AT H. K. LUMBER COMPANY, CANOE

Building was started in No-
vember 1964 and production
commenced on July 12, 1965.
The operation is considered
as. one of B.C.’s most modern,
well-illuminated and spacious
sheathing producing plants.
The moment a peeler log is
lifter from. Shuswap lake by
jack ladder cleats it is in the

grip of a highly technical and
automated process.

After being cut to exact
lengths by a pair of giant
chain saws, two blocks lying
end-to-end are de-barked by
a revolving scraperhead tray-
elling the length of the cradle,
while the blocks are being
turned by large trunion
wheels. By means of auto-
matically controlled kickers
the Log Saw and Barker op-
erator drops the de-barked
blocks into one of four grade
bins for subsequent pick-up
by lifttruck either to stock-
pile or to steamvats. Approxi-
mately 800 blocks are produc-
ed at this station.

Hot water chests are being

utilized on a year-round basis
to soften knots and to render
blocks easier to peel. Con-

structed from reinforced con-.

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

A IWA CAMERA

SHOWS PLYWOOD PROCESS

crete, the installation is 66
feet long and 60 feet wide and
houses six separate, independ-
ently-fired compartments. It
will cook 1,200 blocks at 160
degrees in 24 hours, and is
charged and emptied by the
block lifttruck. Hot water is
supplied from a boiler heated
by wood waste unsuitable for
pulp chips.

Steamed blocks are deposit-
ed on creeper chains leading
to the lathe charger unit,
which automatically centers

blocks between the lathe
spindles,

The lathe is equipped with
retractable chucks and will
automatically reduce blocks
up to 50 inches:in diameter to
a 4%-inch “core” at the rate
of 250 feet a minute. Reverted
to manual control the lathe
will handle blocks up to 60
inches in diameter.

Falling away from the lathe
as “green veneer” the wood
passes under the clipper cut-
ting it into pre-set sizes with-
in a one-inch tolerance. The
clipper operator can revert
from electric eye control to
manual control for intermit-

SLIP MAN feeds logs onto jackladder leading to logsaw

and barking station.

GREEN CHAIN offbearers pull veneer from moving table

belts onto appropri
process.

ate grade loads for subsequent drying

tent clipping of random-
width veneer.

Green chain offbearers tail
the clipping station and re-
move the green veneer from
the moving table belts to ap-
propriate dolly loads by char-
acteristics. (heartwood / sap-
wood) and width.

Green veneer too narrow to
be utilized is allowed to drop
to a waste return belt which
terminates at the “pulp” chip-

er.

P Next step for the green
veneer is the drying process.
Capable of handling 200 four
by eight sheets, the 70-foot
drying unit handles one tenth-
inch heartwood in six min-
utes and sapwood in eleven
minutes.

The dryer is equipped with
a cycle-controlled charger.
Two 125-horsepower electric
motors drive 63-inch fans,
which circulate air at 70 miles
per hour. Fired by natural
gas, the unit operates at tem-
peratures up to 350 degrees.

A moisture sentry at the
dryer output end detects and
marks emerging veneer with
a moisture content in excess
of five per cent. Humidity

TWO STATIONARY

into desired block lengths.

level must fall within a close
tolerance to ensure proper
bonding.

Sheets emerging from the
dryer are graded to select
sheathing, patch stock and
standard sheathing. Random
width veneer is graded for
(1) core stock and (2) face
stock suitable for edge gluing
to produce face and back

’ sheets. Veneer containing

oversize knotholes or solid
knots is brought up to stand-
ards at a patching station.

Suitable random width

veneer is jointed, sprayed with
fast-acting contact glue, fed
into a mechanical “crowder”
and subsequently clipped into
pre-set desired widths.

Random width veneer grad-
ed for “core” or “crossband-
ing” stock is cut to length at
an automatic circular core
saw.

Pieces of core are singularly
handfed through the rollers
of a mechanical glue spread-
er, which applies a waterproof
thermo-plastic binding agent
to both sides. Thus prepared
pieces of core are handplaced
on pre-laid sheets for cross-

powersaws are utilized to cut logs

GREEN VENEER is fed into the automatic cycle contralied

charger of the eight-line natural gas fired

dryer.

P 1st or

e Building area, 54,000 square feet
struction, with laminated beams. _

banding purposes a
to desired panel constructio:

These “lay-ups” are sub:
quently inserted by hand if
the openings of a 500-f
vertical hydraulic “hot” pre
from a travelling hoist pl;
form, and compressed in
panels at 175 to 200 poun
pressure per square inch .
depending upon specie a1
panel thickness — and at tei
peratures ranging from 2
to 300 degrees. (Panels 5/7
of an inch in thickness requi
4% minutes pressing time”
300 degrees). .

Upon removal from the |
press, loads of panels are :
lowed to cool and cure for
minimum of four hours, -
addition to maintaining rig
controls over drying temps«
atures and veneer moistu
content, plant workers mt
adhere strictly to pre-dete
mined assembly times, pre
temperatures and curing”
order to achieve a satisfat
ory “glue-bond” prior to et
ting panels to desired lengtl
widths and grades on t
semi-automatic sizing at
grading line. (Throughout t

; compléte processes from blo

RESULTING BLOCKS ar
and debarked with a serz