Effects of commercial thinning, log position in the stem, and cutting width on the surface quality of cants produced by a chipper-canter

ABSTRACT

Fifteen stems of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) of 3 commercial thinned plots (control, moderate, and intensive thinning) and 15 stems of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P), both coming from the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region – Canada, were cross-cut into three 2.4 m length sections: bottom, middle, and top logs. Logs were processed with a chipper-canter at three cutting widths (12.7, 19.1, and 25.4 mm), producing chips and a three-faced cant. The middle section of the cant was used to evaluate surface quality across the grain on each face. Roughness and waviness parameters and depth of torn grain were recorded. Knot characteristics were assessed in the three cant faces. Poorer surface quality was found in the lower part compared to the upper part of the cant for both species. At larger cutting widths, jack pine logs coming from a natural stand showed lower surface quality compared to logs from thinned stands. Black spruce waviness increased with the cutting width and stem height. These results were attributed to the increase of forces and vibration when cutting at larger cutting widths, which was worsened by the presence of bigger, more numerous knots at the control plot and in the top logs. Black spruce had deeper torn grain compared to jack pine. Their differences in knot characteristics resulted in a maximum torn grain depth favored by the presence of more knots rather than by bigger knot size. Other knot characteristics, such as the position of the knots in the cant face, the insertion angle of the branch and the distribution of the knots around the log, should be studied to better understand the relationship between torn grain formation and knottiness.

KEYWORDS:

• Commercial thinning
• log position in the stem
• cutting width
• surface quality
• jack pine
• black spruce
• chipper-canter

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Angela Llavé and Piotr Iskra, Research Associates, for the technical support during laboratory testing and data processing, respectively.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).