Redwood and the computer age

Georgia-Pacific's 99-year old Fort Bragg, Ca. redwood operation entered the computer age recently with the installation of a new Maxi Mill computer control board at the headrig. It is the company's first computerized sawmill.

One of the most advanced systems available for sawing lumber, the Maxi Mill computer takes only seconds to scan a log for size, shape, and positioning for optimum Iumber yield. The conversion sives the Fort Braee mill the capa-city to surpass all previous records of proiiction and lumber recovery.

Modernization of the "quad" sawmill is part of the $9.3 million capital investment program by G-P in 1979 to improve operations at Fort Bragg. Computerization of the quad mill at a cost of $3.3 million increased production capacity substantially through better utilization of each log entering the mill, according to George A. Ritchie, v.p., western division, wood products manufacturing.

Story at a Glance

$3.3 million computerization of Georgia-Pacific's 99-year old redwood operation dramatically increases production capacity by better log utilization.

The Fort Bragg quad sawmill has two machines, each with four movable band saws. It began operation in 1976, replacing a fixed-width gang saw. More than 195,000 acres of redwood and Douglas fu provide a good supply of trees for the G-P operation.

Here's a brief explanation of how the Maxi Mill work. Before cutting, Iogs are debarked using hydraulically pressured scraper arms. They are then conveyed on rollers to the headrig. Here the Maxi Mill electronic scanners analyze each log, then run them through the quad saws for iutting.

From the headrig, the sawn boards are shifted onto the dispatch qystem. The lumber is then ready to be graded and sorted.

A new planing mill has also been assembled at Fort Bragg at a cost of $2.9 million. It occupies an adjacenr manufacturing site acquired by Georgia-Pacific last year. At the planing mill, edges and ends are trimmed from lumber, and face surfaces are smoothed.

The computerization of the quad mill and the installation of the new planing mill have aided G-P in developing a manufacturing complex ideally suited to management of the sustained vield forest.

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LOG'S PROGRESS through mill is outlined in these drawings; beginning with electronic scanners that size up log and determine how best to cut it for maximum utilization.