The first stage in production is our Saw Room. The saw room consists
of three positions: Picker, Sawyer and Catcher. Each is briefly
detailed below.

The Picker is responsible for the loading of the saws. He will load the
transfer, the live deck at the feed side of the saws. The transfer is
loaded with the proper grade, species and quantity of lumber
required for the saw to cut a job or jobs. Our lumber inventory
consists of nearly 100% Southern Yellow Pine, but we have some 2x3
Spruce-Pine-Fir for web stock. Our southern yellow pine stock is made
up of 8 different grades and 10 different lengths in 2x4, 2x6 and 2x8.
With such a broad inventory our Pickers have become a vital part of
the saw room. So much so, one Picker is now our Head Sawyer.

The Sawyer’s main job is to feed the saw. With major advancements
in technology our Sawyer has become more of a computer technician
than a sawyer. Five years ago we purchased a Mitek Cyber Saw, a
computer based component saw. Prior to this purchase all our angle
and lengths were set up manually. This process took anywhere from
30 seconds to a minute. Once it was setup manually it had to be
checked by the catcher. The catcher would verify proper length and
angles, this added more time to the cutting process. The Cyber Saw
combines both tasks and does them in roughly three seconds, with
ninety-eight percent accuracy.

Imagine the time savings!

The Catcher is the final stage in the Saw Room. The Catcher
essentially catches the lumber as it comes out of the saw. It can be an
exhausting job. Catching 2x8 Southern Yellow Pine in 16 foot lengths
can tire a person out! Strength is not the only requirement the
Catcher needs. The final cut product must be labeled clearly and
accurately for efficient handling once it reaches the production floor.
Once the bundle is properly labeled and banded it is ready for the
shop floor and assembly.

All of the positions above, over the last few years have been fine tuned
into a highly efficient department. With the addition of the Cyber
Saw, Live decks and other essential upgrades the Saw Room has
become another integral part of PDJ’s quality based manufacturing
process.