Sawing Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend wood-sawing machines, such as circular saws, band saws, multiple blade sawing machines, scroll saws, ripsaws, equalizer saws, power saws, and crozer machines. Duties include: sawing logs to specifications; cutting lumber to specified dimensions; sawing curved or irregular designs; trimming edges and removing defects from lumber; or cutting grooves, bevel, and miter according to specifications or work orders.

Job Task

• Operates and tends saws and machines to cut stock and to adjust machine speed and tension, moving levers and handwheels.
• Adjusts saw blades by turning handwheels, pressing pedals, levers, and panel buttons, or using wrenches and rulers.
• Determines sawing blade, type and grade of stock needed, and cutting procedures, according to work order or supervisor's instructions.
• Positions and clamps stock on table, conveyor, or carriage, using hoists, guides, stops, dogs, wedges, and wrench.
• Counts, sorts, and stacks finished workpieces and disposes of waste material.
• Unloads and rolls logs from truck to sawmill deck or to carriage or moves logs in pond, using pike pole.
• Lubricates and cleans machines, using wrench, grease gun, and solvents.
• Inspects stock for imperfections and estimates grade or quality of stock or workpiece.
• Sharpens blades or replaces defective or worn blades and bands, using hand tools.
• Unclamps and removes finished workpiece from table.
• Clears machine jams, using hand tools.
• Measures workpiece to mark for cuts and to verify accuracy of cuts, using ruler, square, or caliper rule.
• Moves machine table to specified angle and height by turning handwheels, cranks, or knobs.
• Mounts and bolts sawing blade or attachments to machine shaft and turns handwheels to set blade tension.
• Observes approaching lumber on conveyor to determine cut that will produce highest grade.
• Turns knobs, handwheels, setscrews, and panel controls, or uses hand tools to position and adjust cutting stops and guides.
• Guides workpiece against saw or saw over workpiece or operates automatic feeding device to guide cuts.
• Operates panelboard of saw and conveyor system to cut stock to specified dimensions and to move stock through process.
• Trims defects from stock or workpiece to straighten rough edges of lumber, using circular power saw.

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