Producing Studs from Paper Birch by Saw-Dry-Rip

摘要

Paper birch, the second most abundant hardwood species in the Great Lakes region, is greatly underutilized. The major obstacle to the commercial use of paper birch is warp. In the study, the authors compared the effect of two methods of sawing (conventional and Saw-Dry-Rip (SDR)) and two methods of drying (conventional and high temperature) on warp of paper birch studs. Effects of air and dehumidification drying were evaluated only for SDR sawing and for comparison of mean values with the other four treatments. In general, there was a statistically significant increase in warp, especially crook, during a 1-month storage period at laboratory conditions. SDR was most effective in reducing warp of studs from upper logs. Problems encountered included dark wood (which resulted in honey comb and collapse) and excessive thickness shrinkage.