TIMBER PRODUCTS Lumber Grading Services

Timber Products Inspection (TP) has been grading lumber and working with sawmills since 1969.  We are the largest overall accredited agency under ALSC combining the Lumber, Treating, WPM, and Pellet Auditing Programs. 

Our National Services Offered Include:

• TPTS 3-Day Onsite Grader Training Course

  • TPTS stands for Timber Products Technical Services, and it is our department that provides all of our traning courses.
  • This 3-day onsite course combines classroom training with hands-on lumber grading tutorials. By putting both types of instruction together, this course can take “green” grader candidates and launch them weeks or months ahead in their training process as opposed to having them stand on the chain and watch a certified grader grade lumber.
  • It can also provide the missing foundational knowledge to “sight” graders who have many years of grading but have never been taught how to apply the written rules and interpretations.

• Grade Optimizer Start Up

  • TP will be with you onsite at startup of a new grade machine inspecting lumber that is coming out of the system to provide you with Above Grade and Below Grade results, so you will know if the machine is meeting the performance guarantees given to you by the machine manufacturer.

• Grade Optimizer Defect Surveys

  • Our grade optimizer defect surveys provide a good look at how well your grade optimizer is "seeing" the defects.
  • You can use our survey results to help you decide if you need to adjust the settings in your optimizer, or you can share it directly with the manufacturer of your optimizer and let them use it as feedback for adjusting your machine settings.

• Dry Kiln Surveys

  • Dry kiln surveys include comprehensive airflow mapping studies.
  • Other items evaluated include:
    • Fan motor amperage balance
    • Fan blade pitch
    • Fan shroud efficacy
    • Baffling
    • Steam trap operation

• Planer Machine Setup Evaluations

  • TP will provide a planer technician to come in and “line” the machine. During this process, worn parts are identified, and adjustments are made to those parts that are still in spec.
  • Planer Operator training is accomplished during this process as well, and we stay to oversee the startup of the machine during the next production run.

• Rough Green 2&Btr Surveys

  • Rough green 2&Btr percentages are quantified and used to evaluate 2&Btr drop due to post sawmilling defects. While some drop is to be expected, excessive drop must be identified and traced to root cause.

• Defect Surveys

  • TP asks the question of each piece when conducting a defect survey on lower grade lumber – “Why won’t this piece make a higher grade?” These results are tallied by individual defect and then put into groups broken down by:
    • Above Grade
    • Natural Defect
    • Manufactured Defect
    • Drying Defect

• Grader Evaluations

  • Grader performance is tracked for accuracy. Reports are generated at the time of each inspection. Non-destruct trim surveys are very helpful in monitoring grader performance as well.

• Full Mill Audits

  • Audits are broken down into Green End Audits and dry End Audits, each worth 100 points.
  • The Green End audit begins with evaluating incoming log shipments and ends at the Green Sorter.
  • The Dry End audit begins with evaluating the stacking of rough green lumber and ends in the lumber shipping department.
  • This is an excellent tool to be able to evaluate each stage in the process from turning the log into a finished product.

• MSR & MEL Yield Studies

  • TP uses our E-Machine to perform testing on your candidate stock to estimate what MSR/MEL grades your visually graded lumber would yield.
  • We can qualify you to use any of the ALSC-approved MSR/MEL machines. During our qualification process, we will work with your QC technician to show them how to use the offline proof testing equipment and will also offer advice on how to set up your machine for optimum yield.

• USDA - APHIS Certificates

  • TP offers electronic submission of APHIS certificates for overseas shipments of lumber. No more overnighting the originals to us!

• Finger Joint Production Supervision

  • TP can qualify you to produce finger jointed lumber for vertical use or for certified exterior applications.

TP also provides:

• Comprehensive online reporting
• Re-inspection or arbitration of disputes.
• Inspection and consultation in cases involving litigation.