The performance of machinery is critical to wood products manufacturing. The first step in controlling this performance is selection and purchasing the machine that is most suited to a company's performance requirements. Unfortunately, this is not a straightforward task since very few machine centers sold by competing manufacturers are identical. The second step is to identify the appropriate set-up for the required machining operations. The first goal of this report is to suggest evaluation methods and develop benchmarks in the area of machining for three common machine centers: CNC routers, edgebanders and beam saws. Wood product manufacturers in Saskatchewan identified that these machines are key to their businesses and processes. The second goal is to identify machining parameters for western white birch on CNC routers. The developed machining evaluation method for CNC routers includes examination of the control system and the ability of the router to locate and cut shapes. Machining precision is important because it directly affects part fitment and when errors occur, rejects are created. Four of the six routers produced accurate, precisely located cuts but two machines had problems cutting parallel lines and precise arcs. All of the machines except two had issues with cutting square edges. The developed evaluation method for the edgebanders examines their ability to band melamine coated PB without causing chips to the melamine. Melamine chips are quality problems that can significantly degrade the value of the product. Three of the six machines evaluated had low occurences of melamine chips while two had variable results and the third had significant chips. The developed evaluation method for beam saws examines their ability to cut parts of a precise size with edges that are straight. Imprecise beam saws create waste in the form of rejects and require the over sizing of parts to compensate. Two of the five machines were able to cut precisely sized parts with straight edges ready for use in manufacturing. Two of the beam saws had problems cutting straight edges. The developed machine performance benchmarks include the effect of a wide range of machines factors including age, precision, costs and operator skill. This should allow industry to compare the performance of their machines, as well as future purchases, with others in the industry. the developed guidelines for routing of western white birch also examine a wide range of machining parameters for the common processes of sizing and edging panels. The panel surface quality tends to decrease with increasing bite and is significantly better when downmilling. On CNC routers, these parameters are straightforward to control as long as production goals can be met.