The last installment of this column dealt with runout as it applies to cutting tools, and its affect on performance quality. Runout is defined as an amount of play or wobble in a tool. It is the level of the tools cutting inaccuracy. It can vary with time, wear (on the tool as well as the machine driving it), and operating conditions. Tolerance, however is the amount of acceptable runout or inaccuracy built in to any device that is manufactured, whether designed to move, cut or remain stationary. It is an allowance of deviation from an exact specification.
‘Around the Shop’ Archive
Tooling Custom Machines
In more than one hundred years of existence the woodworking machinery industry has designed and built so many types of cutting, shaping, sizing and profiling machines it’s hard to imagine anyone coming up with anything brand new. Improving the technology, of course, this is a never ending task in every industry. So why would anyone bother to try to build a custom machine?
What is the Speed Limit
Like many of you I spent a week this spring at Ligna, and was quite impressed with what the machinery manufacturers and our European tooling suppliers were showing. A lot of the manufacturers were introducing equipment with phenomenal abilities as far as rates of production are concerned. At one time the emphasis was on labour saving automation, which was followed by the demand for increased versatility, frequently triggered by the need for shorter runs. Now the theme seems to be speed.
