Log to Product - Sawmill

The Log-- Marks Lumber sources their logs mainly off of private lands in western Montana, although we do get a small percentage from Montana State Trust Lands, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service. Marks Lumber works with private Accredited Foresters and Accredited Logging Professionals to ensure that we are getting only logs that meet all Montana Best Management Practices (BMP). In doing so, we can also be very selective on the log quality.

PART 1

Log Yard – Logs are delivered by truck from different logging job sites. The logs are unloaded and sorted by size and grade and put into the correct log deck. Logs are bucked to length based on crook or bow, slope of grain and size of log, or order needs. From the Log Yard the log is taken to the Debarker where the bark is removed from the log.

• Waste: Firewood Rounds
• Waste: From the debarker the bark goes up a waste chain to a shaking screen where it is classified into small bark ¾” minus; ¾”- 3”; and >3”.

Debarker -- The Debarker used at Marks Lumber is called a Rosserhead Debarker. The debarker head spins at 1500 RPM and has 25 carbide teeth that peel the bark off the log as it turns and moves past the debarking head. The debarker is operated about 20 minutes for every hour of sawing and requires one operator when debarking. The log then moves to the Head Rig.

• Small Bark is burned in the Boiler to heat the Kiln/Shop/Planer Building. It is also good for walkways in gardens.
• Natural Mulch - our premium all-natural mulch
• Oversized Bark -reground and sorted for landscape products
• Sawdust – sold to Roseburg Forests Products in Missoula, MT and manufactured into particle board products, and also sold for animal bedding.
• Edgings - All board edgings and trims go through the chipper.

Head Rig – The Sawyer determines how best to fully utilize the log into boards (1” & 2”) or timbers (3” up). The head rig has a computerized set works that measures exactly the thickness we want to cut and maximizes the efficiency. From there they go to the Tail Saw.

Tail Saw – The operator decides length of board based on defects. The board is then sent to either the Horizontal Resaw, Edger, or Green Chain.

• Waste: Slabs – heavy slabs are cut to fire wood lengths; light slabs go to the chipper and are made into Wood Chips that can be used for ground cover, livestock bedding, ground into Engineered Wood Fiber (playground material) or can be used for particle board.

Horizontal Resaw - is a bandsaw that cuts boards to a desired thickness (Example: 1-2x6 can be cut into 2-1x6’s), or if a customer wants band-sawn boards, a cant is cut and sent to the resaw and cut into desired thickness. Boards then go to either the Edger or Green Chain.

Edger - cuts the edges off boards that have a waney edge and cuts cants into boards (Example: 1-4x6 can be cut into 3-2x4’s). From the edger the boards move to the Green Chain.

Green Chain – this is where all new employees start. Boards or timbers go from the sawmill to the green chain and are sorted by length, width, grade and to special orders. Boards are put into units of the same size and length. Full units are moved into a staging area and from there into the Kiln.

Kiln – quality boards are put into the kiln to dry faster. It takes approximately 5-8 days depending on outside weather conditions. Moisture percentage by material: 1” <= 12%; 2” = 19%; Timbers = Surface dry < 19% 1 inch deep. Our flooring is dried to an average of 8-10% moisture.

When the boards come out of the Kiln they are finish graded. Grade quality, from highest quality to lowest is Select, Planer Stock & #2, #3, and Cull. They are either pulled to fill orders or put into stock to be sold. Other 1” units are sent to the Planer Building to be made into flooring and siding.

Coming soon: Part 2 will continue the process to the Planer Building..........

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