California White and Sugar Pine Association Awards Prizes for Waste Prevention Ideas

The Waste Prevention Committee of the California White & Sugar Pine Association met April 19, to consider the ideas submitted by employees of members of the association, and owing to the excellence of the three entries submitted, were unable to award first and second prizes, and accordingly decided to give one-third of the totil prize to each entrant.

All of the entries in the local contest are automatically entered in the National Lumber Manufacturers' Waste Prevention Contest. The National atvards will probablv be and illustrations of tn" a",,;.., .,,tered in the local contest can be secured from the entrants.

Particulars of the entries follow : over our daily sawing record as these show a noticeabte incrtase in cut the next day after installation.

Name: E. A. Ferris, Westwood, California.

Occupation: Sawmill Superintendent, Red River Lbr. Co.

Association: California White & Sugar Pine Mfrs. Assn.

In my -forty years of mill experience I cannot recall a single instance where so small an outlay produced such wonderful r-esults, and I am positive that anyone who gives it a thorough trial wili never go back to the old type of guides.

Name: R. E. Barrington, Susanville, California.

_ Occupation: Shipping Foreman, Lassen Operation, Fruit Growers Supply Company.

Association: California White & Sugar Pine Mfrs. Assn.

Description of Entry: "Improved Kiln Bunk and Turn Buckle Dc- vics" which keeps edge-piled kiln loads under pressure and greatly r.educes-d_egrade. caused by cupping, warping, and twisting of lumbe-r during kiln drying.

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-Description of Entry: "Resaw Guide" consisting of two sets of 7-l% in. square Lignumvitae blocks 3 in. long, set 6n end in frames ^ and used as lower guides. Lower guides only are used on the hori- - zontal resaw, the two guides being about 3/g in. above the line of the b_and wheels, thereby making the saw very stift and rigid between t!r. tryg guides (like putting two bridges under a violin string). Each block has individual set screws beneath and at one side ior adjustment.

An extra pair of guides is kept on hand in case the saw hits a splise or rock and thereby ruins the teeth.

Used since last fall on two 6 foot horizontal resaws using 16 gauge saws. Could also be used on vertical resaws or band mill bt developing means for holding them.

Claims of Entrant: With the old type of guide for a horizontal resaw it requires constant watching to produce good lumber for the reason that a thin scale of bark off from the slabs or the "whiskers" on the bottom edge of cut on square cants is drawn or driven in between the saw blade and guide plugs, either turning the saw up or down as the case may be, with the result it makes lots of thick or thin lumber. Also a saw that is a little dull or weak in tension will snake very readily when fed a bit too fast lvith the old tvpe of guides and a sliver wedged betu'een saw and guide plugs, of itre old type, will draw in very tightly and cause the saw to heat and make snaky lumber,_ or run off the wheel. which usually is accompanied with more or less damage and lost time.

With my new guide the trouble of bark or slivers in the euide is entirely eliminated as I do not use a top guide at all-evelything goes clear.

The saw running over these two high guides makes the saw very stiff between thenr and will stand a much faster feed and malie much more evenly sawed lumber than is possible with the old type double guides set on wheel line.

It would be useless for me_to attempt to state the percentage of increase in cut that this guide will produce, or the percentase of miscut lumber it saves, as it is almost unbelievable and far exieeds any expectations that I had while designing it.

One mill was equipped about a month ahead of the other and it is an easy matter to find the dates they were installed by going back

. Consists of (l)- an- eight foot bunk made of 4 inch channel iron, bunk having width of 4 in. at ends and 5 in. at center. In the bunk is a heavy coil spring /g in. x 22 in, whjch acts on the crib stakes and will -ta!e up qs m,u9h as 8 in. of shrinkage. (2) Turn buckle braces which are placed between the crib stake ind th6 t<ltn side wall near the top of the kiln load and which hold load in place. Six inch pfates on end of turn brrckle prevent damage to the tile kiln walls. Two of these braces are used for each kitn l,oad, one being placed at the front left hand and re'ar right hand stake when sugar-pine or fir in which spiral grain inclines to the left are being dri;d, and one at the front right_ hand a.nd rear left hand stakes wfien Cal. white pine in-which -spiral grain inclines to the right is being dried.

These braces hold the .cribs _firmly in place and take-up springs tensioned between the crib stakes across the top of the kil; lo;d prevent cupping or warping of the lumber in the-load. Where kiln walls.are of.concrete, the turn buckle brace could be equipped with a- spring which rvould take up all the shrinkage during-diying, and the braces could then be anchored in the kiln-walls.

_ Seasoning defects suc-h aq cuq, warp, and twist occur mostly in thick stock and the device described is used on all 6/4 and thiiker lumber going through the kilns.

Claims of Entrant: Careful tests show a degrade of 7/o in kiln drying when the Evans type stackers, requiring fstickers and random lengths, were used at an actual degrade of 8,750 feet per day in kilns having a capacity of 125,000 ft. per day. The degrade of thii quantity of upper grades,having a value of $40.00 per Ii{ to a factory gradl having a value of $25.00 per M represented a loss of $130.00 peidav. ln 1925 the Tanner systern of stacking rjvas installed. ftris riduced the degrade to 2/o or a daily loss of 937.50. The device submitted has practicatly eliminated this degrade.

Name: J. L. Eiselstein, Box 394, Sonora, California.

Occupation: Millwright. Pickering Lumber Cornpany.

Association: California White & Sugar Pine Mfrs. Assn.

Description of Entry: "Conveyor Watchman," a device for stoo- ping conveyor chains and catching broken ends of chains. Slaik end-of broken chain pulls over driving tumbler and falls on lever, tipping it forward and dislodging an arm which automatically releases the friction drive and rings an alarm bell.

Claims of Entrant: Broken chains sometimes cause breakage of links, bent shafting, and broken gears. Also may make it neceisary to shut down mill.

Can be used on a number of conveyors in the mill. Has been in use eight months very successfully. Stops drive with broken ends from eight to twelve inches apart.