2018 International Forest Industries IFI Aug Sept 2018 Digital

Don’t leave profits in the forest A small log line from HewSaw is an ideal solution for processing small logs or thinnings that are often left in the forest. In many cases these small logs can provide added profits to the mill operator Adding smaller logs to your mill’s log diet can offer added flexibility, increased production and an opportunity to bring home some extra profits real estate in the mill; with some mill flow changes, they can be incorporated into existing log and board handling systems; they require very little manpower with typically just one operator looking after the entire line; and they feature in-line edging, eliminating the need for downstream edgers. The HewSaw small log lines are not designed to replace the large log lines already in the mill. They are designed to supplement these larger lines and provide a cost- effective way to process smaller logs, adding flexibility to the mill in terms of log supply and products produced. HewSaw is no stranger to small log processing. They started out I n business, you never want to leave money on the table when negotiating a deal, so why would any sawmill operator leave money on the forest floor? It seems like a straight forward question with an easy answer, but in reality it can be a little more complicated than it seems, resulting in significant profits often being left behind in the forest in the form of rejected logs. The main reason sawmill operators leave logs behind is size. In many parts of the world and especially in the Southern Hemisphere, sawmills are designed to operate efficiently with logs in excess of 350mm in diameter. They are just not equipped to deal with smaller logs that are often considered to be too much trouble for the return. But with a little ingenuity, planning and some minor changes to mill flow, processing these small logs through a small log line can prove quite profitable. The logs in question range in diameter from approximately 75mm (3 inches) to 250mm (10 inches). In many cases, especially with the logs on the smaller end of this range, it doesn’t make sense to process them in the large line already in place at the mill. Many of these mills only have the one line and it has been 24 International Forest Industries | AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2018 specifically engineered for larger logs. That’s where the beauty of a small log line such as HewSaw’s R200 and R250 single pass machines comes into play. These primary breakdown lines from Finland, offer a small footprint, requiring very little in Finland almost 60 years ago when they developed a small log processing machine that could be moved from site to site. Today, HewSaw employs over 200 people worldwide and has HewSaws in well over 30 countries on six continents.

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