The trades behind a piece of timber: from forest to sawn product

Before becoming a beam, a plank or square-edged timber, wood goes through several

stages and passes through the hands of many professionals. From the forest through to

processing, every intervention helps to add value to a natural material in which

each piece has its own characteristics.

It all starts in the forest

The chain begins with the management, selection and harvesting of the trees. Once

felled and prepared, the timber reaches the sawmill as logs. It is from this raw material

that our processing work begins. Every log has different characteristics:

species, diameter, length, quality and

natural features.

From log to sawn products

The sawyer's job is to read the material so as to process it and get the most

from it. Depending on the characteristics of the wood and the products required, a

log may yield structural timber, flitches, mixed-width boards

or pieces intended to be converted into square-edged timber. Sawing

must therefore balance what the log can offer with the end uses

the products are destined for.

Making the most of the material

Timber processing is not limited to the main pieces. Sawing

also generates by-products, notably sawdust and wood chips, which

can be recovered and put to use. This approach makes the best use of the material

from every log and keeps losses to a minimum during processing.

A chain of trades through to the final product

Once sawn, the pieces continue their journey to timber merchants,

carpenters, joiners, cabinetmakers and other processing professionals.

Behind a beam, a plank or a piece of furniture stands a whole succession of

trades. At Scierie VUITTON, our role sits at the heart of this chain: understanding

the material, processing it with precision and preparing the timber for the professionals who

will carry its story on.