Finnish saw makes a fine cut

The latest in Finnish sawmilling technology has

been up and running since April 1 in Repap B.C.'s
‘ Smithers Operations on Tatlow Road. It is about the

size of a skill saw, cost 5,000 times as much, and has
increased efficiency at the mill to the point where
Sawmill Manager Ev Hall sees it paying for itself by
the end of the year. ,

How is it possible to pay off an $850,000 piece of
machinery in less than a year? Hall says the answer
lies in what now becomes marketable product.

"Our recoveries are infinitely greater," he says.
"So what was previously sawdust is now chips or
lumber." 7

This tranlates into increased profit. margins.

The Hew saw, as it is known, produces’ a much
thinner kerf than Repap's previous saw, the Scragy.

Kerf is the. term-applied to the: thickness of a
sawblade when a saw cuts through a piece af wood.
The thinner the kerf, the more useable wood and the
less sawdust there will be from the log.

With a kerf twice as thin as that found on other
saws the Hew saw not only reduces waste, it also
allows more possibilities in terms of the lumber that
can be recovered from each log.

"It is extremely versatile," says Hall.

One factor motivating Repap to invest in the new
Finnish saw was the size of wood the Smithers
operation has been cutting in recent years, -

Repap B.C. has three wood processing facilities in
the Northwest, including Carnaby (near Hazelton),
Skeena Cellulose in Terrace, and the Smithers
Facility.

Because the facilities are relatively close together,
continued page 8

Serving and supplying the
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HEAD SAW FILER LES HARMATI and his crew are kept busy ensuring there are always sets of saw
Hlades ready for replacement. The teeth on a Hew saw last about one week.

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