Milling. The processes of the sawmill are followed by those of the finishing mill, in which the rough-sawed lumber is planed to a smooth surface and is matched, beaded, or molded, to make it serviceable for floors, wainscoting, and inside finish. Because of the prominence of the planing machine in these mills, such establishments are often called planing mills. Planing mills may be combined with the sawmills, or located at any convenient point between them and the centers where lumber is consumed. As finished lumber is lighter and less bulky than the rough-sawed, the operation of a finishing mill in connection with the sawmill effects a saving in freight when the lumber is shipped. On the other hand, as the planing mill usually deals with seasoned lumber, and as better judgment as to finishing can be exercised when the exact nature of the requirements is known, it is often most convenient to have the finishing mill at the point of consumption. It is for this reason that planing mills are located in cities which are far distant from sawmills.

The machines of the finishing mill are numerous. There are planers which dress the rough plank to a smooth surface and to a uniform thickness; matching machines which cut the tongue and groove on the edges of boards which are to be used for flooring and similar work; molding machines for giving finish to the edges of planks or for producing strips of curved section; saws for ripping and saws for cross-cutting, and a variety of other and more highly specialized machines, such as those for boring, paneling, and sand-papering. A full description of these does not fall within the purpose of this discussion, but such machinery is so common that most students can easily gain an opportunity to inspect its action.