I N N O V A T I O N S
of logs, the Spiky feed can increase
productivity by 10-20%.
"A second factor behind the
development of the new system was to
assist with short logs that are not
straight - 'banana shaped' - as well as
logs that have significant taper. In these
situations the Spiky feed not only
maintains productivity but also a good
quality of cut, because the grip of the
lower chain together with the grip of the
overhead wheel ensure that the log is
very well controlled as it is moved
through the bandsaw blades".
The force of a blade driving down
through the side of a log exerts a 'turning'
pressure on the log. The standard
dogged feed has an overhead
roller after the saw to
prevent this, but if the log is 'banana
shaped' or excessively tapered it will be
unbalanced on the bed and there is
increased risk that the log will turn.
However, this cannot happen with the
Spiky system.
Originally, the controls for the TVS as
well as the standard dogged feed system
were mounted on the TVS itself. With the
development of the Spiky feed, all
controls were placed on a remote
operator console, which can be placed in
the best position for the operator at the
head of the line. This is particularly
important when the Spiky feed is used
because the operator is further away
from the TVS - logs have to fit under the
top spiked wheels and are loaded
further back, rather than close to the
bandsaw as is the case with the dogged
chain.
Along with the Spiky chain, a new
laser alignment system was developed
to help the operator adjust the position
of the vertical bandsaw blades on the
TVS to achieve the best cut for each log.
'Green' lasers are now available (rather
than 'red'), which are more durable and
also more visible in daylight. The lasers
have been designed so that they are
easy for customers to mount on the
head.
Another change made in response to
customer feedback is a slight redesign
of the TVS feed table for the Spiky chain
system. A central leg previously
supported the table, but users reported
that this made it awkward to clear away
sawdust that falls from the
blades between the two
heads. The solution from the
Wood-Mizer design team was to
remove this leg, and support the
Spiky feed table by fixing it directly to
the TVS frame. It might sound like a
small change, but for SLP operators this
makes it much easier to keep the area
around the bandsaw clear of sawdust.
In response to the actual experience
of SLP users, modifications have also
been made to the blade tensioning
system on the SVS single head and TVS
twin head vertical bandsaws.
"We have replaced the original
manual screw with a hydraulic pump
system operated by a lever", said
Roman Frontczak. "This provides better
control, making it easier and quicker to
tension the blades since the operator
reads a pressure gauge rather than
judging the position of a sliding pointer
against a vertical scale.
"In addition, safety is improved
because there is a cut-off valve that
senses if there is a fall in pressure which would occur, for example, if a
blade breaks - and automatically stops
the main motor for the bandsaws and
the feed system. The motor cannot then
be restarted until the tension is
reapplied".
Both the SVS and TVS have magnetic
linear devices which feed precise
positioning information to the Setworks
WOOD-MIZER TODAY AUTUMN 2011
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