Description
Various sawing techniques for using manual as well as electric saws.
Alternative labels
sawing technologies
sawing methods
sawing technique
sawing procedures
sawing tech
Skill type
knowledge
Skill reusability level
sector-specific
Relationships with occupations
Essential knowledge
Sawing techniques is an essential knowledge of the following occupations:
Table saw operator: Table saw operators work with industrial saws that cut with a rotating circular blade. The saw is built into a table. The operator sets the height of the saw to control the depth of the cut. Particular attention is paid to safety, as factors such as natural stresses within the wood may produce unpredictable forces.
Band saw operator: Band saw operators work with industrial saws that feature a continuous flexible blade revolving around two or more wheels. Band saws are most effective at producing irregular shapes.
Crosscut saw operator: Crosscut saw operators use a manual crosscut saw. Crosscut sawing is used for ‘felling’ and ‘bucking’ trees, or taking off the limbs to obtain logs. Crosscut sawyers may also work with smaller crosscut saws in a workshop to make manual cuts.
Wood router operator: Wood router operators work with industrial routers to cut wood into the desired shape. Routers have a routing head that moves over the wood, going up and down to regulate the depth of the incision. Contemporary industrial wood routers usually are computer controlled for extremely fine and consistent results.
Optional knowledge
Sawing techniques is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this knowledge may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.
Veneer slicer operator: Veneer slicer operators slice lumber into thin sheets to be used as a cover for other materials, such as particle board or fibre board. Veneer slicers may use various machines to obtain different cuts of wood: a rotary lathe to produce cuts peripendicular to the growth rings, a slicing machine to create plank-like cuts, or a half-round lathe which gives the operator the freedom to make a selection of the most interesting cuts.
Planer thicknesser operator: Planer thicknesser operators use machinery to shave wood planks to a uniform thickness. The machine usually planes both sides of the plank in one operation. They feed the plank into the machine carefully to prevent excess planing at the edge known as ‘snipe’.
Debarker operator: Debarker operators operate debarking machines to strip harvested trees of their bark. The tree is fed into the machine, after which the bark is stripped using abrasion or cutting.
Sawmill operator: Sawmill operators work with automated lumber mill equipment which saws timber into rough lumber. They also handle various sawing machines which further process the lumber in various shapes and sizes. These processes are nowadays often computer controlled.
Woodturner: Woodturners use a lathe to remove superfluous material from wood. The lathe turns the workpiece around its axis, as shape tools are used to obtain the desired shape.
Wood production supervisor: Wood production supervisors monitor processes involved in the conversion of felled trees into usable lumber. They follow the production process and make quick decisions to resolve problems. ​They ensure that production targets, such as quantity and quality of products, timeliness and cost-effectiveness, can be achieved.
References
- Sawing techniques – ESCO
