ON THE CUTTING EDGE

SAWFILERS IMPACT ON THE BOTTOM LINE

By John Hebert

   The publisher of this magazine contacted me to write a column about Sawfilers and our trade. I thought to myself, what could I contribute of value to the readers? After mulling it over, having discussions with them, I decided this is a great forum to give updates regarding our sawfiling Apprenticeship program, share some filers’ successes, discuss new technology and just provide a “sounding board”.

   When I stopped in to visit a friend at his home several years ago, he had visitors from New Zealand. Over a coffee I asked the gentleman what he does for work at home. “ I am a warden of a maximum-security prison.” He told me I didn’t know what to say, other than WOW! He then put the same question to me; I told him, “I am a sawfiler”. His response: “You mean a Sawdoctor? … WOW!”  I wasn’t sure who was more impressed. His response made me think differently about the trade, as at the time I had only been in the filing room a few years, and I now have a much better appreciation of my job and what we can do for the mills we work in.

   Most Sawfilers agree that the filing room is “the heart of sawmill”, but as with most shops it is tucked away where most don’t see it. At times we get the feeling we are a necessary evil and are called upon only when a saw deviates or starts marking and we are to do whatever it takes to correct it ASAP.

   I had a sawmill foreman use an analogy of comparing a racecar team in a pit stop to Sawfilers changing saws. When the wheels come to a stop, they change the tires, gas it up, tweak the suspension, get it back on the track, go hard, and hopefully win the race. I don’t disagree with him, but I told him if a tire changer doesn’t get the lugnuts tight, and the tire falls off, the driver most definitely loses the race. The same can be said for changing saws; if you put too much emphasis on getting the job done fast that’s when things go wrong. (Saws on backwards, guides not tight, not locking out properly etc.) It doesn’t take too many things to go wrong before your company accumulates downtime, and you might  “lose the race”.

   The goal every day for the mills we work at is for the company to make money, but sometimes there is a fine line between high lumber recovery and making a profit. If the company does not make money, it doesn’t matter if your recovery is better than everybody else, you will still be out of a job. We can bend over backwards trying to recover a 6’x 1”x3” when we could put a larger dimension board in its place. A great deal of energy needs to be put into looking at how sawing is done in the mills to make it as profitable and efficient as possible. 

   At this point in time there is a lot of uncertainty in the lumber - logging industry due to the Softwood Trade Dispute, the rising Canadian Dollar and unstable lumber market. We as Sawfilers must do everything we can in our corner of the mill to help our individual mills become “low cost producers”. If we have a problem with a machine or saw at our plant, I will quite often look to other filers at different mills for ideas to maybe correct a similar problem they may have encountered.

   Another way is to attend one of the many informative annual Sawfilers conventions and trade shows. One of the best is the BC Saw Filer’s Association annual convention and trade show. Attending conventions will not only give you the opportunity to look at new equipment on the market, attend one of the many informative seminars, but also talk to fellow filers and share experiences and sawing problems. This year’s show is scheduled for May 9-11, 2003 in Prince George BC. The best way to get information on this convention and association is to get access via the Internet and go to the website: www.bcsawfilers.com or call Allen Gallant @ 1-604-585-4012. Mr. Gallant should be able to answer most of your questions, or direct you to those who can.

   If you have any comments, ideas or questions of interest regarding the sawfiling trade that we can use in this column, please send me an e-mail; jehebert@telus.net

   John Hebert is the Head Filer at Gorman Bros. In Westbank, BC.