For many years the only successful way of cutting materials accurately was by circular saw. However, as bandsaw machines developed over the past 40 years, the demand for circular saws has reduced. And yet those seeking a clean, square and fast cut on small-to-medium size sections could well benefit from a circular saw, as might any shops exclusively cutting aluminium or plastics. In contrast, those looking at cutting larger sections and solids may likely find a bandsaw is the more favourable option. With these thoughts in mind, Prosaw has published a new beginner’s guide to sawing.

Take mitring, for example: is it necessary? Well, for steel fabricators, some work will involve cutting angles on sections to enable the manufacture of frames or complex shapes. Swing-frame sawing machines offer quick set mitring and even the most basic of saws will often offer a mitre facility, albeit not as quick as a swing-frame model. Even some automatic bandsaws can mitre in-cycle, producing complete components for fabricating.

A common question is whether each material requires a different blade? Not necessarily. For most sections and even solids, one blade will cover a wide range of material shapes and sizes. Of course, for those cutting from a very small section or solid through to the machine’s maximum capacity, then the best choice would be a different blade to cut both extremes. The same applies to the speed of the blade. Prosaw provides a cutting chart with all of its machines to select the most suitable blade speed and cutting rate.

Cutting fluid is another common area of confusion. Many companies can increase their blade life and reduce consumables cost by just taking a close look at their cutting fluid mixture. Unlike machine tools, which generally use carbide inserts, saw blades create a lot of heat at the cutting point, which means that with a low-level mix of fluid the tool will eventually fatigue and break. Prosaw recommends a mixture level of between 8-12%, depending on workpiece material.

For further information
www.prosaw.co.uk

The Holzwerk Baur sawmill, based in Wain, Upper Swabia, processes around 180,000 solid cubic metres of wood each year and exports its products across the world. Sustainability is a key priority for the sawmill, which sources its material from the local region and puts every last shaving to use.

To ensure efficient wood cutting, Holzwerk Baur runs around 250 saws every day, kept sharp using machines supplied by Vollmer. Among many machines in the grinding shop is a Vollmer CHD 270 grinding machine for carbide-tipped circular saw blades, set up with an automated system to run around the clock.

The Vollmer CHD 270 offers eight CNC-controlled axes and measuring equipment able to machine carbide-tipped circular saw blades in a single set-up. It can sharpen even complex tooth geometries, including chip-breaker grooves, chamfers on the pre-cutting and finishing teeth, and Braunschweig tooth or chip-guide notches. Every circular saw blade is loaded into its precise grinding position automatically, regardless of diameter. A measuring sensor then determines the tooth geometry, in other words, the hook angle, radial and tangential clearance angles, cutting width, blade thickness, and side projection. The automated Vollmer ND 320 handling system uses two loading carriages, each of which can be loaded with up to 50 circular saw blades.

For Holzwerk Baur, the Vollmer sharpening machines are the key to sustainable wood processing. Able to process 80 metres of material per minute, the profiling line cuts the logs into clean squares, which are then processed by up to 10 saw blades into boards, frames and floorboards. Every last scrap of wood is used, with wood chips going to the paper mill, sawdust to chipboard manufacturers, wood shavings to the filler industry, and bark to gardening and landscaping firms (or the company’s own heating system).

For further information
www.vollmer-group.com