Question
2-5

Saw Filer

1/21/2026

The Saw Filer is responsible for maintaining, repairing, and changing saws for the mill. Key tasks include sharpening chipper knives, performing machine center alignments, and transporting saws.

Working Hours

40 hours/week

Company Size

501-1,000 employees

Language

English

Visa Sponsorship

No

About The Company
Alta Forest Products is the world's largest producer of wood fence boards, specializing in Western Red Cedar and other premium species found in the Pacific and Inland Northwest forests. It operates four sawmills across the region and directly employs more than 600 people. Alta is a daily purchaser of logs from sustainably managed timberlands owned by a wide variety of organizations - from large, industrial-scale timberland investors to small, local tree-farmers. In addition to producing fence boards and pallet stock lumber, Alta's zero-wood-waste sawmills produce by-products such as wood chips, sawdust, mulch and bio-fuel. Headquartered in centrally-located Chehalis, Washington, Alta operates fence board sawmills in four other rural communities in the region: Morton, WA; Shelton, WA; Amanda Park, WA, and Naples, ID. Alta’s fence boards can be purchased throughout the U.S. at home improvement retailers such as The Home Depot , as well as through local fence installers who buy from Alta’s nation-wide network of lumber and fence materials distributors.
About the Role

Description

Company Background

Alta Forest Products in partnership with Itochu Building Products is the world's largest producer of wood fence boards, specializing in Western Red Cedar and other premium species found in the Pacific and Inland Northwest forests. In addition to producing fence boards and pallet stock lumber, Alta's zero-wood-waste sawmills produce by-products such as wood chips, sawdust, mulch, and biofuel. Headquartered in centrally located Chehalis, Washington, Alta operates in multiple Northwest rural communities including Morton, WA; Winlock, WA; Shelton, WA; Amanda Park, WA; Lewiston ID; Bonners Ferry, ID; and Naples, ID.


The Role:
Maintaining, repairing, and changing saws for the mill.


Responsibilities:

  • Bench and fit of both band saws and round saws
  • Maintain Micarta and Babbitt guides
  • Maintain filing equipment
  • Sharpen chipper knives
  • Perform machine center alignments on saws
  • Transport saws
  • Change saws at machine centers
  • Discard and/or repair damaged saws
  • Other duties as assigned


Requirements

Qualifications

  • 2+ years of experience with saw filing
  • Strong commitment to safety values and expertise with LOTO
  • Preferred knowledge of fitting and benching both bandsaws and round saws
  • Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
  • Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
  • Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of an organization.
  • Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
  • Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
  • Ability and willingness to join and maintain good standing in the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters (required).
  • This position is classified as “safety-sensitive,” meaning that an accident in this role could result in loss of life, serious bodily injury, or significant damage to property or the environment, as such candidates will be subject to comprehensive pre-employment drug screening, inclusive of marijuana (THC).

Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

This role may operate in a professional office, log yards, sawmill, warehouse, or shipping and railyard. While performing the duties of this job, employees will be exposed to machinery and moving mechanical parts. This position will often be exposed to noise, hazards, airborne particulates, and temperature changes.


Physical Demands

An employee must meet the physical demands described here to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be available to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

  • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to be independently mobile
  • This position requires the frequent use of basic hand tools
  • This position requires the ability to stand, sit, walk, bend, kneel, and stoop for extended lengths of time
  • The employee will be required to use their hands and fingers to handle, feel, and reach for tools or materials
  • Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus used for depth perception


Position Type/Travel/Schedule

This is a full-time position (40+ Hours), and overtime work may be required as projects or job duties demand. This position will work the swing shift: Monday-Thursday 4:00pm-2:30am


Benefits & Pay

  • Pay: $37.15 per hour
  • Pay Differential $1.50 per hour for Swing, Graveyard, and Weekend Shifts
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Generous Medical / Dental / Vision Insurance Plans
  • Employer-paid Employee and Family Life Insurance
  • Paid time off, Vacation, Holiday, Sick Leave
  • Employee Referral Program
  • 401k Retirement
  • Tuition Reimbursement Program and Paid Training Opportunities
  • Short Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Supplemental Insurance Options, Additional Life, Pet, Illness, and Accident Insurance

Alta Forest Products is an equal opportunity employer. It considers all applicants regardless of race, color, national origin, religion or creed, gender, disability, marital status, familial status, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity.


Small company, big opportunity! Growing & investing in employees and mills, Alta aims to be an industry leader in product quality and employee experience.



Key Skills
Saw FilingSafety ValuesLOTO ExpertiseFittingBenchingBand SawsRound SawsMachine Center AlignmentsTransporting SawsSharpening Chipper KnivesRepairing SawsReading DocumentsWriting ReportsProblem SolvingCommon Sense UnderstandingCommunication
Categories
TradesManufacturingConstructionEngineeringEnvironmental & Sustainability
Benefits
Employee Assistance ProgramMedical InsuranceDental InsuranceVision InsuranceLife InsurancePaid Time OffVacationHolidaySick LeaveEmployee Referral Program401k RetirementTuition ReimbursementPaid Training OpportunitiesShort Term Disability InsuranceLong Term Disability InsuranceSupplemental Insurance Options
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