Sawmill Equipment
Sawmill equipment refers to the different tools and machinery used in sawmills. Saw mills are facilities where logs are shaped into lumber forms that are needed for construction or other purposes. Most construction designs and DIY projects call for specific measurements of wood, such as 2x4 planks of lumber, and these exact measurements are produced in the sawmill. Sawmills may be located at the same area where trees are felled or, more commonly, in a separate location. Previously in history, workers cut logs and planks into desired shapes by hand, which proved to be an extremely time-consuming and often imprecise process. Nowadays, most of this cutting is done by complex machinery, such as band saws and band mills, often run by computerized systems. Sawmill equipment involves large-scale machinery as well as smaller, portable models, such as portable sawmills, used by individuals.
Band Saws
Band saws are a key piece of sawmill equipment. A band saw consists of a continuous metal blade, or ‘band’, with teeth along one edge. This blade is normally wrapped over two wheels that rotate, making the saw blade move in a continuous motion at high speeds. This constant movement is what allows the band saw to produce even and straight cuts since the teeth are evenly distributed and the speed consistently regulated. A manual worker would have difficulty in producing such even cuts, as it is nearly impossible to consistently produce uniform sawing motions with manual tools. One manual sawing motion on a plank of wood is unlikely to display the exact same angle and the exact same amount of force that the previous motion displayed. Thus, band saws help to standardise the lumber that is produced from sawmills and, as most buyers will call for specific dimensions of wood, this makes them an extremely important part of sawmill equipment.
Band Mills
Band mills refer to the larger pieces of sawmill equipment incorporating the band saw. Band mills are often used for the initial cutting of logs. Length and width specifications are set on the machine, which usually takes a computerized form, and then logs are set on a conveyor belt towards the band saw. The band saw then slices the logs into the desired plank sizes. Bands mills can also be used in subsequent cross cuts once the initial planks are dried. For smaller cuts and crosscuts, wood can be pushed by hand towards the band saw to be shaped. This is especially the case if smaller sizes of lumber are called for.
Block Cutters
Block cutters are a type of sawmill machinery that are particularly used to make crosscuts. Block cutters consist of a blade that raises and lowers like a guillotine to chop wood into custom shapes and sizes. A block cutter performs a small and standardised crosscut to produce a great amount of wooden units, or ‘blocks’, to be shipped out to their various destinations. Although much sawmill machinery is large-scale and used in factory settings, smaller models for individual use are available and are often much cheaper.
Portable Sawmills
Portable sawmills come in many different sizes and models, but generally include wheels so that they may be easily transported to the lumber site. Individual users whose purposes are not necessarily commercial often use a portable sawmill.