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A Performance Evaluation Of Edging And Trimming Operations In U.S. Hardwood Sawmills, Tony El-Radi, Steven H. Bullard, Philip Steele

Faculty Publications

Edger and trimmer operators must make constant decisions in short time periods on the amount of materials to remove from boards produced in the sawmill. Their decisions directly affect the total volume, grade, and value of the boards, and they therefore directly affect the total value of lumber produced. In recent years, many softwood sawmills have installed computer controlled edgers and trimmers with scanners and optimizers to achieve higher recovery rates. Before similar, relatively expensive, technologies can be seriously evaluated for the hardwood industry, however, the current performance of edging and ·trimming operations must be known. Using a sample of …