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Defect-free quarter-sawn boards from the Phase 2
study
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A detailed analysis of the CRC’s first major processing
study on pruned, plantation-grown shining gum (Eucalyptus
nitens) was recently published in Volume 39 of the New
Zealand Journal of Forest Science (downloadable from http://nzjfs.scionresearch.com).
In this study we identified board surface checking as the most
important grade-limiting defect, affecting the potential
profitability of sawing plantation grown shining gum for
appearance-grade products
The CRC’s second major processing study also used
plantation-grown shining gum logs from the Forestry Tasmania
silvicultural trial at Goulds Country, north-east Tasmania. A
linear sawing system, the HewSaw R250, delivered improved sawing
accuracy, and we evaluated a number of controlled drying schedules.
There were marked reductions in board surface checking. Visible
surface checks on back-sawn boards were reduced by more than 80%,
from an average of 771 cm per square metre of board area in the
Phase 1 study to 137 cm per square metre. Over 88% of boards in the
Phase 2 study were free from surface checks. Internal
checking was also reduced in the Phase 2 study, with 54% of boards
having no internal checking.
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Quarter-sawn boards relatively free of internal
checking, Phase 2 study
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A detailed report on the Phase 2 study will be published as CRC
Technical Report No. 200. These results will be very important to
for growers and processors of the pruned shining gum plantation
wood resources that are now reaching maturity.
A third processing study to be carried out later this year will
examine product quality of rotary veneer and thin-section
quarter-sawn boards, using pruned logs from the Lisle shining gum
silvicultural trial in north-east Tasmania. These trees have
grown markedly faster than the Goulds Country, giving us further
insights into the relationship between growth and wood quality.
Contact
Russell Washusen
03 9545 2173
Russell.Washusen@csiro.au
