9431- Sawmill machine operators

Canada NOC: 
9431
Job Title: 

Sawmill machine operators

Job Description: 

Sawmill machine operators operate, monitor and control automated lumbermill equipment to saw timber logs into rough lumber; saw, trim and plane rough lumber into dressed lumber of various sizes; and saw or split shingles and shakes. They are employed in sawmills and planing mills.

Main Duties: 

Sawmill machine operators perform some or all of the following duties:


Operate front-end loaders and stationary deck cranes to feed logs into the sawmill
Examine logs and rough lumber to determine size, condition, quality and other characteristics to decide best lumber cuts to carry out, or use automated equipment to convey logs through laser scanners which determine the most productive and profitable cutting patterns
Operate automated lumbermill equipment from control rooms or equipment consoles to saw logs into rough lumber; saw, trim and plane rough lumber into dressed lumber of various sizes; and saw or split shingles and shakes
Start conveyor system to move logs and lumber to and from saws
Set up and adjust saw equipment and replace blades or bands using wrenches, gauges and other hand tools
Operate equipment to sort and stack lumber by length and thickness, move stacks to storage areas or drying kilns, and feed lumber through planers
Monitor movement of lumber and computer screens to ensure cuts are made according to specifications, and print production reports
Clean and lubricate sawmill equipment.

Employment Requirements: 

Completion of secondary school is usually required.
College courses in wood processing technology may be required.
Several weeks of on-the-job training are usually provided.
Head sawyers and planer operators usually require several years of experience in other sawmill machine operating positions in the same company.
A certificate in industrial first aid may be required.

Additional Inormation: 

There is some mobility among jobs in this occupational group.
Progression to supervisory positions is possible with experience.

Classified Elsewhere: 

Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing (9614)
Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders (9436)
Other wood processing machine operators (9434)
Supervisors, forest products processing (9215)
Woodworking machine operators (9437)

International Careers(ISCO): 
Source Of Info: 

National Occupation Classification, (2011)

Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada,

February 2012,

Catalogue no. 12-583-X