Northern Research Station

Title: Power consumption and lumber yields for reduced-kerf circular saws cutting hardwoods

Author: Cuppett, Donald G.

Date: 1982

Source: Res. Pap. NE-505. Broomall, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 6p.

Station ID: RP-NE-505

Description: Two 50-inch diameter headsaws were used for sawing (a) hardwood cants into boards, and (b) hardwood bolts into pallet parts. One saw had a 9x10 gage plate with 114-inch kerf teeth, and the other had a 7x8 gage plate with 9/32-inch kerf teeth. Power consumption for the two saws was determined with a watt-hour meter, measuring power used for paired cuts in 6-inch thick hardwood cants. Product yields for the two saws were compared by sawing matched samples of hardwood bolts into pallet parts. The 114-inch kerf saw consumed an average of 15 percent less power than the 9/32-inch kerf saw. Product yield for the 114-inch kerf saw averaged 8 percent more than yield for the 9/32-inch kerf saw. Both power consumption and product yield differences for the two saws were highly significant.

Keywords: Headsaw performance, conversion efficiency, pallet production

View and Print this Publication (1.1 MB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
• This publication may be available in hard copy. Check the Northern Research Station web site to request a printed copy of this publication.
• Our on-line publications are scanned and captured using Adobe Acrobat. During the capture process some typographical errors may occur. Please contact Sharon Hobrla, shobrla@fs.fed.us if you notice any errors which make this publication unuseable.

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Cuppett, Donald G.  1982.  Power consumption and lumber yields for reduced-kerf circular saws cutting hardwoods.   Res. Pap. NE-505. Broomall, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 6p..