FDMC Red Book April 2016
The Red Book provides tips and other best practices for all facets of woodworking. Included are articles on:
• solid wood machining and materials
• panel processing
• cutting tool optimization
• gluing and pressing operations, plus information on working with laminates and veneer
• sanding and finishing FAQs
• wood components and hardware trends
• plant production needs, including software utilzation, dust collection, wood waste utilization and packaging.
In This Issue
Understanding & working with wood defects
No tree is perfect. It’s subject to defects from the time it emerges as a seedling to the last stages of seasoning. A defect is simply an abnormality or irregularity found in wood.A look at some of the common wood defects and how to manufacture around them.
11 Troubleshooting tips for the throughfeed moulder
Read these tips for solving common woodworking problems that can occur on the throughfeed moulder.
How to choose a table saw fence
Table saws function as the shop workhorses, but in theory they are only built for one purpose: to spin a saw blade. However, one thing that a table saw is not able to do by itself is position material for straightness, squareness and dimensional accuracy. This is where a fence or guide comes in handy.It’s important to consider how much you are producing when choosing a fence. Are you making 10 parts a day or are you making 100 parts a day?
Fingerjoint methods used in woodworking
Fingerjointing joins short pieces of wood into long ones. Here are some of the types commonly used in woodworking.
What’s new in panel processing: panel sizing & edgebanding trends
Considered the “future of productivity,” Industry 4.0 has already had a significant impact on woodworking processes, including the panel processing arena.Improving communication has been key to its development. “Industry 4.0 requires connectivity between the machine and the data exchange source, i.e., network,” noted Peter Tuenker, managing director at IMA-Schelling America.
5 Tips for purchasing that first CNC router
Here's the first no-brainer: before investing in a CNC router, or any woodworking machinery, for that matter: visit an existing user and get a firsthand account of the machine from someone who has actually lived through using it. Try to visit on your own, without a salesman around. You'll hear pretty quickly how effective it has been for them, and get good insight into four more tips for first time CNC buyers.
5 Steps to Rout a Clear Edge on Acrylic
I’m often asked for suggestions on how to get a clear routed edge finish when routing an acrylic workpiece. This is usually an application for displays, awards, and advertising specialties where the edge of the product is exposed. Here's how to do it.
Financing your CNC machine: What you need to know
In this excerpt from FDMC Editor Will Sampson’s article “Financing your next machine,” Joan Peterson and Kevin Mellon of SCM Group North America share their tips for buying new technology.
What's new on vertical saws?
In addition to their smaller footprint, vertical saws are also available with added capabilities. Here’s a few of them.
4 Tips for edgebander glue pot maintenance
Considered the heart of the edgebander, if the glue pot is not functioning at 100 percent, then neither is your machine. Here are four tips for maintaining a good glue pot.
Cutting & Grinding (Cutting Tools & Grinders)
CNC router tooling: 5 considerations
The heart of a CNC router is the tooling - where technology gets down to the business of cutting wood. Best practices for tool mounting and machining were covered in the recent webcast “How to Improve CNC Router Tooling Performance.” Available on-demand at WoodworkingNetwork.com/webcasts, the webcast features industry experts Mike Serwa, vice president of Vortex Tool, Mark Alster, regional sales manager of Leitz Tooling, and Scott Burton, tech sales manager of Royce//Ayr as they discuss the top considerations.
Cutting & Grinding (Cutting Tools & Grinders)
Grinding wood cutting tools: FAQs
Some frequently asked questions on grinding cutting tools for woodworking.
Cutting & Grinding (Cutting Tools & Grinders)
Cut quality: 6 saw blade considerations
If the saw blade is out of balance, out of round, dull on one side, or being improperly tensioned, it can result in an inferior cut quality. Here are some other factors that can affect the quality of the cut.
Cutting & Grinding (Cutting Tools & Grinders)
Tooling bits & selection tips for woodworking
The decision to invest in a CNC machining center is subject to careful consideration and cost analysis, yet when it comes to cutting tool selection, often the decisions are price-driven with quality and safety barely being a secondary consideration. What follows is a brief look at the importance of proper cutting tool selection and the outside factors that affect tooling choice as well as other considerations that will directly influence the machining cycle.
Start with parameters
Cutting & Grinding (Cutting Tools & Grinders)
The skinny on saw blade sharpening
It’s an obvious fact that saw blades get slightly thinner with each sharpening. The blades lose a small amount of tip-to-body side clearance each time. However, this does not mean that you should ignore this step.The two most important factors to consider for sharpening are: the clearance angles ground into the sides of the tips; and how dull the saw blades are run between sharpenings.
Cutting & Grinding (Cutting Tools & Grinders)
Selecting bandsaw blades: What you need to know
The first step in choosing a bandsaw blade is to define the cutting requirements. Some considerations are related to the quality of the cut — smoothness, accuracy or straightness, and curve radius — and some are related to the wood itself: density, depth of cut and grain orientation.
By
Gene Wengert,
April 6, 2016 | 12:32 pm CDT
Cutting & Grinding (Cutting Tools & Grinders)
5 Considerations for boring tool selection
When it comes to machining cabinetry, furniture and other components, choosing the correct tooling is critical. Listed are five things to consider when choosing a boring tool for the production process.
Gluing, Laminating & Veneering
A decorative overlays primer
An overview of the different overlays on the marketplace and their usage and application in laminated wood products, including cabinetry, furniture, flooring and more.
Gluing, Laminating & Veneering
Selecting a veneer match: What to know
Provided is a brief summary of book, slip and plank matching and the best applications for each type of veneer match.
Gluing, Laminating & Veneering
6 Troubleshooting tips for hot pressing wood veneers
Read these tips for solving common woodworking problems that can occur on the hot press.
Gluing, Laminating & Veneering
How to solve veneer buckle in the woodshop
Gene Wengert, "The Wood Doctor," discusses the causes and solutions for veneer buckle.
Spray finishing on wood: FAQs
Why do I get streaks? Where does orange peel originate? Why do I have top or bottom heavy spray patterns? Find solutions for these and more spray finishing challenges.
3 Methods for sanding five-piece doors
The sanding operation is one of the key components to producing a quality finish. Although hand sanding is one option, automating the process can prove to be more cost effective – not only in time savings, but in the consistency the machines provide, from part to part. Here's a look at three sanding approaches: calibration, brush and orbital.
By
Karen M. Koenig,
January 29, 2016 | 9:26 am CST
Why does my sanding disc cause swirl marks?
One of the most common problems in woodworking finishing applications is swirl mark, also known as fish hooks. This is a complaint that cuts across a one-person cabinet shop on up to large manufacturing plants, and can result in a reworking of the product and increased costs.In determining the causes and solutions, it is useful to evaluate four main factors in the finishing process: the air compressor(s); the shop’s random orbit sanders; operator training; and the sanding disc.Air compressors
Components, Hardware & Assembly
3 Keys to outsourcing wood components
The eternal question for any manufacturer is whether to make versus buy, particularly when it comes to wood components. There are, however, a number of benefits for outsourcing components, chief among them inventory and cost control. In the webcast, “3 Keys to Outsourcing Wood Components,” these and other ways in which working with a components supplier can enhance quality productivity, design and product diversity for manufacturers are discussed.
Components, Hardware & Assembly
When outsourcing wood components makes sense
You currently manufacture your product line in-house but you can’t justify the capital investment to follow the trends. Consider these three factors to determine if outsourcing wood components is the right strategy for you.
Components, Hardware & Assembly
10 Tips for designing a walk-in closet
Being able to easily see and access all of your clothing and accessories is one of the best time saving, life-organizing tools ever. Yet, if it's not designed well, you can actually end up wasting space. And wasting space in one of the most high demand spaces in the home is a costly mistake that impacts life on a daily basis.Be particularly attentive to the “short” walls in the closet, as
it is likely these will be “hard” measurements, with the design going wall-to-wall (versus having a “bridge” shelf that allows for the top piece to be cut-to-fit on site.
By
Denise Butchko,
April 7, 2016 | 11:09 am CDT
Components, Hardware & Assembly
Tips for building an outdoor kitchen for clients
Outdoor kitchens have been growing in popularity over the years. The benefit of learning how to build an outdoor kitchen is that the profit margins are traditionally higher than standard indoor kitchen remodels given that the select group of contractors with the skill of installing them is small and their services are in demand.
Top 10 kitchen cabinetry & design trends
At KBIS, some of the nation's top kitchen and bath designers shared their insight on the latest color and style trends, as revealed in the 2016 Design Trends Survey by the National Kitchen & Bath Association. Based on survey results of more than 450 designers, here are the Top 10 kitchen and cabinet style trends to watch for in 2016.
By
Karen M. Koenig,
January 21, 2016 | 3:33 pm CST
Components, Hardware & Assembly
Innovative hardware trends for 2016
When it comes to the design and innovation on display at KBIS — what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. The trends that you see there set the tone nationwide for the rest of the year. Even if you aren’t in the kitchen and bath industry, you have to pay attention to KBIS because eventually these trends end up in every room in the house.Flip-up door hardware
By
Richie DeMarco,
April 6, 2016 | 5:12 pm CDT
Is your company ready for lean?
Noted FDMC columnist and consultant Jim Lewis answers questions about lean manufacturing.
By
Jim Lewis,
April 7, 2016 | 1:17 pm CDT
Preventative maintenance: Avoiding downtime in your shop
Preventative maintenance is one of the smartest business decisions you can make. No matter the brand, the amount of moving parts in operation and the number of pieces being produced daily takes a toll on even the toughest machine.As opposed to corrective maintenance, which is carried out the machine breaks down, preventative maintenance refers to the care and servicing to keep the equipment in good operating condition through a systematic inspection, detection and correction of incipient failures.
Choosing a stretch wrapper: 5 tips
Here are five things to consider when purchasing a semi-automatic turntable stretch wrapper.1 Does the turntable stop if the film breaks?A safe pallet wrapper will automatically stop the wrap cycle as soon as it detects a film break, so the operator won’t be tempted to reattach film to a rotating load.2 Are the wires and motors enclosed?Exposed wires and motors create trip hazards or could cause severe burns or scrapes. Look for a stretch wrapper that has enclosed components to protect not only the operators, but the machine as well.
Sizing up wood waste reduction systems
While application requirements will determine the best size reduction option for your job, here are some basic questions to address: How much volume, processed over what time period; how dense or bulky is the material; what are the finished product specs; what is the handling environment; and what preventive maintenance costs do you expect.
Integrating CNC software for a small shop
If you’re the owner of a small shop, you may think that CNC machinery and the software are only for the big shops. But making the leap to CNC can be just as beneficial for your size shop.In addition to CNC software helping to expand a company’s resources and allow it to attract more and larger jobs, small shop owners also find it helps save time in the office. And in most cases, there is a fast return on investment.The benefits of integration
Secrets to machining solid wood
Experts at Leitz Tooling help a millwork firm troubleshoot tearing, fuzzing, and blow out on a window production line.
