One of the most common questions asked is “How can we get a cleaner, chip free cut in Melamine board on the table saw?” The same question can be applied to any laminated or veneered board, but melamine is less forgiving and, therefore, the problem of chipping comes up more often.
‘Around the Shop’ Archive
Cleaner Machining
As anyone who has expanded their plant knows, increased production places ever more burden on often over-taxed dust collectors. Frequently newer, high speed machinery require even more suction at the cutting stations than older less productive equipment, simply because the high spindle speeds and high feed rates create more dust flying around at higher velocities. The result can mean that a costly boost to the dust collection system becomes necessary.
Cleaning up the Dirty Bits
Judging by some of the questions we are asked and by the condition of some of the router bits we see coming in for resharpening and repair, it seems that there are a lot of applications where the wrong router bit is being used – or they are being set up and used in an inefficient manner. One of the most repeated mistakes is buying a two-flute carbide tipped 3/4″ diameter straight router bit to dado (or groove) for insertion of 3/4″ shelving.
The Cost of Saving Time
Low production shops such as the custom cabinet makers usually have all sorts of fixtures and jigs on hand, as well as plenty of time honed tricks. And most of these woodworkers – at least the successful ones- produce a pretty good product. Unlike the production factories however, time is not usually the enemy. They can take the time to make a fit exact, hand sand to perfection, and fine tune the piece at any stage of machining or assembly. It is hard to match the artistry of handcrafted pieces in an automatic machine when it is running at 50 feet per minute (or more). That was the story, but it doesn’t need to be any more.
Custom Cutting Tools Pt 2
Ordering Custom Cutting Tools involves three steps – fact finding, designing, and manufacturing.
Last month this space was taken up with the fact finding segment. This is the process of finding out as much as possible about the application, and what exactly is expected of the tool.
Profile, type of tool, material being machined, tool diameter, type of machine the tool will run on, feed and speed rates have all been determined by now. From here it is up to the tool makers to design a tool, and give you all your options, and the pros and cons of those options.
