Williams & White

Standard features on the Sure Sharp Knife Grinder, manufactured by Williams & White, include a welded monocoque construction machine bed that is stress relieved and precision machined. The wheel head guideways are built with round-way linear bearings, which guide the carriage laterally on anti-friction bearings to prevent lift-off. The rails are also through-hardened, ground and sealed from grit and dirt, reports the company. A rotating electromagnetic chuck with clamps on the opposite face is standard; fixed chucks are optional. The rotating chuck is complete with a large, easy-to-read graduated dial and lock. The grinding carriage is constructed from a stress-relieved 1-1/2''-thick steel plate. The downfeed system is standard with variable pulsed feed at .001'' to .004'' per pulse. Timed impulse feed systems and rapid traverse are available as options. The grinding motor has a hollow shaft for coolant flow and is adjustable for cross-hatch (flat) or radial (hollow) grinding.

Western Woodlot

Manufacturing saw profilers, sharpeners and setters, Western Woodlot Equipment Ltd. of Merritt, BC has several models of sharpeners that can now automatically produce bevel top or front face blades in one pass, allowing blades to be tuned to maximize their performance in different wood types. The Dino semi-automatic bandsaw setter has a durable clamping and setting mechanism that is simple to operate. Cams are available for either rake-set or regular set tooth configurations. Fast setup and simple adjustments enable bandsaws to be set in only a few minutes, claims the company. Features include capacity to set up to 100 teeth per minute, raker-tooth set configuration, blade width to 55mm (2''), tooth pitch from 1-32mm (0-1.25''), manual operation, blade support frame, accurate screw adjustments, automatic tooth indexing, uniform tooth set, supplied setting gauge, steel construction, and optional regular set cam.

The Dino automatic sharpener with auto-stop sharpens blades from 1'' to 4'' in width, and sharpens teeth from 1/3'' to 1-1/4'' in pitch with one cam. A patented design allows adjustment to follow virtually any tooth profile, and a 12-volt DC motor allows remote operation with 110-volt AC to 12-volt DC regulated power supply available.

The new Dino grinder is a patented dual-cam semi-automatic profile grinder. Available in either semi-or fully automatic operation, it is capable of following the complete tooth profile of a large number of commercially available bandsaw blades. Because the Dino Grinder grinds out the gullet area blades last longer, says the manufacturer.

Wright Machine

The Talon P-3 profile sharpener manufactured by Wright Machine is designed to profile grind bands or circular saws with computerized technology. The operator now has the flexibility to quickly change tooth profiles via an onboard user interface. The Talon CNC's computer control automates wheel shaping, makes diameter adjustmants and sets wheel rpm. The Talon can also be linked by phone line via modem for on-line program downloading of the tooth profiles or for machine troubleshooting. Heavy-duty swing-away clamp arm and flood coolant systems provide precision sharpening and long service life. The filtered coolant system delivers a flood of coolant to the grinding point through specially designed quick-change clamp jaws.

Western Nielsen

The Cutterhead Grinder Model 800, manufactured by Western Nielsen, has been milled to pattern cutterheads and features finger-joint heads and carbide cutters. With this semi-automatic grinder the table travels automatically via a hydraulic cylinder through an oil-over-air system, which produces a smooth and even grind, says the company. The cutter is indexed using a precision index plate. Standard equipment on all models includes choice of arbor and index plate, wheel wrench and hex keys, low-voltage motor control, infeed control, and flood coolant system.

Pacific/Hoe

New from Pacific/Hoe Machine Tool Technologies Group, the PH-6000 Auto-Level for circle saws features new software that offers greater flexibility and operator control. The PH-6000 has a soft-touch operator interface screen, and its custom cycle can be set to level a specific area of the saw before the full automatic leveling cycle.

The PH 3000 hd dual side grinder for circle saws is microprocessor-controlled and has a hydraulic saw indexing mechanism that offers exact tooth indexing, says the company. This unit sharpens both sides in one pass, sets up quickly and is easy to operate. It also features both manual and automatic operation, filtered full-flood cooling, automatic tooth counter, dual saw clamps and 180¡ swivel pendant control panel.

The fully automatic PH-2000 plasmatic tipper and induction annealer for band and circle saws is virtually airtight; a filtered air cooling fan provides positive pressure for contamination-free operation. Other features include Allen Bradley microprocessor control, heavy-duty construction, as well as readily available and reasonably priced parts, says the company.

Pacific/Hoe's precision super spline is the only arbor with radial full-face contact between the arbor and saw, featuring better power transmission from arbor to saw, claims the manufacturer. With closer saw/arbor clearances this unit is precision machined of through-hardened, heat-treated alloy steel. Saws can be installed only one way with this unit, eliminating the risk of improper saw mounting.

Simonds

State-of-the-art electronics have made real-time performance monitoring of bandsaws possible for the first time, reports the manufacturer. Changes in sawing conditions are immediately apparent, allowing for feed speeds to be adjusted. Mills running the system have gained as much as 10 to 15 per cent increased production without sacrificing cutting accuracy, claims Simonds. Saw filers can now monitor the performance of their saws while they cut, allowing them to refine and tune every aspect of saw preparation to achieve the best result. The precise nature of the sensor and the ability to print hard copy of both alarm reports and offset and vibration patterns simplify problem solving. The oscilliscope helps identify bad bearings, defective strains and mill or track misalignments.

The Simonds automatic circular saw leveler accommodates saws from 14'' to 30'' in diameter with splined bores from No. 2 up. When a saw is installed a reference plane is established; as the saw rotates bumps and ridges are detected and levelling rolls are fired by air cylinders. The indicator can detect changes of as little as .0004''.

The new Simonds G-II automatic bandsaw leveler allows saws to be leveled beyond the gullet line right into the base of the teeth by using an optical sensor to see where the gullets are and letting the machine work only the actual cross-section of the tooth. The leveler reads a single continuous line around the saw and compares it to a reference zero; when it deviates up or down, the steel is pressed back within tolerance. Features of this unit include automatic shutoff when saws are within spec, and dual pressure for large bumps and small bumps.

The Simonds band tensioner automatically and accurately tensions saws to exact specifications. It will work to any tension circle from 30' to 60' and will add or remove tension as needed. When it has tensioned the saw it measures the back, then stretches the back until it meets the requirements. Once the back has been adjusted, it will recheck tension.

California Cedar Products

California Cedar Product Company (CCPC) has introduced a new maintenance program for thin-kerf circular saw blades. Taqtiks, which stands for Technology-Aided Quality Assurance for Thin Kerf Saws, is an advanced method for maintaining thin-kerf circular saws through specialized quality assurance equipment and processes. This service is broken down into four parts: supply of instruments for tipping, straightening, tensioning and testing saws; specialized training; consulting; and specialized maintenance services. According to Jim Turner of California Cedar, costs are unnecessarily incurred and efficiency is lost because problems specific to thin-kerf sawing go undetected with conventional maintenance methods and equipment.

Wood Machining Institute

The Wood Machining Institute (WMI) manufactures the saw vibration frequency analyzer for evaluating circular saw tensioning, CSAW computer software for calculation of circular saw critical speeds, and EasyStrain Digital Blade Stress Meter for band saws.

Designed for the sawfiling room, the saw vibration frequency analyzer consists of a sine wave oscillator and electromagnet system, which can excite the saw blade through a desired frequency range. The CSAW computer program allows optimization of saw design through calculation of sawblade natural frequencies, critical speed and response to applied forces. The EasyStrain digital blade stress meter indicates faulty stress distribution between the cutting edge and the back edge of the band saw blade, and indicates incorrectly tensioned blades or a malfunctioning sawing machine, reports the company.

Formed in 1984, WMI publishes an international newsletter entitled Wood Machining News, conducts annual workshops on design, operation and maintenance of circular and band saws, and organizes biennial international conferences on sawing technology.

Armstrong

The heavy-duty Armstrong Leveler is designed for North American saws up to 16'' wide by 60' long by 11 gauge. High-speed rolling action can roll saws up to 50' per minute, says the company; the saw does not stop when the rolls shift to a new track. This leveler works from the inside of the saw, on the surface that contacts the band wheels and the guides. Any variation in plate thickness is leveled to the outside of the saw plate.

Features of the Armstrong Leveler include a touch-sensitive screen that controls all functions of the leveler and displays information about the saw and machine operation. Armstrong's non-contact sensor eliminates "needle bounce" and reads the actual saw condition right through the pitch, claims the company, and built-in memory allows the filer to pre-set leveling parameters for up to six saws, thereby reducing setup time. Data can be downloaded to a personal computer for further analysis, helping to confirm the quality of the saws before, during and after leveling.

Armstrong's Leveler is available in western Canada exclusively through Cal-Saw Canada.

Vollmer

Since 1909 Vollmer has been manufacturing special machines and systems for the tool sharpening and maintenance industry.

Vollmer's CA 300 series for wide band saw blades fully utilizes CNC controls, thus eliminating the use of cams. CNC engineering allows many commonly used tooth shapes to be selected from a central control, a process that can now be accomplished without time-consuming cam changeovers. The high degree of automation means that all important settings can be entered on the control panel, like tooth height, tooth pitch, total number of teeth, number of passes and total infeed. This feature produces a considerable savings in grinding time while guaranteeing an outstanding finish, claims the manufacturer, which adds, "the use of wet grinding technology improves the service sife of the blade and guarantees high grinding performance." Depending on the application, the grinding wheel can be made of either carborundum or boron nitride with diameters up to 300 mm (over 11-3/4''). A machine cabin provides a closed operating area which reduces noise and protects operators from moving parts.