SAWMILL ORGANISATION IN SWEDEN.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 August 1925, Page 4

SAWMILL ORGANISATION IN SWEDEN.

1 (From June Number of Swedish Export).

With some variations, due to local conditions, a large Swedish sawmill establishment is in the main constituted as the ono described here. It would, of course, ho more correct to designate such a manufacturing concern as a wood products establishment, inasmuch as it carries the utilisation of the wood to a very high degree of per lection. The products comprise *awn wood or every description, planed sulphite woodpulp. sulphate wondpulp. paper, alcohol and certain other bv-products ol the chemical pul) production. Practically the only branches not in evidence at the m l. arc charcoal production with Us byproducts. and the manufacture mechanical wood, ...Ip-ground pulp used for the poorer grades ot paper and cardboard. . , V,'e have chosen for this account the sawmills and pulpniills of the Korsnas Company, one of the most important concerns in Sweden in this ‘ It’s principal works are located '>cai the port of Gofle at the mouth ol the Gull of Bothnia. Tim large forest nmins of the company are principal!.' in the province of Daleearlm. a a n the timber is floated by Di, alvei. Rive,* down to the mills. As the lattei

are not at the month of the river m question a wooden flume several mile. •' length has been built at a cost o over a million kroner between it and the mills. The lofts hearing the company's mark are sorted out m the nved and guided into the flume, which convoys them up to the nulls. The company’s sawmill at Kastct is representative of the most up-to-date rawmilling practice in Kuropo and .> in consequence' worth describing at some length. . , „f Swedish logs being m general _ small diameter, averaging from anon 10 down to 0 or 7 inches, the unneisal method of sawing is by rceiprocatii.g saws- that is. in its simplest tmin • frame fitted with a certain number o s iU v blades, is working no and down at a rapid rate of speed. This type . «> gang or frame saw is of oh! da e. nii< modern devclnnments „i the design ale vonresented chiefly by increased speed and more rapid feed, automatic movement of the log carriage and hamll of the logs, ele. Each saw-frame m the mill is set foi- logs of approx,mutely the same size, the smallest for sawing, snv oin. x 4in. or 2in. x dm. scantlings, and the largest Sin.' x fin. up to 4in. x 1 °in. deals. It now pavs to saw small logs of which only 2m. x »">- scannings can he obtained which was , r ,t t!u‘ r*:\s o previously. lhi s ,s (ll, f the great demand for such dimensions at present, and to the high-snood and labour-saving devices of the new saws Tn the basins below the sawmills tb< locs are sorted out for their respective saw-frames, to which they are convoyod by iniormil tcntly moving chain conveyors from the basins. The saw-frames arc Iwo ill number for emb log. The first frame merely saws oil' the outside strips squares the ]„e on two sides. A tier passing lit roil'd i the first, frame the log is Hopped over on the flat side and enters the second saw frame, which divides into [wo. three or more deals. 'I .my operations are of course vei\ i. 1I > l . Tito wasle is disposed of according u>

its value ; the thicker pieces entering automatically into chutes, which conduct them to stave and lath machoines. while tho remainder is shot down into chippers. The chips are discharged on conveyor belts leading to a high'storage tower. From this slurno;e towor cnbloways loads fo t Tic* u- 1 '• pulp mills across the hay where He chips are used in part for making sulphate pulp and in part lor boiler fuel. The deals on l**aviug the saw-1 rames slide to the edgeis, w'deli are circular saws set a certain dislanee apart and which can he adjusted for trimming t lie d als into suitable widths. I In* wood I rimmed elf goes cither to H e chippers or ! hi* lath machines, and tin deals are autoinal icallv convoyed to the sorting plant. At Korsnas this is a rather elaborate installation, consisting of a conveyor running along an elevated structure under which are placed a great number of railway cars. The deals or hoards of different dimension-. are automatically dropped from the , mvi'viir into cars reserved l‘*r Ihe various dimensions. As soon as a car has been loaded another one takes its plan*. The sawmill is driven entirely by

elect ricitv. Each pair of saw-1 rallies with its edgei's and conveyors etc. is driven independently by a ho h.p. electric motor. Separate motors run various chinp.'rs. conveyors etc. and altogether the sawmill consumes 2.17*1 h.p. The .capacity is approximately 25,009 standards of sawn wood per an-

num. The day’s output is hauled in the timber yard some distance away, where it is stacked--to a great, extent nowadays by means of electric elevators or hoists running on rails between the piles. It. is in Sweden considered a better policy to have the timber yard located some dislanee away from the sawmill in order to lessen tlm risk ol lire. The mechanical arrangements ol the Hint :>r yard are not the least important for achieving a good economic result. From here the shipments are made when the wood has lwcn .seasoned. Between the rows of wood piles run chain or cable conveyors down to the loading quay, where covered lighters lie ready to receive the goods. Due of the most important operations, however. stills remains to he carried out. This is the filial adjustment and inspection of the wood goods hetore shipment. At the end of each conveyor, close b.v the quay, is a shed in which the bracker and bis helper are at work. As deals are carried up to the

measuring bench by tbe convoy or 1 ,fk > arc picked ui) ky ike . bracker and Ids man. win: in-meets tk.e <md of the deni, deride lime much, or how little, most be cot off—which is done hv balanced cross-cut raws fitted in the bench—mark down the length ol the ready trimmed deal. As the cross-sec-tion'is the same tor the deals or boards handled, the cubic quantity of woods shipped can easily he computed. The hrackers naturally occupy a most responsible position, inasmuch ; i:; they can waste large sums of inonet m a dav, anrl inversely they can render the company liable for claims Irum too scantv trimming ol the ends. Wiial forces itself upon one _ most strongly in watching the operations ol ,1 jauyinill establishment— and still more when considering the whole question of the timber industry—is the paramount importance of transport facilities, from the Felling of the trees to the shipment of wood goods. r l lie actual sawing, planing etc. occupy a very insignificant part economically, though technically they may he important for producing good quality jmd appearance. How. in th.c first place, would one get the wood out ot the tore-st in most instances, if it were not for the snow? Hauling hv wheeled conveyances is a pretty expensive undertaking without proper roads. The next stage is getting the logs to a sawmill, which in most eases is a couple of hundred miles distant ; either that or sawing them on the spot and conveying the product an equal distance. Overland the cost is prohibitive at the prices now obtained for wood. Here the rivers become invaluable by carrying the logs cheaply and efficiently clear up to the sawmill itsell. lbe small sticks used for sawing nowadays make

any more expensive means ol transport unthinkable. AVe have in the foregoing described the various transport mediums employed at the sawmill and in the timber yard, including chain elevators that pick the legs out of the water and convey them to the saws, Irclts that earty away the deals, chips and laths, the elevators, hoists, conveyors wl-ich intersect tit'* timber yard in all directions. Tf described in detail it would be found that the transport mediums constitute the most formidable _ array of devices used in the service of woodgoods production.

lii Sweden woodgoods tire priu-tirallv always loaded in midstream to guard against fire and very often because of shallow water in shore. This means that the company must have a very large fleet of lighters available, as well

as tags, etc. —another transport problem To the many preceding ones, before the goods are stowed into vessels. ■U this one, as well ns many other Swedish sawmills, the woodpulp department is now the most important activity of flic concern.