Profession lumber grader

Lumber graders inspect lumber, or wood cut into planks. They test the lumber, look for irregularities and grade the wood based on quality and desirability of the pattern.

Personality Type

• Conventional / Realistic

Knowledge

• Timber products

  Key features, advantages and limitations of the different timbers and timber based products sold at a company and where to access this information.

• Grading systems

  The features of several grading systems such as FAS (Firsts and Seconds) and various forms of SEL (Select) and Common, which are used to buy and sell lumber worldwide.

• Construction products

  The offered construction materials, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.

• Quality assurance methodologies

  Quality assurance principles, standard requirements, and the set of processes and activities used for measuring, controlling and ensuring the quality of products and processes.

• Manufacturing processes

  The steps required through which a material is transformed into a product, its development and full-scale manufacturing.

• Quality standards

  The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.

• Wood products

  The various wood products such as lumber and furniture, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.

Skills

• Define quality standards

  Define, in collaboration with managers and quality experts, a set of quality standards to ensure compliance with regulations and help achieve customers' requirements.

• Define data quality criteria

  Specify the criteria by which data quality is measured for business purposes, such as inconsistencies, incompleteness, usability for purpose and accuracy.

• Perform sample testing

  Examine and perform tests on prepared samples; avoid any possibility of accidental or deliberate contamination during the testing phase. Operate sampling equipment in line with design parameters.

• Mark lumber

  The process of marking lumber to indicate grade and processing instructions. For this purpose lumber graders use markers to indicate several grade marks, such as the moisture content, lumber species or grade, and the trademark or logo.

• Use non-destructive testing equipment

  Use specific non-destructive testing methods and equipment that do not cause any damage to the product, such as X-rays, ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle inspection, industrial CT scanning and others, in order to find defects in and assure quality of a manufactured and a repaired product.

• Report test findings

  Report test results with a focus on findings and recommendations, differentiating results by levels of severity. Include relevant information from the test plan and outline the test methodologies, using metrics, tables, and visual methods to clarify where needed.

• Examine lumber

  The process of examining lumber on tables, moving belts, and chain conveyors to visually check for knots, holes, splits, and other possible defects.

• Monitor manufacturing quality standards

  Monitor quality standards in manufacturing and finishing process.

• Record test data

  Record data which has been identified specifically during preceding tests in order to verify that outputs of the test produce specific results or to review the reaction of the subject under exceptional or unusual input.

• Inspect quality of products

  Use various techniques to ensure the product quality is respecting the quality standards and specifications. Oversee defects, packaging and sendbacks of products to different production departments.

• Distinguish lumber categories

  Distinguish grade marks for each piece of lumber. These are based on its several possible strengths and defects. It allows grouping lumber into different size categories.

• Apply safety management

  Apply and supervise measures and regulations concerning security and safety in order to maintain a safe environment in the workplace.

• Use a computer

  Utilise computer equipment or digital devices to facilitate quality control, data management, and communication. Follow instructions given by a computer programme, create computer files or documents.

• Conduct performance tests

  Conduct experimental, environmental and operational tests on models, prototypes or on the systems and equipment itself in order to test their strength and capabilities under normal and extreme conditions.

• Prepare samples for testing

  Take and prepare samples for testing, verify their representability; avoid bias and any possibility of accidental or deliberate contamination. Provide clear numbering, labelling and recording of the sample details, in order to make sure that the results can be accurately matched to the original material.

• Ensure public safety and security

  Implement the relevant procedures, strategies and use the proper equipment to promote local or national security activities for the protection of data, people, institutions, and property.

• Oversee quality control

  Monitor and assure the quality of the provided goods or services by overseeing that all the factors of the production meet quality requirements. Supervise product inspection and testing.

• Grade lumber

  Grade the quality of milled or rough-sawed lumber for irregularities, to ensure specified dimensions.

• Record survey measurements

  Gather and process descriptive data by using documents such as sketches, drawings and notes.

• Prepare technical reports

  Prepare technical reports that describe results and processes of scientific or technical research, or assess its progress. These reports help researchers to keep up to date with recent findings.

• Operate precision measuring equipment

  Measure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, and a measuring gauge.

• Lead inspections

  Lead inspections and the protocol involved, such as introducing the inspection team, explaining the purpose of the inspection, performing the inspection, requesting documents, asking appropriate questions, and maintaining a high level of professionalism when investigating subjects.

• Tally lumber

  Keep a tally of specified grades and board footage of checked lumber required to fill an order.

• Apply health and safety standards

  Adhere to standards of hygiene and safety established by respective authorities.

• Maintain test equipment

  Maintain equipment used for testing the quality of systems and products.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB