I Suppose He Invented The Chip-N-Saw, Too

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Timber Processing 2017

You’ll notice in the kiln drying section of this issue, several references to continuous dry kilns. We know certain equipment manufacturers that make them because we’ve seen theirs in action, and we’ve read about others who claim to make them, but maybe we haven’t seen theirs. Regardless, the continuous dry kiln is like…well, the curve-sawing gang of the ’90s. I’m referring to momentous developments in sawmill operations of course. Obviously there have been many others, but these two come to mind.

Every time I read about a continuous dry kiln being sold by a certain manufacturer, I have to smile, because I think Andy Pollard still gets a piece of the action. Or maybe that time has passed. But I still smile.

I recall in 2006 when I visited Pollard Lumber in Appling, Ga. and sat down with Andy to talk about the family sawmill business and about the direct-fired triple-length continuous dry kiln they had just installed.

Not satisfied with the mill’s drying results, Andy had decided to put his ideas into one of their aging kilns. So he built a kiln three times longer—adding 80 ft. to each end of the existing 80 ft. double track unit (no doors on it). Lumber would move through the kiln on respective tracks in opposite directions; the heat coming off the dry lumber would pre-heat the green lumber, and moisture coming off the green lumber would condition the dry lumber.

And it worked, big time, in terms of production, grade, inventory movement, etc. He contacted USNR, which agreed to build it, and they came up with a sales/royalty agreement of some kind.

Pollard filed for a patent in 2006 and was granted it, under his name, Levi A. Pollard. It refers to a “dual path kiln” and a “kiln having one or more chambers and at least two lumber charge paths adapted to convey lumber through the kiln in opposite directions.”

USNR started calling it a “counter-flow” continuous dry kiln. T. R. Miller put one in for poles a year later and within several years USNR had sold a couple dozen to the likes of Rex Lumber, Canfor, West Fraser and others.

Today USNR is one of several companies that builds and sells them. I know that Pollard and several others, such as consultant Doug Tinsley, are listed as inventors on several other patent filings for dual path kiln improvements, and I assume they’ve been granted these or some of these.

Another thing that caught my eye on Levi A. Pollard’s list of patents was one for a “method and apparatus for cutting a cant into boards.” The apparatus referred to is a gang saw mounted on a pivot axis to accommodate curvature in the cant as the cant moves through the cutting device. Hello curve-sawing.

Listed on this patent, dated March 3, 1998, is not only Pollard, but Ronald McGehee, Christopher Raybon, Russell Kennedy and Patrick Conry. Pollard had apparently come up with the concept, McGehee of Ukiah built it and Hi-Tech Engineering (Raybon, Kennedy and Conry) put optimization on it. They installed the first one at Pollard Lumber. At least that’s one version.

Unfortunately Pollard said he signed away his rights to the patent, whatever that means, though I think it means he didn’t collect any royalties on future sales.

Whether he did or not, and whether he still does or not on the continuous dry kiln, it’s quite remarkable that the same man was largely responsible for the concepts behind two great machinery production achievements in sawmills.