The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 4 (August 24, 1926)

Sawmill

Sawmill.

Having assured ourselves that the timber is in a suitable condition to be worked, it is passed into the sawmill. There the real work begins. A competent supervisor should be in charge of the mill, as the opportunities for waste, both of timber and time, are very great indeed. The mill foreman should be an expert car builder and well acquainted with the capabilities of the machinery. His duty would be to see that the requirements of the finishers and builders were fully and promptly met, and accuracy in size and finish of parts strictly adhered to, thus saving a great deal of time when the various parts came to be assembled. A filer, or leading mill hand, has quite enough to do in keeping his saws in proper order and his machines tuned up to run smoothly, without having to pay attention to all the details that would be required of him if he had to look after the milling of all the various parts of a car.

Time should not be skimped in the mill. Pillars, styles, rails, etc., should be finished as nearly complete as possible, for time judiciously spent at a machine is saved many times over both at the benches and when erecting. It is sound economy to know the full capacity of the machinery and obtain the greatest output possible consistent with accurate work.

In regard to accuracy the steel gauge should be used in preference to the rule when running T & G (tongued and grooved) lining, floors, checks in pillars, etc. This is the surest way of getting each successive running exactly like its predecessor.

The utilisation of small pieces, especially of the more expensive timbers should be studied. This can be done satisfactorily only when the draftsman has allowed for it in his plans, and also when the mill has suitable machinery, for unless the small pieces are put through the machines rapidly and little or no hand work is required upon them, the extra cost of handling becomes too expensive and costs more than the price of the timber saved.