Katie has been an apprentice with BSW for 18 months and is one of only three female saw doctors in Europe. We heard how she got the job, what it entails and what life’s like as one of Europe’s elite.
 
Full name:
Katie Martin

Age:
20

Job title:
Apprentice Saw Doctor

How long have you worked at BSW?
I’ve been at BSW Timber for 18 months now.

How would you explain your job to people outside of the company?
I work for the biggest saw-milling company in the UK.  The team I work in is a really dynamic team and my role is vital to the business, as I help to look after all the saws in the Dalbeattie mill, either by fixing or replacing them.

How did you get into saw doctoring?
When I was at college I was doing a Forestry course. One day, I heard about this great opportunity to take on a Sawmilling Apprenticeship and I thought that sounded like something I would be interested in – turns out I was right as I’m absolutely loving it.

Walk us through a typical day at work:
After saying “Hello” to all my team mates when I first get into work, there are always plenty of saws and knives to be sharpened, so I crack on and do that until about 9 o’clock when the mill stops. We then go out on the line and check all the saws and knives for any damage, if any are damaged we must change them before the mill can restart.

The mill stops again at 12 o’clock and we go back out along the line again to change the S2 saw and the canter saws and knives. Then we have lunch and generally spend the rest of the day sharpening saws and grinding knives.

Sometimes we get a call saying the saws have burned out or that they are marking so we have to go change them. As you can tell our role as saw doctors is vital to the mills production line so we try to get things moving as soon as we possibly can.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve worked on at BSW?
Probably learning to develop a multitude of functional & development skills in the so-called ‘dark art’ of saw doctoring.

If you could invent anything, what would it be?
An off switch for my mother.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I really enjoy the training opportunities.  We are currently working towards a saw doctoring accreditation with UHI College which means I’m gaining in-depth knowledge and skills pretty much every day.

What’s your greatest achievement to date?
Being able to prove that I can hold my own in a very male orientated environment.

Aside from Saw doctoring what else do you do outside of work?
Enjoy a good social life!

How does it feel being one of only three female saw doctors in Europe?
It’s great, it feels nice to be one of the elite “go girls”.

What are your plans for the future?
At the moment it is to take in as much knowledge as I can through my apprenticeship and from my peers really. Ultimately, I would like to be the best in my field but generally I’m happy just to see how the career develops going forward.