The lmportance of Lumber Grading

by ROIF D. GTERUM West Coost lumbermen's Associotion

A T THE MILL LEVEL, every man who handles West A Qe351 lumber or operates a machine through which it passes makes a contribution to the quality of the product as a result of his knowledge of grades.

Almost as soon as a tree is cut, it is handled and manufactured according to the grades of lumber it can produce. In some cases the day's orders, for example, will determine the type and species of log which the pond man sends into the mill.

As a log is broken down into cants at the head rig, it is the responsibility of the head sawyer, as he opens up the log to cut it in such a way that the highest grades possible can be obtained from it.

After the cants leave the head rig, grade is a primary consideration in the subsequent operations. The resaws and edger are set with grade recovery in mind, as are the trim saws. Often, for instance, the trimming off of one or two feet from an end will raise the oiece one or two grades. This care and knowledge is brought to light when the lumber passes in front of the mill grader. His is a tremendously important job, and one which requires an intimate and extensive familiarity with grades plus years of on-the-job experience. West Coast mill graders work at other less demanding jobs in the mill while gaining the required experience. When a man is judged ready to be a grader at a mill using West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau stamps, he is "checked out" by a WCLB supervisor, and his work is regularly supervised thereafter. Since no two pieces of lumber are ever the same, a grading tolerance of. 5/o. is permitted to allow for a difference of oprnron among lnspectors.

A mill grader learns to identify and evaluate grading characteristics at a glance. Much of this talent comes only

Eorily removoble chqlk morks ore urcd whcn gruding clcorr. All lumbcr is grcded wifh lhe END USE of rhe piccc in mind. from experience. I(not size, slope of grain, depth of skips, and other characteristics are taken into account and the piece is graded accordingly.

Lumber grading has been traced back as far as the middle of the 18th Century, when it was practiced in Su'eden. Many have searched for a short cut to good grading, usually through use of electronics or sonics, but thus far without success. It still takes the imagination, determination and plain common sense found only in the human mind.

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