Sawmill Machine Operators

Nature of work

Sawmill machine operators use, monitor and control automated lumbermill equipment to saw timber logs into rough lumber; saw, trim and plane rough lumber into dressed lumber of various sizes; and saw or split shingles and shakes. They work in sawmills and planing mills.

Job duties

Sawmill machine operators:

• Use front-end loaders and stationary deck cranes to feed logs into the sawmill.
• Examine logs and rough lumber to determine size, condition, quality and other characteristics to decide best lumber cuts to carry out or use automated equipment to convey logs through laser scanners which decide the most productive and profitable cutting patterns.
• Use lumbermill equipment from control rooms or equipment consoles to saw logs into rough lumber; saw, trim and plane rough lumber into dressed lumber of various sizes; and saw or split shingles and shakes.
• Start conveyor system to move logs and lumber to and from saws.
• Set up and adjust saw equipment and replace blades or bands using wrenches, gauges and other hand tools.
• Use equipment to sort and stack lumber by length and thickness, move stacks to storage areas or drying kilns, and feed lumber through planers.
• Monitor movement of lumber and computer screens to make sure cuts are made according to specifications, and print production reports.
• Clean and lubricate sawmill equipment.

Sample job titles

• circular saw operator - sawmill
• edger - sawmill
• head-saw operator - sawmill
• planer - sawmill
• saw operator - sawmill
• splitter - sawmill
• trimming machine operator - sawmill

Skills

• You should be responsible, alert, and in good physical health. Coordination, agility, and mechanical ability are important. You must be able to follow directions and carry out instructions given by a supervisor.

Job requirements

• High school is usually required.
• College courses in wood processing technology may be required.
• Several weeks of on-the-job training are usually provided.
• A certificate in industrial first aid may be required.

Other considerations

• These are largely rural jobs, and self-employment is not common. There is some movement among jobs in this group and movement to supervisor positions is possible with experience. Head sawyers and planer operators usually require several years of experience in other sawmill machine operating positions in the same company.

No regulating bodies were found under this occupation profile

Contacts

There are no additional resources for this occupation.