC.

Plus, network with our exciting group of sponsors who are releasing cutting-edge technology to the market.

Seats are limited and open only to sawmill management and owners, process engineers, continual improvement managers, optimization staff, researchers and design consultants.

Register now for our early-bird rate of $169.

Check out the preliminary agenda, speakers and register online at www.optisaw.com

The system can be deployed at all stages of the process and uses Artificial Intelligence to analyze images from the cameras that constantly watch production and identify objects of interest, leading to an increase in productivity.

BID’s Smart Vision will better serve its customers by providing the following benefits and technologies to sawmill and planer mill operations:

• Identification of production anomalies that normally require mechanical and/or human intervention
• Reduction of major production stoppages and equipment breakdowns
• Alerts when a problem occurs so that action can be taken automatically or manually
• Continuous management and monitoring of one or more stages of the wood transformation process
• Ongoing measurement of quality control and optimization of equipment maintenance

“We are proud of our team and the hard work that was put into our new Smart Vision, a technology that will allow our customers to easily optimize their production flow and get the most out of their mill. Artificial Intelligence is changing the face of our industry and BID is leading the revolution by relentlessly pushing the limits” said Simon Potvin, president of Wood Processing.

BID’s Smart Vision is only the beginning, a series of applications is to be developed, in addition to the ones just launched.

Specially designed for the lumber mill or wood products manufacturing environment, Omega and its optional data collection and analysis software is an invaluable tool for improving your kiln drying or overall moisture quality control.

Whether your company is a primary lumber mill or a secondary wood products operation, with or without dry kilns, the Omega In-Line Moisture Measurement System should be your most important moisture measurement and analysis tool.

Whether it is installed upstream or downstream of your planing or moulding operation, a sideways or end-to-end configuration, the benefits of having an Omega system are the same:

• Keeping moisture problems out of your mill
• Improving your kiln drying, your grade recovery, and your bottom line by minimizing moisture-related degrade, excessive drying energy costs, wet claims, and overall moisture quality control issues

Omega, Wagner’s latest generation of moisture measurement systems, continues our legacy of providing comprehensive and robust moisture measurement and data analysis tools that are so critical now for today’s modern wood products mills.

Click here to learn more.

Canadian Forest Industries has the latest updates on kiln technology for drying Canadian lumber.

BID Group
BID Group has a proven reputation for the innovative design and manufacture of Deltech batch and continuous kilns, heating supplies, and controls. The turnkey, heavy-duty systems are uniquely designed to ensure maximum quality and controlled moisture content – regardless of the wood species and type of production, including value-added products.

Exceptionally robust and offering unmatched reliability to ensure long-term performance, the kilns are designed by a strong engineering team and backed by a team of experienced regional support specialists and parts department to keep your kilns working optimally.
www.bidgroup.ca

EBI Dry Kiln Duty Motors
Since 1995, EBI has been the top-quality brand of high temperature, totally enclosed dry kiln duty motors of unsurpassed durability and long-term reliability. From one- to 30-hp, 900, 1,200 and 1,800 rotations per minute, they are used by lumber dry kiln manufacturers and sawmills in North and South America, Europe and Australia. EBI dry kiln duty motors are available through a distributor network for quick availability. They are built in NEMA or IEC frames, covered by the best warranty on the market (up to three years) and rated 120 C ambient temperature.
www.ebielectric.com

Lignomat
Value, support, quality and connection. These are the building blocks of Lignomat’s more than 40 years of success. The aspect of connection through technology is prominent with Lignomat’s MP32 kiln control platform. The kiln control system can text and e-mail selected individuals specific, selectable messages during the kiln drying process. One can automatically export process history data to existing or provided database infrastructure for in-depth analysis. Have remote access on any smart device through existing VPN, eliminating reliance on a paid, third-party remote software – that is connection from Lignomat kiln controls.
www.lignomat.com

MEC Dry Kiln
MEC Dry Kiln offers almost 30 years of wood drying expertise to its customers. A Canadian field-proven leader, MEC is innovative in the design, manufacture, installation, and repair of wood drying equipment. Designed for northern climate and made of 100 per cent aluminium and stainless steel, its one-of-a-kind thermal bridge insolation wall makes its kiln one of the best choices in the market. MEC can now offer 100 per cent electric dry kiln. This technology allows a reduction in air evacuation and significant heat loss through a dry calorific ratio that does not require oxidizer. Only moisture from the wood is purged. The power can be modulated instantly and controlled precisely while keeping the temperature evenly distributed. Electricity is a clean resource for the environment that allows 100 per cent of the energy produced by the heat element to be applied to the drying process. MEC’s team of experts will take the time needed for a thorough analysis of the project and propose a solution.
www.sechoirmec.com

Mühlböck
Mühlböck has been developing the highest quality lumber drying kilns for over 40 years, scoring globally with their batch and continuous kilns, belt dryers and heat recovery systems, delivering up to 50 per cent in energy savings. Aside from their Dynamic CDK, they also offer the uni-directional progressive kiln FLOW, ensuring simple and fast loading and unloading. And with the automatic transport system and 4.0 industry-ready Mühlböck K5 control system, the progressive FLOW fills in the logistic gap, while increasing grade and productivity. Commissioning of one such Mühlböck progressive FLOW kilns was recently completed for MLTC BioEnergy Centre in Meadow Lake, Sask.
www.drykilns.ca

Nardi Kilns
Manufacturing wood dryers and controls since 1974, Nardi Kilns is a family-owned successful business based in Italy. Nardi is one of the world leaders in offering high-efficiency wood drying technology and offer the full spectrum of kiln types including customized specialty kilns. Nardi is present in over 100 countries, creating a wealth of experience in drying various wood species and lumber products. Its close co-operation with well-respected European universities and research institutes have placed Nardi’s kiln technology at the forefront for energy-saving solutions and high performances in terms of production capacities. Nardi seeks to create positive value for its customers’ continued success – its kiln products, services and solutions will always bear the trademark of being reliable, innovative and cost-effective.
www.nardi.itwww.nardi.it

USNR
The UniFlow kiln is a continuous kiln similar to the Counter-Flow kiln, but the heating chamber in the UniFlow has been moved from the middle to the ends. In the Counter-Flow kiln, lumber is loaded at opposite ends onto a cart with a hydraulic pusher system that indexes through the kiln at specified rates based on ambient temperature, moisture content, and desired throughput. The UniFlow kiln uses the same pusher system, except both tracks are loaded at the same end. Instead of having the hydraulics on either side of the kiln running opposite each other, both pushers are on the same side of the kiln, indexed together moving in the same direction. The result is impressive push rates, gaining two more feet per hour with 20 degrees less heat.
www.usnr.com

Wellons
Wellons continues to provide effective lumber drying technology for over 50 years. Using specialized expertise, Wellons provides full turnkey installation. Offering both greenfield and batch kiln conversion options, Wellons’ continuous drying systems provide significant advantages over traditional batch kilns, including production guarantees that are met or exceeded, increased annual drying production, up to 30 per cent thermal energy recovery, and improved grade recovery. The systems also provide lower standard deviation on target moisture control, optimal utilization with the chamber always 100 per cent full of lumber and more consistent lumber feed through the planer.
www.wellons.com

NYLE DRY KILNS
Nyle Dry Kilns introduced a new industry-leading kiln control this year. The NDK 2.0R provides kiln operators with an innovative and advanced control system, allowing them complete control over their kiln schedules and product quality. The new control boasts the same features Nyle has had in their controls for years while adding advanced features such as; Electronic Wet-Bulb/ Dry-Bulb, four operating modes, mobile/web-based controls, and an advanced scheduling system. The “R” in the controls name stands for “Retrofit,” meaning their control will integrate with any existing kiln regardless of the manufacturer.
www.nyle.com

Finna Sensors
The innovative Finna Sensors KilnScout system provides the industry’s leading wireless in-kiln moisture control system for batch and continuous kilns. Using capacitive measurement technology, KilnScout allows lumber manufacturers to control the drying process from direct moisture content input. This eliminates the costly feedback loop from the planer mill and unreliable time-based drying schedules. The result is improved grade recovery, increased throughput and a significant impact on the bottom line.
www.finnasensors.com

In the week ending November 25, 2022, the price of benchmark softwood lumber item Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) was US$475 mfbm, which is down by -$15 or -3%, said weekly forest products industry price guide newsletter Madison’s Lumber Reporter. This is up by +$13, or +3%, from one month ago when it was $463.

Deepening winter weather had the effect of slowing consumption, production, and transportation, all to relatively concurrent degrees such that no one variable in the supply-demand equation was overstressed.

“The American Thanksgiving holiday predictably dampened lumber market activity, particularly from midweek-on.” – Madison’s Lumber Reporter

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Buyers of Western S-P-F lumber in the United States were somewhat active to start the week as they short-covered in advance of American Thanksgiving. Sales activity petered out from there, with the market going dead quiet by midweek. Both primary and secondary suppliers reported an unsurprising dearth of inquiry later in the week, while order files at sawmills remained in the two- to three-week range. Transportation issues began to appear as winter weather took hold in many regions, and there was much speculation about job action in the rail sector.

Canadian suppliers of Western S-P-F lumber saw inquiry and takeaway drop off precipitously as the week wore on. No one was surprised, as the American Thanksgiving holiday weekend is almost always accompanied by a dip in demand. Apparently sawmills at both the regional and national levels were getting more amenable to counter offers with each passing day, with many reporting an ongoing challenge in finding trading levels where they could establish any consistent flow to business. Order files ranged from prompt availability at more local mills to three weeks out at some of the larger producers.

“Limited overall supply of Southern Yellow Pine commodities was balanced out by a drop in demand. Many players used the Thanksgiving holiday as an opportunity to step back and assess their current inventory positions. Prices hovered around the previous week’s levels as sawmills felt no pressure to chase the market or boost their numbers. Order files remained two-to three-weeks out. Suppliers were confident that more demand will come from the multifamily and mixed commercial sectors once players are back at their desks after the holiday weekend. ” – Madison’s Lumber Reporter

Madison’s Benchmark Top-Six Softwood Lumber and Panel Prices: Monthly Averages

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Compared to the same week last year, when it was US$634 mfbm, the price of Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) for the week ending November 25, 2022 was down by -$170, or -26%. Compared to two years ago when it was $620, that week’s price is down by -$145, or -23%.

The sale includes a long-term supply agreement for the Plaster Rock mill to continue providing Twin Rivers Paper’s pulp and cogeneration operations in Edmundston, N.B., with by-product chips and biomass.

“The decision to sell the lumber operation is aligned with our strategy of investing in and growing our core business of specialty and kraft paper production,” Twin Rivers Paper CFO Tyler Rajeski said in a press release.

“Groupe Lebel has long been a valued supplier to our Edmundston pulp operation and we’re pleased to have found a home for our Plaster Rock team members with a trusted partner. We look forward to expanding our relationship with the completion of this sale,” Rajeski said.

The sale, pending regulatory and provincial review, is expected to close early in the first quarter of 2023.

Rajeski said they are committed to ensuring a smooth transition for Plaster Rock employees, customers and suppliers. “With Groupe Lebel’s extensive sawmill operations experience and a proven record of investing in their assets and driving operational improvements, we’re confident this transaction will positively impact mill employees, business stakeholders, and the community of Plaster Rock,” he said.