Each year the final year students of my university organise an international tour to celebrate the end of their formal training and to see, firsthand, some wood processing operations. This year we had a very enjoyable tour in South Africa.   I enjoyed all the visits, but the highlight for me was the visit to Global Forest Products' (GFP) plywood factory at Sabie because it had recently invested in Raute's latest peeling technology. I saw the new lathe peeling four to six logs per minute - it was mesmerising and incredibly fast. The logs were approximately 2.5m long with diameters ranging from about 25 to 45cm.   The high throughput is due to the combination of Raute's Smart Scan and Smart Peel equipment. At any one time there are three logs in the lathe: one is scanned to determine its geometry; a second, which was scanned previously, is waiting to be placed in the lathe; the third is the log that is currently being peeled.   Accurate and optimal positioning of the log maximises the value of the veneer cut from it. Logs are not round or straight, so the first pieces of veneer are waste. Only once the knife has cut the log in to a perfect cylinder will a continuous ribbon of veneer be produced. Where this cylinder is placed within the log determines the quality and quantity of veneer.   The quality of the veneer changes as the lathe peels the log. The outer wood is 'mature' and tends to have few knots, so this veneer is ideal for the faces of a plywood panel. The incidence of knots tends to increase as the log diameter is reduced by the knife because the tree trunk would have sported branches when its diameter was small. These branches tend to die off, or are removed by silvicultural practice, as the tree grows and this is why the mature wood has fewer knots.   The minimum diameter you can peel to is dependent on the size of the 'chuck' used to hold the log. In terms of veneer yield it makes sense to have a small chuck, but this increases the risk of chuck spin-out, where the chuck turns but the log does not.   The chuck used by GFP has three parts; a central chuck and two outer concentric rings. All three are first pushed into the log ends thus giving a chuck with a large diameter and minimal risk of spin-out. As the log diameter decreases the outer rings retract to allow the knife to continue cutting.   Although I had taught my students the principals of peeling and other aspects of panel manufacture, there is no substitute for seeing something firsthand!