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Title / Identify, diagnose, and rectify saw centre problems
Level / 5 / Credits / 25
Purpose / People credited with this unit standard are able to identify, diagnose, and rectify: saw blade problems; saw centre and set work alignment problems; saw centre mechanical condition problems; saw centre set-up problems; and raw materials and saw centre operational problems that impact on the efficiency of the saw centre.
Classification / Solid Wood Manufacturing > Saw Doctoring
Available grade / Achieved
Entry information
Recommended skills and knowledge / Prerequisite: National Certificate in Solid Wood Manufacturing (Advanced) with strand in Saw Doctoring (Level 4) [Ref: 1307]; or demonstrate equivalent knowledge and skills.
Explanatory notes
1 The following apply to the performance of all outcomes of this unit standard:
a All work practices must meet recognised codes of practice and documented worksite health and safety and environmental requirements (where these exceed the code) for personal, product, and worksite health and safety, and must meet the obligations required under current legislation, including the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, the Resource Management Act 1991, and their subsequent amendments.
b All work practices must meet documented worksite operating procedures. This includes the recording (by electronic or non-electronic means) of activities, events, and decisions.
c All evidence of communications gathered in relation to this unit standard must be in accordance with worksite procedures for content, recipient, timing, and method.
2 Problems identified, diagnosed and rectified for all outcomes of this unit standard must be critical in terms of their potential to adversely affect productivity and quality standards.
3 The reference text for this unit standard is Williston, E, Saws: Design, Selection, Operation, Maintenance (2nd ed.) (San Francisco: Miller Freeman, 1989), available from Competenz, PO Box 9005, Newmarket, Auckland 1149.
3 Definitions
Root cause analysis refers to the systematic analysis of causes associated with a problem until the one that will eliminate the problem is identified.
Worksite policies and procedures refer to documented policies and to documented or other directions provided to staff. These include, but are not limited to, ways of managing health and safety, environmental considerations, quality, and production, and must conform to legislation. Examples include standard operating procedures, company health and safety plans, on-site briefings, and supervisor’s instructions.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Identify, diagnose, and rectify saw blade problems that impact on the efficiency of the saw centre.
Range causes of saw blade problems may include but are not limited to:
circular saws – saw throwing sawdust from the back, saw heating in the rim area, saw heating in the inner area, saw pounds or chatters at the guides, cracks at the collar or spacer contact zone, gullet cracking;
bandsaws – saw overheats, saw dishes, saw vibrates, saw oscillates on wheels, saw twists, saw develops cracks;
stellite tips – poor bond, tip breakage in use, chill line breakage, gullet cracks;
carbide tips – tip loss, chill line breaks, dubbed carbide tooth face or side, carbide heat cracks or checks.
Evidence requirements
1.1 Sawn product defects that may arise from saw blade problems are described in accordance with the reference text.
1.2 Saw blade problems are identified for a given saw centre, using sawn product, plant observation, and plant data.
Range evidence for two saw blade problems is required.
1.3 Saw blade problems identified in evidence requirement 1.2 are investigated, and a diagnosis for each problem is made using root cause analysis.
1.4 Corrective actions to rectify saw blade problems are implemented in accordance with the diagnoses in evidence requirement 1.3.
1.5 Corrective actions implemented in evidence requirement 1.4 rectify the saw blade problems investigated in evidence requirement 1.3.
1.6 Communication with management and operational staff regarding implementation of corrective actions is completed in accordance with worksite policies and procedures
Outcome 2
Identify, diagnose, and rectify saw centre and set work alignment problems that impact on the efficiency of the saw centre.
Range causes of saw centre and set work alignment problems may include but are not limited to – out of squareness, out of plumb, level and straightness of all saw centre components to the travel of timber through the saw centre; misalignment of carriage and saw; misalignment of saw and bed or fence to resaw; misalignment of rollers to arbour of edger; misalignment of saws and sharp chain; misalignment of slabbers to travel of log, cant or board.
Evidence requirements
2.1 Sawn product defects that may arise from the saw centre and set work alignment problem are described in accordance with the reference text.
2.2 A saw centre and set work alignment problem are identified for a given saw centre, using sawn product, plant observation, and plant data.
2.3 The saw centre and set work alignment problem identified in evidence requirement 2.2 is investigated and a diagnosis for each problem is made using root cause analysis.
2.4 Corrective actions to rectify the saw centre and set work alignment problem are implemented in accordance with the diagnoses in evidence requirement 2.3.
2.5 Corrective actions implemented evidence requirement 2.4 rectify the saw centre and set work problem investigated in evidence requirement 2.3.
2.6 Communication with management and operational staff regarding implementation of corrective actions is completed in accordance with worksite policies and procedures
Outcome 3
Identify, diagnose, and rectify saw centre mechanical condition problems that impact on the efficiency of the saw centre.
Range causes of saw centre mechanical condition problems may include but are not limited to damage or wear to – drives, drive belts, arbors, bearings, guides, collars, bandwheels, log carriage components, bed rollers/chains, set works, strain systems, lubrication systems.
Evidence requirements
3.1 Sawn product defects that may arise from saw centre mechanical condition problems are described in accordance with the reference text.
3.2 A saw centre mechanical condition problem is identified for a given saw centre, using sawn product, plant observation, and plant data.
3.3 The saw centre mechanical condition problem identified in evidence requirement 3.2 is investigated and a diagnosis for each problem is made using root cause analysis.
3.4 Corrective actions to rectify the saw centre mechanical condition problem are implemented in accordance with the diagnoses in evidence requirement 3.3.
3.5 Corrective actions implemented in evidence requirement 3.4 rectify the saw centre mechanical condition problem investigated in evidence requirement 3.3.
3.6 Communication with management and operational staff regarding implementation of corrective actions is completed in accordance with worksite policies and procedures
Outcome 4
Identify, diagnose, and rectify saw centre set-up problems that impact on the efficiency of the saw centre.
Range causes of saw centre set-up problems may include but are not limited to – incorrect roller pressures, incorrect bandsaw guide pressures, guide wear, incorrect edger guide clearances, incorrect guide set-ups, incorrect tracking of bandsaw bandwheels, worn scrapers, worn shear plates, incorrect strain settings and set-up, incorrect lubrication rates, incorrect or not saw lubricants.
Evidence requirements
4.1 Sawn product defects that may arise from saw centre set-up problems are described in accordance with the reference text.
4.2 A saw centre set-up problem is identified for a given saw centre, using sawn product, plant observation, and plant data.
4.3 The saw centre set-up problem identified in evidence requirement 4.2 is investigated and a diagnosis for each problem is made using root cause analysis.
4.4 Corrective actions to rectify saw the centre set-up problem are implemented in accordance with the diagnoses in evidence requirement 4.3.
4.5 Corrective actions implemented in evidence requirement 4.4 rectify the saw centre set-up problem investigated in evidence requirement 4.3.
4.6 Communication with management and operational staff regarding implementation of corrective actions is completed in accordance with worksite policies and procedures
Outcome 5
Identify, diagnose, and rectify raw material supply and operational problems that impact on the efficiency of the saw centre.
Range causes of raw materials supply problems may include but are not limited to – moisture content, log specification, dimensions, tree age, density, species, compression wood, tension wood, grain, storage time after felling, sweep, butt flare, foreign objects/matter, internal and external log damage;
operational problems may include but are not limited to – feed speed and depth of cut relationship errors, material alignment to the saw centre, presentation of material to the saw centre, movement of material or equipment during cutting.
Evidence requirements
5.1 Sawn product defects that may arise from materials supply and saw centre operational problems are described in accordance with the reference text.
5.2 A saw centre raw materials supply, and operational problem is identified for a given saw centre, using sawn product, plant observation, and plant data.
5.3 The saw centre raw materials supply, and/or operational problem identified in evidence requirement 5.2 is investigated and a diagnosis for each problem is made using root cause analysis.
5.4 Corrective actions to rectify the saw centre raw material supply and/or operational problem are implemented in accordance with the diagnoses in evidence requirement 5.3.
5.5 Corrective actions implemented in evidence requirement 5.4 rectify the saw centre raw material supply, and/or operational problem investigated in evidence requirement 5.3.
5.6 Communication with management and operational staff regarding implementation of corrective actions is completed in accordance with worksite policies and procedures.
Planned review date / 31 December 2016Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process / Version / Date / Last Date for Assessment /Registration / 1 / 18 December 2006 / 31 December 2013
Review / 2 / 21 June 2012 / N/A
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference / 0173
This CMR can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Comments on this unit standard
Please contact the Competenz at if you wish to suggest changes to the content of this unit standard.
CompetenzSSB Code 101571 / Ó New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2013