Operating Manual for all Aspects of

Hardwood Production

_____________________________________________ Last revised: ______________________________ (Date) *Use pencil*

By: _______________________________________ (Name) *Use pencil*

Operators who have read and understood contents:

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

_____________________________ (Print name) _____________________________ (Sign name)

Contents:

Shop Safety……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5

Getting to Know the Flow of Product………………………………………………………………………………………..6

Getting to Know the Product and their Dimensions………………………………………………………………….6

Hardwood Cut list……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7

Preparing the Lumber for Milling (Rough cutting, Re-sawing, Planing and Gluing)………………….8

Lumber Preparation....................................................................................................................... 8

Multiple Rip Saw (Safety and Setup)…………………………………………………………………………………….8-11

Cut Back Conveyor (Safety and Setup)……………………………………………………………………………………..12

Single Rip Saw (Safety and Setup)……………………………………………………………………………………….12-14

Glue Roller……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……14,15

Clamper - Taylor 6 (Safety and Setup)…………………………………………………………………………………15-17

Horizontal Band Saw………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18

Refilling the Lubrication Reservoir……………………………………………………………………….…18,19

Planer (Safety and Set up)…………………………………………………………………………………………………..19-21

Operating the Moulder…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..21

Max and Mins (Depth of Cut)…………………………………………………………………………………………………..21

Calibrating the Caliper Stand……………………………………………………………………………………………………21

Measuring Max and Mins on Sharp/Indeterminate (Hard to Find) Profiles…………………………....21

Setting up the Moulder……………………………………………………………………………………………………….21-25

How to Change the Wheels……………………………………………………………………………………………………..25

Bolt on Wheels…………………………………………………………………………………………….………………25

Keyed Shaft Wheels…………………………………………………………………………………………….………25

How to Parallel the Pressure Shoe…………………………………………………………………………………….25,26

How to Calibrate the Axial of the Vertical Spindles…………………………………………………………….26,27

How to Calibrate the Radial of the Vertical Spindles……………………………………………………………….28

Right Spindle (2nd Head)………………………………………………………………………………………………28

Left Spindle (3rd Head)…………………………………………………………………………………………………28

How to Calibrate the Radial of the Horizontal Spindles…………………………………………………………..28

Top Spindle (4th Head)…………………………………………………………………………………………….28,29

Bottom Spindle (5th Head)……………………………………………………………………………………………29

Sniping of Material…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..29

Knife Marks per Inch (KMPI)……………………………………………………………………………………………….29,30

Aspects of Running Some Specific Profiles……………………………………………………………………….…….30

Running Crown Material………………………………………………………………………………………………..……30,31

Running 3/8’’ Material …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….31

Knife Production and Grinding Procedures……………………………………………………………………………31

Axial Constant Grinding …………………………………………………………………………………………………….31,32

How to Calibrate the Grinder for Axial Constant Grinding………………………………………………….32,33

Knife Safety………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………33

Proper Alignment of Profile Knives for Axial Constant Positioning into the Cutter Head…..33,34

Proper Installation of Corrugated Knives………………………………………………………………….……………..34

How to Choose Steel Width…………………………………………………………………………………………………34,35

How to Choose Steel Length…………………………………………………………………………………………………….35

Dressing the Rough Wheels Width………………………………………………………………………………………35,36

Dressing the Rough Wheels Face……………………………………………………………………………………………..36

Rough Grinding …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..36-38

Finish Grinding ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………38,39

Knife Steel…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..39-41

Grinding Wheels………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….41-44

CBN (Cubic Boron Nitrite) Wheels………………………………………………………………..…………43,44

How to Maintain Accurate CBN Wheel Radius…………………………………………………………….44

Cutter Head Balance……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….44

Parallel Knife Slot Serrations……………………………………………………………………………………………….44,45

Bore Tolerance ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..45

Bore Concentricity……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….45

End Parallelism ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………45,46

Daily Operation Reminders for Molder and Grinder ………………………………………………………………46

Sanding the Product and Stocking the Bays……………………………………………………………………..…….46

Profile Sander………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………46,47

Wide Belt Sander…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………47,48

Stocking the Bays……………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………48

Final Words of Encouragement………………………………………………………………………………………………48

Shop Safety Rules

Safety glasses must be worn in designated areas.

Ear protection must be worn when operating loud tools or machinery.

Use two or more people to move anything over 75 lbs. (I.e. full sheets of 1.5” ply wood, large or bulky tools or equipment, etc.)

(Repetitive lifting of plywood sheets in Parts Prep requires use of vacuum lift.)

No climbing on racks.

Do not shoot nails or staples at anyone.

No open toed shoes.

No long sleeves, baggy clothes, lose fitting jewelry, etc, around machinery.

Respirators must be worn while staining, finishing and grinding knives. (This is for anyone in the spray booth while the following applications are being

performed: applying of stain, rubbing of stain, spraying of sealer coat, spraying of top

coat.)

Work areas are to be swept frequently and floor kept free of scraps.

Please notify your supervisor if you see any safety violations or

if you feel something could become a safety issue.

Also, it’s important to report any accident to your supervisor,

immediately, no matter how small

Getting to Know the Flow of Product: The mindset that should be kept throughout all tasks, no matter how

insignificant it may seem, is treat the area and the employees after you, in the production line, like your customer. This

means that care and thoughtfulness should be priority. The system runs much more efficiently if the time is taken to do

the tasks at hand not only with correctness and accuracy but with pride and honesty. Keep in mind that mistakes

happen, issues come up, the goals for the day can change instantly, it is everyone’s duty to not only adapt to these

changes but to follow through with them above the expected effort.

The flow of product starts with parts prep, where the plywood and hardwood components of all of our products are

manufactured. Next, Assembly takes these parts and builds the various products. Finishing takes the assembled

products and stains/paints, seals, glazes and lacquers them. Then finally, Plumbing takes the finished product and

applies the hardware, assembles, and prepares the products for either shipping or installation.

The hardwood is an essential aspect of Wilding Wallbeds product. There are many types of profiles that are shared

amongst different styles of product. There are also certain profiles that are specific for one style. With practice these

profiles will become familiar. The product flows through the hardwood area as follows: select the raw lumber that will

work best for the desired profile in mind, rough cut the lumber width on either the single rip saw or multiple rip saw,

depending on the quantity needed. After the rip cut, the product will need to either be molded (through the molder or

planer) or cut in half on the horizontal band saw, in which case the product would be ready for molding after the

horizontal band saw cut. After the product is moulded, it needs to be sanded. If the product is profiled, then it needs to

be sanded with the profile sander. If the product is square on all four sides (S4S), or mostly square on the main side,

then the product can be sanded through the wide belt sander.

Getting to Know the Product and their Dimensions: The bed styles are split between five groups (Refer to tables

below). Becoming familiar with these bed styles and their respective parts comes with experience and practice. When

making an order for hardwood, use the sheet on the following page. This sheet has all the types of current profiles and

molding dimensions we offer. Keep in mind that the measurements on this sheet are referring to the finish size. This

means that an additional 1/4’’ should be added to that size for all rough cutting procedures. For example, Regular

Crowns finish size is at 2 ½’’ so the rough cut should be made at 2 ¾’’. These profiles will translate to specific knives,

stored in the steel cabinet. The templates and knives are the negative profile compared to the finished product.

Contemporary

Nexus Scape

Studio

Melamine Dakota Dakota Remington Newport Aspen Park City Sierra

Manhattan

Lincoln Place

Woodbury Park

Soho

Legacy

HomeFront

Chalet Alpine II Brittany Presidential II American Craftsman

Gallery

Hampton Oxford Windsor Harmony Tuscany

Specialty

Bunk Beds Power Wallbeds Bookcase Wallbeds Murphy Frame Do It Yourself Kit

7

MAKE MORE COPIES OF THE CUT LIST BLANK

8

Preparing the Lumber for Milling (Rough Cutting, Re-Sawing, Planing & Gluing): For all profiles, no matter the

rough cutting machine being used, the minimum width should be 1/4’’ larger than the finished size. This allows 1/16’’ to

be removed on each side during molder operations. If the width is less than 1/4’’, then the in feed table needs to be

adjusted accordingly. Most of the lumber materials are 15/16’’ thick before any milling is done, so set feed heights on

the machines accordingly. The main exception is Poplar, which is usually 1 7/16’’-1 1/2’’. Poplar is used exclusively for

inner frame material and wardrobe rods. Always inspect lumber ends and sides for staples and remove accordingly.

Lumber Preparation: After a cut list has been constructed, the lumber must be brought closer to the

machines that are going to be used. The main rule to adhere to is, leave room for the forklift. Access to the

boxing area, outside and all plywood storage is necessary. Insure that all staples have been removed from the

sides and ends of the boards before running through any machinery. If a pile of hardwood needs to be

restacked, then keep one end and two sides flush when stacking. If a board cannot be used for any profile but

could work for a test piece, then store on the appropriate rack for later use. Make sure the order in which the

lumber is cut is from widest to thinnest to utilize scrap most efficiently; use all scrap material first. While

planning out the cuts, some things to keep in mind are; is this material going to be split into 3/8’’ material? If so,

insure that no knots will be exposed during this process, if the species is not meant to be knotty or rustic.

Another question should be, is the profile going to expose a defect in the lumber? E.g. crown material needs

quality lumber throughout the majority of the lumber. If the lumbers width is slightly shy of the desired rough

cut, instead of scrapping that board, the in-feed table can be adjusted to remove less on the right spindle of the

molder. Finally, always feed the material with the profile in mind. Become familiar with were the knives are

located and their respective contribution to how the final product looks. For example, knots are not useable in

Inner frame. If there is a knot located on the corner of the rough cut material, then it can be fed through the

molder in the orientation which the top knife will remove mostly from that corner. Being mindful will always

pay off when cutting and running material.

Multiple Rip Saw: The multiple rip saw has the advantage of not only cutting multiple pieces at once but also,

the cuts are perfectly square as opposed to the single rip saw which can wander if the material is touched during

cutting or the blade is dull. The disadvantage of the multiple rip saw is that the ability to select cuts goes down.

Safety Precautions:

o The saw arbor rotation is 3000 rpm on this machine and the power used is 50-75 HP. The chain driven

feed system applies a lot of force to the work piece during operation. If the pressure rollers are not set

to the thickness of the work piece properly, the work piece could kick back anytime.

o Saw dust gets into the anti-kickback fingers and should be cleaned often.

o The operator should wear gloves.

o Never touch, directly or indirectly, any moving parts of the machine while in operation.

o Never touch wood while being sawed.

o Before sawing, the wood should be cleared of any foreign objects such as staples, metal, sand, etc.

o Never feed more than one plank of wood into the machine at the same time.

9

o Never use wood thicker than 135 mm (5.31496’’) or shorter than 650 mm (25.5905’’).

o When changing from woods of different thicknesses, the height of the pressure rollers must be

readjusted to the proper position.

o If using planks that have not had the edges trimmed, place the wider side down.

o If planks are warped across the grain, place the convex side down.

o If the planks are warped along the grain, place the concave side down.

o Before every use, remove foreign objects from the feed chain with an air hose.

Installing and Removing Blades:

1. To remove sleeve from machine, slide conveyor table away from machine and open the door.

2. Lower the pressure plate by holding the safety button that the door presses when closed and

pressing the lower button for the pressure rollers (on the front of the machine). Now there should

be enough space to remove the sleeve and blades.

3. To install a saw sleeve, insure that the pressure plate is lowered enough and place sleeve and

blades on spindle. Be sure to make the convex part (B in the following picture) on the rear of the

saw arbor inserts into the groove (A in the following picture) of the saw sleeve then tighten.

4. Close the door and start the blades. While the blades are running, raise the pressure plate to the

correct thickness.

10

5. After the desired blades are placed on the saw arbor and the height of the pressure plate is set, turn

on the caterpillar feed (high speed), the extension table, the lasers and the photoeye on the

extension table. Set the sensor so that it drops and shifts the lumber over once the material is

directly under the sensor by adjusting it back and forth.

6. Place the scrap cart on the side of the out feed table and place another rack to stock on nearby.

11

Replacing Saw Blades:

1. Remove sleeve and stand the saw sleeve on a table and remove all items off of the sleeve.

2. Clean both sides of the spacers and saw blades.

3. Put proper spacers and saw blades according to the desired width (measure from carbide to

carbide) and in the correct direction. Keep in mind that once tightened the space between the

blades may shrink by 1/32’’-1/16’’, measure frequently.

4. Clean the contact faces of the saw sleeve and arbor with a clean cloth. Any wood chips stuck on

these surfaces will cause sway and vibration when the saw blades are running and eventually

loss of accuracy.

5. After blades and spacer are applied, hand-tighten the threaded collar and place shaft on arbor.

With the designated wrenches, finish tightening the threaded collar onto the shaft. The wrench

used to tighten this threaded collar is larger than the wrench used to install the entire unit onto

the spindle.

Installing/Changing the Pressure Plate: Loosen the nuts and remove the old pressure plate. After

inserting the new pressure plate, tighten the nuts. The plate should be made of maple. The dimensions

of the pressure plate are as follows:

12

Cut Back Conveyor (used on the Multiple Rip Saw): The conveyor must be on when the multiple rip saw is

on.

Safety Precautions:

o Test all controls frequently. If not in proper adjustment, do NOT use machine until it is repaired.

o Machine guards should be checked and assured that all the safety guards are properly installed prior to

operating this machine.

o Keep guards in protective position when machine is running.

o Do NOT wear loose clothes, jewelry or long hair around operating equipment.

Conveyor Set up Procedures:

1. Clear debris from above and below the conveyor table.

2. Turn the power switch on.

3. Check and adjust the photo eye.

Single Rip Saw: The advantage of using the single rip saw is that the selection of the cuts is high and set up

time is minimal. The disadvantage of the single rip saw is that it takes twice the time to cut and the cut may not

be square, depending on blade sharpness, pressure rollers, and the manner in which the material is fed into the

blade.

Safety Precautions:

o The saw arbor rotation of this machine is 4500 rpm and the power used is 7.5-15 HP. The work piece being fed by the chain has a large reactive force during ripping. If the pressure rollers are unable to hold down the work piece properly, the work piece will attempt to kick back at anytime, possibly causing injury to the operator. To prevent serious injury, the pressure rollers must be adjusted to a proper position while changing the thickness of work piece.

o As sawdust can become wedged between the anti-kickback fingers to influence their function, it is necessary to clear the sawdust from them frequently. Before operating the machine, be sure the anti-kickback fingers are functioning correctly and clear of sawdust and other debris.

o The operator should always wear gloves and should stand at the side of the machine. Never stand in line

with the sawing line. The danger zone includes an angle of 30 degrees on both sides of sawing line.

o Never touch, either directly or indirectly, any moving parts of the machine while in operation, or while a work piece is being sawn.

o Before sawing, the work piece should be cleared of any foreign objects

13

o If only one pressure roller is functioning while ripping short work pieces, it will influence the accuracy of the cut.

o The operator should NEVER leave the machine unattended while in use.

Single Rip Saw Specifications and Set up Procedures:

1. Be sure that the power supply has been connected and check to see if the power indicator lights up.

2. Open suction door.

3. Turn laser on and make sure it is parallel with the fence.

4. The height of the pressure rollers depends upon the thickness of the work piece being ripped. First,

release “pressure roller locking lever”, turn “pressure roller height-adjustment hand wheel” (clockwise =

UP, counterclockwise = DOWN) until the rollers reach desired height. Next, tightly pull the “clamp lever”

to secure pressure rollers. Pressure roller height is read with an indicator. Set the pressure plate height

about 1/8’’ lower than wood thickness, in order to have pressure on the wood.

Min. length of work piece 7.87401 " (200 mm)

Max. cutting thickness 3.34645 " (85 mm)

Distance between saw and column 18.1102 " (460 mm)

Saw arbor speed 4500 rpm

Saw blade diameter 8" - 12"

Saw blade bore 1 " (25.4 mm)

Feed speed (variable speed) 40-130 ft/min

Number of holding rollers 6 pcs

1. Emergency STOP button 2. Saw blade START button 3. Saw blade STOP button 4. Power indicator 5. Feed chain insufficient lubrication indicator 6. Feed chain START button 7. Feed chain STOP button

14

5. Press the saw blade START button to start the saw arbor. Press “feed chain start button” to start the

feed chain. The feed speed should be adjusted according to the thickness and type of wood being cut.

This machine has “variable speed-changing” features for feed speed adjustment. It is equipped with a

“stepless variable speed pulley” as the main mechanism for changing speed.

6. Unclamp fence, slide to the desired width and re-clamp; remember to cut at least 1/8’’ larger than finish

size for profiles that are going to be running through the molder.

7. Trim a straight edge on one side of the material, then set the trimmed edge against the fence and push

into caterpillar feed. Check width and confirm its accuracy. The less the material is touched while

cutting, the more accurate the cut.

8. The speed of the caterpillar can be adjusted for different materials by turning the knob below the out

feed table of the machine.

9. When finished, close the suction gate; turn off the laser and the motor/feed.

Glue Roller set up and Procedures:

1. Position the glue pan on the base plate between the screws.

2. Slide the doctor roll into the slot provided.

3. Snap the felt covered glue roller in place after aligning the notch in the end of the glue roll shaft with the

pin in the end of the motor shaft.

4. Plug the power cord in.

5. Turn the unit on and fill the glue pan. Bring glue level up until it contacts the bottom of the roll and then

fill it another ¼’’ higher. Add more glue later if the roll runs dry.

15

6. Check the glue spread on the wood with the mil gage. A 6-8 ml spread is usually desirable but can be

adjusted heavier if desired. Adjust eh adhesive spread by turning the thumb screws in or out

accordingly. The adjustment can be locked by tightening the elastic stop nuts while holding the thumb

screws in the proper position.

7. Move the wood across the roller by hand in the same direction the roller is turning at approximately the

same speed at which the outer surface of the glue roller is moving. The lighter the pressure applied the

better, to prevent the glue from squeezing up onto the surfaces which are not being glued.

8. When the glue roller is not in use, place the glue roller and the doctor roller in a five gallon bucket filled

with water; keep the rollers below the surface of the water.

Clamper (Taylor 6):

Safety Precautions and Set up Procedures:

o Wear eye protection

o Do not wear loose clothing, jewelry or long hair around operating equipment

o Keep guards in protective position when machine is operating

o Keep clear of belts, chains and moving parts.

1. While under pressure, twist the valve under the air filter (first filter from operators perspective) to allow

the water to drain.

2. Insure proper lubrication level is being used by adjusting the ring around the sight glass. It should go

through one drop of oil for every loosening/tightening of a clamp. Refer to Fig 1.

3. Insure that the Panel Flattener is getting enough pressure for the particular material being glued. To

adjust the pressure of the Panel Flattener rotate the knob on the left most regulator while reading the

gauge. The right-most regulator adjusts the clamp carrier rotation pressure. Refer to Fig. 2

4. Insure proper clamping force. Located on the clamp tightener pressure system, turn the knob on top to

desired pressure. Refer to Fig. 3

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

16

To find the best psi, use the following figures and formula:

A. Calculate the square inches of the material by multiplying the length by the thickness.

(96’’x1’’=96in^2)

B. Multiply the square inches by the correct (lbs/in^2) from the table below. Divide this number of lbs

by the number of clamps applied to the material (there are 8 clamps on each row).

C. Find corresponding Air Regulator Setting (psi) on the graph, based on the calculated clamping force.

Set the air regulator to the calculated psi.

Example:

1st) 96’’ (material length) x 1’’ (Material thickness) = 96 in^2

2nd) 96 in^2 x 120 lbs/in^2 (Alders ¼’’ sawn joint) = 11,520 lbs

3rd) 11,520 lbs/8 (number of clamps) = 1,440 lbs per clamp

4th) 1,440 lbs correlates to 45psi on the graph.

In general, dense and tight-grained woods require the application of greater force. On hardwoods, glue joints

between radial or quartersawn faces require half the pressure of tangential or flatsawn face joints. This is

because on hardwoods, the quartersawn face has half the compression strength of the flatsawn face, so the

fibers are more easily crushed. On softwoods, the reverse is true; with the quartersawn-face glue lines requiring

twice the pressure of the flatsawn face glue lines.

Species

¼’’Sawn Joints

(lbs/in^2)

Flat sawn

Joints (lbs/in^2)

Alder 120 240

Oak 209 418

Cherry 171 342

Sapele 179 358

Maple 225 450

Poplar 177 354

Pine 120 60

Walnut 179 358

17

5. Set the clamps up for even joint pressure. This is done by keeping the ends of the lumber flush with the

jaws. If the ends of the lumber extend past the jaws, the panel flattener may not flatten the panel

properly. Clamps on each panel should be spaced no more than 18’’ apart. To avoid interference with

the panel flattener, the clamps must have a minimum spacing of 7’’center to center.

6. Load the clamp carrier with balance in mind. When loading an empty machine, it may be necessary to

load on set of clamps then rotate 180 degrees and load the second section.

7. Once correct pressure is set and the clamps are set, align the boards end grain in an alternating fashion.

This is done to avoid cupping of the board over time, which will happen if not compensated for by

alternating the end grains during the glue up.

8. Bring the rear jaws down to the stock. Starting on the left side of the machine, place the panel flattener

in between the first set of clamps and press the bottom button on the panel flattener and the right

button on the clamp tightener. The panel flattener should remain extended until the top button is

pressed. Tighten long members in the clamp in the following sequence to insure that the finished

product remains straight.

a. The center clamp should be tightened.

b. The clamps that are one quarter of the way in from each end of the product should be

tightened.

c. The remaining clamps can be tightened from left to right.

18

Horizontal Band Saw: The Horizontal Band Saw or Re-saw is used to split material, mainly the 3/8’’ thick

material.

1. Open the suction gates.

2. Begin by insuring that the coolant level is adequate by checking level of float and then turning the

coolant mist on the top and bottom of the blade on (about ¼’’ of a turn). If the coolant is low, remove

from saw, remove bag, clean inside of the reservoir and replace the bag.

3. Tighten the blade by, turning the “motor on”, “loosen on” and “pump on”. It helps to slow it down by

using the lever; check for tightness.

4. Once blade is tight, turn the “loosen off” (Refer to figure below).

5. Set the desired speed for the conveyor belt or “Pump” by adjusting the lever located in the front of the

machine.

6. Set the blade height to cut in the center of the material. To check were the blade is set, grasp a sample

piece and let it just kiss the blade, pull it back and measure it. To adjust the blade height push “set”, the

desired inches (0.39, 0.40, 0.41, etc.) then push “start”.

7. Set a rack up on the out feed side of the machine to catch material as it is cut.

8. When finished, close the suction gates, turn the power off and turn the coolant spray off.

Refilling the Lubrication Reservoir:

1. Unscrew lid clamp and remove the lid from the container. Remove container from rest.

2. Throw away the old bag, clean the inside of the container. Fungal growth will occur if this container

isn’t kept clean. Place a new bag inside container.

3. Fill with water and add 4-6 ounces of coolant lubrication to the water.

19

4. Unscrew the filters, clean thoroughly and screw back onto the lid.

5. Place the lid onto the container, tighten clamp and set into container rest.

Planer Safety and Set up Procedures: The planer is used for thicknessing material that will not fit in the

molder eg. file cabinet drawer front material or any other material wider than 9’’.

Safety Procedures:

o Periodically check the shields and safety devices

o Never start the machine without having properly closed the covers

o Before lifting the table, make sure that there are no wood residues on the table.

o Before starting the machine, make sure the area is free of parts which do not relate to the use of the

planer.

o It is forbidden to move the table when the machine is running

o Do not machine pieces thicker than 11.8’’ or thinner than 0.138’’.

o Do not machine pieces with metal parts.

o Before fitting the knives, make sure that each support surface is clean, free from dents and perfectly

flat.

o Make sure blades are sharp. Dull blades not only affect the quality of the work but also increase the kick

back danger.

o Fit the cutter block/blades in the correct direction, opposing feed direction.

o Before starting machine, check crash between cutting head and fixed parts.

o It is necessary to open suction gate before use.

o Never try to remove waste or other parts while machine is in operation.

o Periodically reestablish the correct tension into the transmission belt. The machine shows signs of lose

of tension when it requires an increased amount of time to stop the cutter.

20

Planer Specifications:

Work table size 25''x39''

Working width 24.8''

Max. workpeice thickness 11.8''

Min. workpeice thickness 0.138''

Max. depth of cut in one stroke 0.314''

Min length of the workpeice 10''

Min. width of the workpiece 0.394''

Cutter block speed 4500rpm

Time required for cutter to stop less than 10 sec

1. Open suction gate.

2. Set table height to remove 1/16’’ per pass. Always adjust the table height with the machine off. Always

make the tables’ last direction of movement upwards to the desired thickness. This compensates for the

lash in the threads.

3. Turn on the Planer.

4. Adjust the speed. Always adjust the speed of the feed rollers with the machine on.

**Note: To adjust the projection of the rollers, use the lever under the in feed side of the table. Increasing

projection will hold the material more but runs the risk of leaving marks. You need to judge the best

projection for the job. Usually half way is best.

Replacing Planer knives: Knives should be replaced/flipped when the knives get nicks or burns.

1. Press the emergency button

2. Loosen the hex screw on the top of the top cover.

3. Lift top cover

4. Loosen knobs and turn over guard

5. Rotate the cutter block so that the knife being replaced is facing up

6. Loosen the gibs by exerting light pressure with a block of wood.

7. Push the knife out with the block while guiding the knife out of the through hole which will allow access

to the knife from the right side of the machine.

21

8. Fit the new knife, or rotate old one and place into the cutter block through the though hole. Center the

knife on the cutter block.

9. Rotate cutter block for access to the next knife and repeat process.

10. When all knives have been replaced close the guard by tightening knobs.

11. Close the cover by tightening the hex screw.

Operating the Moulder:

Max and Mins (Depth of cut): Always check the max and mins of all the cutter heads on the caliper stand.

Make sure these values correlate with the molder. If not, change them and save them.

Calibrating the caliper stand:

1. Zero the measuring caliper to the outside of the spindle shaft.

2. Move the measuring caliper to the eccentric washer in the middle of the shaft, it should now read 0.750”, if

it doesn’t read 0.750” loosen the bolt that holds the eccentric in place, adjust the eccentric washer till it

reads 0.750”, then zero the measuring caliper again at the eccentric washer.

3. Now measure to the outside of your spindle shaft it should read 0.750”

4. Always remember to check the calibration of the stand against itself before you take a measurement.

Measuring max and mins on sharp/indeterminate (hard to find) profiles:

1. Find the value of the most obvious point on the knife (max or min).

2. Get the calipers as close as possible to the difficult point on the knife and take note of this number.

3. Refer to the template sheet to find out what the depth of cut (difference between the max and min) is.

4. Get the average between what you got and what the sheet says. This is done by adding the two numbers

together and dividing by two.

5. Subtract or add this number to the maximum /minimum number found on the caliper stand. This value

shouldn’t be very different from what was found on the caliper stand, but is more accurate.

Setting Up the Moulder:

1. Select the desired profile.

a. After turning the molder on, the home page will show or, if already in production, hit F10. If the desired profile is already in production hit F2. If not in production, hit F5 to find the desired profile.

22

b. Push the ABC button, touch and drag the box to the top of the screen and locate desired profile by pushing the up or down arrow on the lower right corner of the ABC box, then tap twice on the desired profile to pull it up.

c. Verify information on screen is still your desired profile. Then click on survey F10. Then hit F6 to activate profile.

2. Locate the knives needed for the profile by comparing the template with the knives; if knives aren’t already

in a head refer to the “Proper Installation of Corrugated Knives” section. 3. Check the Max and Min’s on all the knives on the spindle calibrator (refer to previous page). Write these

down and keep track of which set of numbers go to each head by using the max and mins logbook. Input these new values into the memory system according to each head and save the changes by selecting save on the screen and selecting “yes”. Also, a data backup should be done at least once a week to insure all numbers are saved. This is done by selecting “Additions”, “Backup”, and “continue” several times.

4. Turn the key to manual mode, which will turn the indicator light yellow then open the hood and roll tool

cart in front of the molder.

5. Begin by loosening all the spindle shafts; this will insure you don’t forget to loosen any. If you feel comfortable in doing the one at a time approach, do so but realize if the spindle is cranked without being loosened, the spindle axial can be compromised and the collar, which holds the spindle, will loosen.

6. Work on the heads in the following order:

4th Head (top):

1. Raise the fourth (top) head to about 4.0’’while simultaneously raising the wheels with the switch just

left of the fourth head spindle. This will give room to work on the chip breakers and pressure shoe. Do

not raise the top head without raising the wheels simultaneously.

2. Once the head is raised, remove the existing head and apply the desired head onto the spindle. Add

spacers until the spacers are at least 1mm past the collar of the spindle, then add the final washer and

threaded nut and tighten. If the head crashes, adjust the pressure shoe first.

3. Adjust the pressure shoe (the pressure element after the top head) vertically to match the minimum

value of the knife in the top head. Make sure the last movement is made in the direction of the solid

arrow. Adjust the pressure shoe horizontally until there is 1/8’’ gap between the shoe and the

maximum part of the knife when the shoe is lifted via 2x4. Tighten the bolts.

4. Next, loosen the two bolts on the right side of the top head. One bolt requires a toothed wrench while

the other requires a 17mm wrench. Align the chip breakers (pressure elements before the top head) so

that they are flush with the pressure shoe. This is done by placing the straight edge against the bottom

of the pressure shoe and moving the chip breakers until they match. Make sure the last movement is

made in the direction of the solid arrow. Tighten the two bolts on the right of the top head. Compress

the chip breakers up via 2x4 to insure a 1/8’’ gap is in between the maximum point on the knife and the

chip breakers. If the chip breakers crash into the knife, adjust the chip breakers back a few corrugations

by loosening the four bolts on the underside of the chip breakers and pushing them back. Retighten the

23

four chip breaker bolts. If this doesn’t resolve the crash, then apply a smaller set of chip breakers by

loosening the four bolts on the underside of the chip breakers. If there is more than a 1/8’’ gap, then

adjust the chip breakers out a few corrugations by loosening the four bolts slightly and pushing the chip

breakers forward. Then retighten the four chip breaker bolts. If either of these two chip breaker

adjustments were made, re align the chip breakers with the pressure shoe by following the previous

steps. Lower the head down but insure that the chip breakers aren’t applying pressure to the adjustable

fence. If the final height is low enough to cause this issue, then lower the head until it is close to the

adjustable fence, but not touching, and do the final adjustment when the test piece is used to set the

adjustable fence position.

5th Head (final bottom):

1. Remove the existing head.

2. Adjust the spindle to its correct axial and radial adjustments for the particular profile and tighten the

two corresponding spindle shafts.

3. Push the adjustable fence all the way in or remove it. This is done to access the bed plates better.

4. Loosen all four bolts which hold down each bed plate (in-feed and out-feed).

5. Remove the existing, maple spacer and put the spacer which corresponds to the desired profile in place

of the previous spacer. Push the in-feed bed plate firmly against the maple spacer while tightening the

two, bed plate bolts for the in-feed table.

6. Push the out-feed table away from the head and place the desired head onto the spindle.

7. Add spacers until the spacers are at least 1mm past the collar of the spindle, then add the final washer

and threaded nut and tighten.

8. Adjust the out-feed bed plate towards the head until there is a 1/8’’ gap in between the maximum point

on the knife and the bed plate then tighten the two bolts.

3rd Head (Left side head): If the wheels in front of the third head need to be packed, lessoned or changed

then crank the 3rd head to about 5’’; this will allow you to reach the bolts with the ratchet.

1. Remove the existing head and push the adjustable fence out of the way. Change the wheels at this

point if needed (refer to the “How to change wheels” section).

2. Place the desired head onto the spindle but do not tighten.

3. Adjust the bed plate so that there is a 1/8’’ gap in between the bed plate and the maximum point of the

knife (to adjust the bed plate use the ratchet and turn the black, knurled bolt located at the bottom left

of the 3rd head spindle shield).

24

4. Adjust the spring loaded shield on the in-feed side of the head so that there is a 1/8’’ gap in between the

shield and the maximum point of the knife when the shield is compressed back fully.

5. At this point, there should be no crash when the head turns. Add spacers until the spacers are at least

1mm past the collar of the spindle, then add the final washer and threaded nut and tighten.

6. Adjust the spindle to its correct axial and radial adjustments for the particular profile and tighten the

two corresponding spindle shafts.

7. Bring the adjustable fence back until it just misses the maximum point on the knife and tighten the fence

down with the handle. The final fence adjustment will be made when the initial piece of product is run.

2nd Head (right side head):

1. Remove the shield by pushing it back and lifting up.

2. Remove the existing head.

3. Adjust the spindle to its correct axial and radial adjustments for the particular profile and tighten the

two corresponding spindle shafts.

4. Place the desired head onto the spindle but do not tighten.

5. Adjust the bed plate so that there is a 1/8’’ gap in between the bed plate and the maximum point of the

knife. This is done by turning the black, knurled bolt located in front of the 2nd head.

6. At this point, there should be no crash when the head turns. Add spacers until the spacers are at least

1mm past the collar of the spindle, then add the final washer and threaded nut and tighten. Replace the

shield by pulling the shield forward while resting on top of the housing.

7. Adjust the in feed table and fence so that the heads are taking equal amounts of material off.

1mm or just enough

to clean the bottomInner frame

Material thickness

13/16''

3/4''

5/8''

3/8''

Table position

3/4 mm

2 mm

4 mm

1/2 mm

In feed fence Adjustment: If material is 1/4'' wider than the finish size then, set the fence at 4mm. If the

material is any smaller or isn’t square, adjust the fence closer to 0mm.

8. Remove all tools and material from the molder and turn on the first two sets of spindles only. Manually

feed the material until it goes just past the fence but not under the top head. Turn the molder off.

**Set the in feed table to an appropriate

setting, based on these settings, if the

desired thickness is not mentioned.

25

9. After the heads have stopped, adjust the side pressure wheel so that it barely is compressed. Also, adjust

the adjustable fence so that it gently touches the material.

10. Adjust the top heads (4th) axial and radial to the correct settings and check for crash.

11. Remove all tools and material from inside the molder and turn on all the heads. Manual run the material

through the molder and visually confirm that the wheels are applying correct pressure and that the heads

are taking the correct amount off of the material, evenly.

12. If 3/8’’ material is being ran, clamp the block on the out feed bed plate.

13. Close the hood and begin running material. Make sure to pump lubrication twice every ten boards.

14. Read and check off all safety checklist/signs on molder and grinder before operation.

How to Change the Wheels: There are two types of wheels that we currently use; toothed wheels (rough)

and knurled wheels (soft). The toothed wheels are meant to dig in 1/8 of an inch. These are suitable for use on

all material other than 3/8’’ material. The knurled wheels are meant to dig in 1/16’’. These are suitable for use

on the 3/8’’ material.

Bolt on Wheels:

1. Remove center bolt and washer, if applicable, and the outer wheel(s) of each wheel mount.

2. Remove the three bolts in both of the initial (5/8’’) wheels.

3. Place the initial desired wheel on the mount and tighten the three bolts (repeat for the other initial

wheel).

4. Stack the desired amount of additional wheels onto the initial wheels by aligning the pins, threading the

center bolt and applying the washer for support of the additional wheel. Insure that the three initial

bolts are holding the initial wheel on and not just the center bolt and washer.

Keyed Shaft Wheels:

1. Loosen the bolt and remove the wheel, this may need to be done with the wheels elevated enough to

get past the side pressure wheel.

2. Place the desired wheels onto the keyed shaft, center them according to the material, and tighten the

bolts.

How to Parallel the Pressure Shoe: The pressure shoe is the pressure element located directly after the top

head. A non-parallel pressure shoe can cause snipes and pauses during running.

Tools Needed:

26

2 - 60mm spacers (2.362”)

1 - 0.020” thick ruler

1 - 17mm Wrench

1. Position the feed beam and top head or heads at about 2-1/2” in height, lock and tag out the machine.

2. Put one 60mm spacer on the bedplate under the top spindle, and the other 60mm spacer on top of the last

bedplate after the bottom spindle. NOTE: if you left the shim under the last bottom bedplate place the .020”

ruler under the 60mm spacer that’s under the top head to compensate for the shim under the last bottom

bed plate.

3. On the backside of the pressure shoe there are (4) 17mm bolts that hold the pressure shoe to the casting of

the machine, loosen all four bolts, but just enough for the shoe to be able to move, the shoe is also pinned

to the casting, this should keep it in place.

4. Next turn the knob that lowers (just the pressure shoe) down till it touches the top of the two spacers on the

bedplates. It should have just self-leveled itself if you loosened the bolts in the back of the element as

explained above first. After self-leveling, don’t forget to retighten the four bolts you loosened earlier.

How to Calibrate the Axial of the Vertical Spindles: The spindles should be calibrated every three months

to insure accurate material. This will help the grinder and molder communicate the same numbers. There are

two “.000” points on the molder from which all measurements are taken; the inside fixed fence and the bed

plates, if calibrated correctly the setup time can be very minimal.

Tools Needed:

1-10mm (.394”) spacer

1-60mm spacer

1-8”-12” small straight edge

1-.020” feeler gauge (use the 12” ruler that came with the machine, it is .020” thick)

1. Slide the 10mm (.394”) spacer on vertical spindle.

2. Put straight edge on top of 10mm (.394”) spacer

3. Slide the 60mm spacer on top of straight edge, (this keeps the straight edge parallel.

4. Move the vertical spindle up or down till the straight edge is even with the bedplate, making sure the last

movement on the spindle is going up (clockwise) or towards the solid arrow (this incorporates for the “slop

or lash” in the gears, so the counter is calibrated correctly.

27

5. In theory you’re at the “.000” mark, but the last bottom horizontal cutter head is .020” higher than the

bedplate before it. So take the .020” ruler or feeler gauge and move the vertical spindle up till the feeler

gauge just slides under the straight edge. Now the vertical spindles are .020” higher than the bedplates.

6. The last bottom cutter head has just been compensated for. Remove all items from the spindle. Loosen the

set screw on the counter and set the counter (don’t move the spindle) at .394” or (10mm) in the same up

direction as you did with the spindle, (again we are compensating for the lash or slop in the gears). Tighten

the set screw on the counter. Now the vertical spindles are calibrated to a .394” (10mm) axial constant.

Make sure whenever you move the vertical your vertical spindles you last movement is the same as it was

when you calibrated (clockwise)/towards the solid arrow.

How to Calibrate the Axial of the Horizontal Spindles:

1. Slide the 10mm (.394”) spacer on the top horizontal spindle.

2. Put straight edge on top of 10mm (.394”) spacer.

3. Slide the 60mm spacer on spindle over top of straight edge, (this keeps the straight edge parallel.

4. Move the horizontal spindle in or out till the straight edge is even with the fixed fence (a small flashlight

helps with seeing when it’s lined up) making sure the last movement on the spindle is going inward towards

fence, (clockwise) this compensates for the “slop or lash” in the gears, so your counter is calibrated

correctly.

5. The horizontal spindles are now calibrated. Remove all items from the spindle. Loosen the set screw on

your counter and set the counter (don’t move the spindle) at .394” or (10mm) in the same up direction as

you did with the spindle, (again we are compensating for the lash or slop in the gears). Tighten the set screw

on the counter. The horizontal spindles are now calibrated to a .394” (10mm) axial constant. Make sure

whenever you move the horizontal spindle you’re last movement is the same as it was when you calibrated

(clockwise).

*Note: If “.000” represents alignment of the bottom of the spindle with either the fixed fence or the bed

plates, then before you make a movement think what number you need to be at on your counter before you

make the movement. Let’s say I want to make a movement down on the vertical (backward on horizontal)

spindle, well we are going further away from “.000” point so I would add to the current number on my

spindle counter. Or let’s say I wanted to make a movement up on the vertical (outward on horizontal)

spindle, well I would subtract from my current number on my counter. Remember “.000” is where you

should run out of movement because your cutter head is now aligned with either the fixed fence or the bed

plates and no more knives exist.

28

How to Calibrate the Radial of the Vertical Spindles:

Right spindle (2nd head):

1. Place 60mm cutter head on the spindle shaft.

2. Place straight edge on bedplate and up against fixed fence.

3. Move radial adjustment of cutter head toward straight edge till it barely touches.

4. Put the same radial number measurement that is on the cutter head into the radial counter on the

machine stopping on the number going the same direction. This method takes the lash out of the

counter as well.

Left spindle (3rd Head):

1. Place the 60mm spacer up against the fixed fence side of the machine.

2. Place cutter head on left spindle.

3. Move radially in till you just barely touch the spacer and stop.

4. Take the measurement of the cutter head and add 2.362” (that’s the measurement in inches of the

60mm spacer used to calibrate) to that number. Put this number into the radial counter on the left

spindle, stop in the same direction as you moved your radial as to remove the lash from the counter.

In the future when setting up the left spindle, add the radial number of the cutter head and the

finish width of the product and set the machine to that number.

How to Calibrate the Radial of the Horizontal Spindles:

Top Spindle (4th Head):

1. Set the height of the feed beam and spindle shaft to around 2.500”

2. Slide the 60mm cutter head on the top spindle

3. Place the 60mm (2.362”) on the bed plate under the 60mm cutter head.

4. Manually move the cutter head with the knives so it won’t come into play with the spacer that’s on

the bed plate when you manually move the spindle downwards.

5. Manually move the spindle upwards until the knives in the cutter head just slip by the spacer when

moving the cutter head backward.

29

6. Take note of the number on the counter and move upward .020” more to compensate for the shim

under the last bottom bed plate which is generally .020” thick.

7. Now set the counter, make sure to set the counter the same direction as the last movement going in

the up position. Add the radial measurements from the cutter head with the thickness of the

product instead of the width.

Bottom Spindle (5th Head):

1. Slide the 60mm cutter head on the last bottom spindle shaft.

2. Place the 8” straight edge on the last bed plate right after the last bottom spindle.

3. Lower and then raise the last bottom spindle up till the straight knife in just barely touches the

straight edge. Remember the last movement should be going toward the lumber.

4. Now set the counter in the same direction as your last movement on the spindle. The number in the

counter should be the same number as on the cutter head (just like the Right spindle)

Sniping of Material: Snipe in wood molding is defined by a bite in the end or beginning of the board that is not

consistent with the rest of the molded piece. In short it should not be there, it can’t be used and it makes your

work look inferior, and you’re throwing away valuable lumber. If there is an order, let’s say a 8’ piece of molding,

the customer expects 8’ of usable molding, not 7’8” and 4” of snipe at the end of the board. Add up all the

inches of snipe in a 5000 lineal foot molding run of 8’boards and you have 625 boards with snipe of 4” each

totaling 1250” (104 feet of snipe) your losing a lot of your profit just to be able to cover the lineal footage you

lost to snipe. One of the main reasons for the cause of sniping is a non-parallel pressure shoe.

Knife Marks per Inch (KMPI): Knife marks per inch (KMPI). Industry standard is 13-16 kmpi. We should strive

for 16-20 kmpi because there are smaller depths to the scallops, they are less noticeable, the product feels

smoother and look better after finishing. Three things determine kmpi; feed rate, rpm's, and number of knife

finishing. The Unimat 500 (our molder) delivers 6000 rpm. Also, due to bore tolerance there will always be a

one knife finish.

The formula for Kmpi: (Rpm x knives finishing)/ (feed rate x 12) = kmpi.

Example: 6000(rpm) x 1(knife finishing) / 30(feet per minute) x 12 (inches per foot) = 16.666 knife

marks/inch. But if you slow down the feed rate, look what happens to the kmpi: 6000(rpm) x 1(knife

finishing) / 25 (feet per minute) x 12 (inches per foot) =20.000 kmpi, resulting in a better product.

**Note: An out-of-balance mark is a consistent mark on the finished product that does not equal the number of

marks per inch as calculated by the Knife Marks per Inch formula. Refer to troubleshooting guide for resolving

this issue, if applicable.

30

** Note: Chatter, an inconsistently patterned mark on the finished product, is caused by the product moving

during the cut. The product must be held in a way that does not permit it to move (except in the direction of

feed). Example: A counter-profile pressure shoe may be used to hold an uneven profile being produced by the

top cutter. Refer to troubleshooting guide for resolving this issue, if applicable.

Aspects of Running Some Specific Profiles: Some profiles have specific procedures that need to be done in order to

run accurately and with no pauses during run.

Running Crown: Crown is one of the few profiles which utilize a profile other than S4S on all the heads, except

the first planning head. This increases the odds of the material not turning out correct, since the axials and

radials for all the heads must be, exactly, correct. The operator can waste a lot of wood trying to dial in a crown

without using axial constant, or they can nail it on the first piece. The following example is for regular crown

but the steps apply to all crown profiles.

1. Take a look at the crown itself, notice that it has a bevel of 38.5 degrees on right spindle and a bevel of 52.5

degrees on left spindle. This will back cut the crown a total of 91 degree compensating for any cupping of the

wood. If you back cut too much over 90 degrees you change the height and projection of the crown, causing a

problem during installation.

2. Notice, that the template sheet gives you a height in inches of the bevels on the back of the crown. This

represents “what I need” from each of the bevel knives. This number changes for every different crown you

have. In this example the green numbers, 0.513’’ and 0.594’’, are these numbers.

3. Look at the right bevel 38.5 knife; the number .787” (in brown) represents the maximum this knife can cut.

The number 0.591” (in brown) for the 52.5 left bevel knives. The numbers on the back of the crown must be

smaller than the numbers in height on any bevel knife for that knife to be able to work for any particular crown.

31

4. Look at the simple math equation above each bevel knife. “What I Have” never changes it is a constant, “What

I need” changes with every different crown (these numbers come from the backs of the crown), and

“Approximate Axial Number” (this number is how far your lowering the bevel under the bed plate) changes with

every different crown you run. Everything is color coded for you to make simple math to be able to find out the

axial number, just follow the example given.

**Note: let’s say the paper work for the crowns and bevels got lost.

1. Get a sample piece of wood, calipers and a straight edge.

2. From the reference side of the cutter head (this is the .000” point on your machine as well) put the

straight edge against this “0” point. Then measure with the digital calipers from “0” to where the

bevel and straight flat part of the knife meet. The number on the calipers now represents “What you

have”.

3. Now take your sample piece of wood and lay it flat on a table, measure from the table to the

intersect point of the crown (where the top knives intersect with the side knives) that number on

your calipers represents “What you need”.

4. Subtract “What you need” from “What you got”. This gives you an approximate axial number.

Running 3/8’’ Material: Since we start with material that is roughly 13/32’’ (0.40625’’) prior to milling to 3/8’’

(0.375’’) we encounter a lot of issues. This only leaves us with 1/32’’ of milling timber. For this reason, the run

needs to be “loose”, meaning the side pressure roller can’t have a lot of pressure and the adjustable fence needs

to be lightly touching the product. Also, insure that the following considerations are completed.

o Always take at least a half of a millimeter off the first, in feed, cutter head. This keeps the material

square and true.

o Place the rough; band saw side of the lumber up to insure the bottom is fully planed and square.

o Realize that the toothed wheels are meant to dig in 1/8 of an inch. So, if you use these you are risking

the possibility of getting wheel marks on the top of your finished product. Since we are only taking 1/32

of an inch off the lumber this leaves a 3/32 of an inch mark to sand out, which is unlikely. This is why

the knurled wheels are better but rubber ones would be best.

Knife Production and Grinding Procedures:

Axial Constant Grinding: Axial constant grinding is more accurate, cuts setup time by 50%, produces less

waste in test pieces and turns running the molder into a simple mathematical process. This system can be

incorporated on the molder, profile grinder, and template. The term “axial constant” is simple if explained

correctly; each cutter head has two movements radial and axial. On vertical spindles radial movement is; in and

out and axial movement is up and down. On horizontal spindles the radial movement is up and down and axial

movement is in and out. If the molder, grinder, and template are communicating the same axial, then in theory

you would never have to move the axial on the molder, thus saving you 50% of your set up time.

32

Industry standard, for this constant axial, is 10mm (0.394’’) for all knives and 20mm (0.788’’) for all templates

(this is so you don’t fall off the template when grinding).

How to Calibrate the Grinder for Axial Constant Grinding: The grinder needs to recalibrated to axial

constant settings every 3 months.

1. Place the rough wheel, dressed at exactly 4mm, on the spindle of the grinder with the two finger

method.

2. Place a 4mm tracing pin in the template tracing slot.

3. Clamp 10mm spindle spacer rings against the template studs by clamping templates against the

spacers.

4. Slide a 60mm spacer on the tool rest, tighten the nut and clamp unto the template stand.

5. Push the straight edge against the right side of the tool rest with the 60 mm spacer and lightly push

the right side of the right template against the 4mm pin. The straight edge should lightly touch the

rough wheel. Repeat this for the left side. If either one of the sides doesn’t lightly touch the wheel,

then adjust the template studs accordingly to achieve this.

6. Now that the grinder is calibrated to the 4 mm rough wheel, place the finish wheel on the spindle

with the two finger method.

33

7. Exchange the 4mm pin with a 2mm pin in the template tracing slot.

8. Push the straight edge against the right side of the tool rest with the 60 mm spacer and lightly push

the right side of the right template against the 2 mm pin. The straight edge should lightly touch the

finish wheel. Repeat this for the left side. If either one of the sides doesn’t lightly touch the wheel,

then place shims to the left side of the wheel and hub accordingly to achieve this.

Knife Safety: The following considerations need to be made.

o For safety reasons, the maximum adjustment of knives must not exceed four corrugations 0.250” from

the bottom of the knife slot. There is a line on the some cutter heads that indicates the maximum

outward adjustment.

o Place knives successively opposite each other, do not offset knives.

o Always use at least two clamping bolts to clamp knives and gib; this is why we don’t cut knives any

smaller than 1.750” wide.

o Use filler strips into empty knife pockets. Never run a cutter head with empty pockets, you will egg

shape the bore and damage the cutter head.

o Use only original manufacturer’s spare parts in all your cutter heads.

o Knives must be 16-60 degree corrugations, and must be fitted in the same corrugation position so all

knives are in the same cutting circle.

o For proper performance knives must be the same thickness, and must be balanced within 0.1 gram of

each other. This is very important because the finished surface of the wood greatly depends on the

smooth running of balanced tools in every cutter head.

Proper alignment of profile knives for axial constant positioning into the cutter head: Follow these

considerations when cutting and installing knives into cutter heads.

o Refer to the profile sheets and note the recommended steel width. This width should be ¾’’ + Profile

width.

o Cut steel to even measurements with chop saw. Let them cool down at room temperature, dipping

them in cold water could cause fracture of the steel that aren’t visible.

o On bench grinder, grind off burn marks left over from chop saw and break edges so the knife seats

properly in the cutter head. Weigh the knives to exact weight of each other on the balance scale. Clean

the cutter head and corrugations in preparation of knife insertion.

34

o With the cutter head laying horizontally on the workbench, corrugations parallel with your chest, and

gib screws pointing away from you. This is the proper way to reference a cutter head when loading

knives. Keep in mind that right and top cutter heads reference to the very end of the cutter head right

side, and lefts and bottom cutter heads reference to the very end of the cutter head left side.

o It is not necessary that the ends of the knife be perfectly square. When aligning the knives in a cutter

head, always align the bottom ¼” corner of the knife flush with the edge of the cutter heads reference

side by applying a clean, flat magnet on the bottom ¼’’ of the knife. You will never grind this reference

point off because you would be out of the safety zone and the knife life would be ended, therefore this

practice keeps the knife reference point a constant. Remember the knives should never be more than ¼”

above the bottom of the knife pocket, this keeps the knives full locked in by the entire gib

o Tighten all gib screws equally; they should be tightened by a standard gib screw wrench supplied by the

manufacturer. All screws should be tightened equally to the following recommended by the

manufacturer.

Weinig cutter heads torque specs:

M10 gib screws - 25 Nm or 18 Ft. lbs.

M12 gib screws - 30 Nm or 22 Ft. lbs.

Proper Installation of Corrugated Knives: Knives need to be installed correctly for safety and

accurateness of finished product. The following considerations need to be made.

o Remove dirt and resin from gib and cutter head corrugations.

o Insert the knife corrugations into the cutter head corrugations. With a flat, clean magnet, Align the

bottom ¼” of the knife steel with the tool reference surface (tops & rights) (lefts & bottoms). This will

compensate for knives that may have been cut out of square.

o Check the knife to insure proper fit into cutter head corrugations, make sure they are locked in to each

other.

o Tighten the clamping bolts sequence from the middle bolt outwards. For a cutter head slot requiring five

bolts; you should tighten in bolt number sequence 3, 2, 4, 1, and 5. Torque the gib screws as follows;

M10 bolts—18 to 19 ft. /lbs., M12 bolts—22 to 24 ft. /lbs, try not to over tighten.

o To remove the knife, release the tension from the clamping bolts, push the gib wedge out the side, and

then remove the knife. Wearing special non slip gloves when handling cutter heads and knives can help.

How to Choose Steel Width: Using steel that’s too big or larger than needed does make the life of the knife

longer, but it also allows snipe into the picture which you don’t want. A simple but effective way to determine

what size width of knife steel needed is to take the depth of cut and add 1-3/8”. If this number falls between

two widths of steel go to the next higher width. The following guidelines allow the knife to seat deeply in the

pockets of the cutter heads and have full support of the gib. They also allow the knives about ¼” in height to be

sharpened before it starts hitting the safety limits of the cutter heads.

35

Depth of cut 0” thru 1/8” = 1-1/2” wide (always this size for straight knives).

Depth of cut 1/8” thru 3/8” = 1-3/4” wide

Depth of cut 3/8” thru 5/8” = 2” wide

Depth of cut 5/8” thru 7/8” = 2-1/4” wide

Depth of cut 7/8” thru 1-1/8” = 2-1/2” wide

Depth of cut 1-1/8” thru 1-3/8” = 2-3/4” wide, Red Flag warnings on some machines

Depth of cut 1-3/8” thru 1-5/8” = 3” wide, Red Flag warnings most machines

How to Choose Steel Length: This is a very simple and accurate equation in most cases ¾” should be added

to the finished size. 0.394” of the 0.750” is taken up on the reference side (Axial Constant) and the remaining is

on the other side of the knife. For safety reasons there is a minimum size of 1.750” in length, steel should not be

cut any shorter than that. This allows the steel to be under at least two gib screws in the cutter head. This

default should always be a common practice because it will protect the molder operators.

1-Width of finished molding + ¾” = length of knife. Example: 3” wide molding plus ¾” = 3.750”

2-Thickness of finished molding = ¾” = length of knife. Example: 1” thick molding plus ¾ + 1.750”

Dressing the Rough Wheels Width (A/2,000rpm/4mm pin/No coolant): Dressing the rough wheels

width is a critical step that should be done once, only to new wheels. When a new wheel is set up, its width

needs to be slightly less than the 4mm tracing pin. Dress the wheel to approximately 3.8mm – 3.9mm. The

under sizing will compensate for any imperfect shape of the wheel, therefore the wheel can’t take out too much

steel from the knives if the wheel goes square.

Procedure/Set up:

1. Place the Rough Wheel onto the spindle with the two finger tightness rule. This means only

tighten the nut with two fingers on either of the wrenches and tightening.

2. Loosen and adjust the motor to 2,000 rpm. Make sure to adjust the belt to the correct

pulley and tighten the motor.

3. Adjust the wheel away from the rest and set the back clearance to the “A” position.

4. Place the dressing shoe on the rest, tighten with a hex wrench.

5. Place the dressing unit (the unit with the diamond tip dresser) in position and set to the

front of the rest. And place the 4mm pin underneath it, groove facing out, and tighten with

the knurled knob.

36

6. Adjust the wheel forward until it barely touches the diamond dresser on the face of the

wheel.

7. Insure that the coolant flow is off and turn on the grinder.

8. Dress the sides of the wheel until you cannot hear it making contact throughout the entire

wheel. On the face of the wheel slightly swivel the dresser to obtain a rounded wheel face.

9. Remove the dressing unit, shoe and pin.

Dressing the Rough Wheels Face: The Rondor is the main dresser after the initial width is dressed. The

Rondor should be used to remove packed metal from the wheel and to make the face of the wheel round. A

square wheel makes for a harder grind and takes material away which should be there, decreasing accuracy.

Also, square points on the material will be more likely to break or tear, as opposed to a rounded edge.

Rough Grinding (25 degrees/2,000rpm/4mm pin/Lots of Coolant):

1. If applicable, remove wheel by removing the nut with the wrenches, tightening the reverse threaded nut

into the wheel until the wheel is free.

2. Place a dressed, rough wheel on the spindle and tighten with the two finger method.

3. Loosen the motor and set to 2,000 rpm. Insure that the belt is on the correct pulley. Refer to the

diagram on the grinder for pulley specifications.

4. Set the back clearance to 25 degrees by loosening the angle clamp and using the lever. Retighten clamp

when back clearance is set.

5. Adjust the wheel 0.02’’ away from the knife rest (the Weinig ruler is 0.02’’ thick).

6. Clean the templates or template stand and insure that no there is no debris on the surfaces that the

template rests against. Place the template, for the desired knife, in the correct orientation (right or left).

If the template is not big enough to be held down by both clamps, then place another template beside it

and butt it to the side of the desired template and clamp both down. Insure that there is no gap

between the axial constant stud and the template.

7. Insert the 4mm pin into the tracing pin slot, groove facing forward, and tighten the knurled screw.

8. Place the arbor, with the desired knives in the correct cutting head, on the arbor rest. Make sure the

arbor is all the way to the right and the collar nut is making contact with the stationary pin. Clamp the

two arbor clamps over the arbor.

9. Pull the table lock up and twist, so the table can move freely.

37

10. Adjust the template stand (by turning the main knurled knob in front of the template stand) so that the

rough wheel removes 0.003’’-0.004’’ in reference to the max point of the knife.

11. Turn the motor and the coolant valves on. Insure that there is enough coolant on the face side of the

knife especially.

12. Make a reference mark on one of the two knives by applying light pressure forward and downward. This

mark should be no deeper that 0.004’’ and roughly 1/8’’ wide. This will be the second knife grinded,

hence the reference mark.

13. Turn the cutter head so that the non-referenced side will be grinded first. Place light pressure forward

and downward. Feed rate or traverse rate of the work piece should be faster for roughing, slower for

finishing. Move across the whole knife during grind as opposed to focusing on one area more. The

diameter of the rough wheel decreases quickly during grinding and if it loses a lot of its diameter from

focusing on one area, then the rest of the knife may not get touched at all. Continue grinding this initial

knife until no more grinding sound is heard everywhere on the knife. A block of wood can be used to

remove steel burrs from the face of the knife.

14. After first knife is rough grinded, turn coolant off (by turning the two valves) but leave the wheel on.

While the wheel is spinning, lightly round the face of the wheel with the Rondor. Make sure to contact

the face so that any packed metal is removed from the wheel. Clean sand residue off of the knife rest

via squirt bottle.

15. Turn wheel off and minimize the gap between the rough wheel and the knife rest but insure not to

touch the knife rest with the wheel (roughly 1/32’’ from the knife rest).

16. Adjust the template stand (by turning the main knurled knob in front of the template stand) so that the

rough wheel is close to touching the reference mark on the second knife.

17. Turn the wheel and coolant on.

18. Place light pressure forward and downward and creep the knife forward until the wheel lines up with

the reference mark, exactly. To check this, grind a little past the reference mark and feel the surface.

Make sure it feels consistently smooth. Move across the whole knife during grind.

19. Continue taking 0.003’’-0.004’’ off each pass, making reference marks each cycle of the grind and re-

dressing with the Rondor often until the profile is completed.

20. Turn the motor and coolant valves off. Remove the 4mm pin and clean the grinder thoroughly.

21. Remove the knives from the cutter head and rebalance on the scale and bench grinder. Insure that the

knives are within 0.1 of a gram.

22. Balance gibs and gib screws. Reinstall the knives into the cutter head.

38

**Note: For angles greater than 60 degrees, set the side clearance to 10 degrees (by pushing the lever

on the left and rotating the template stand until the lever engages at the correct angle) and grind on a

separate pass. This should be after the corresponding knife is rough grinded completely. This side

clearance grinding allows air movement and makes for longer knife life and more efficient removal of

timber.

**Note: If knives overheat during sharpening the temper of the steel is taken out making the knives

edge brittle. Look at the face side of the knife, if you see burning this is not a good sign. Refer to the

troubleshooting guide.

Finish Grinding (20 degrees/3000 rpm/2mm pin/Coolant):

1. If applicable, remove wheel by removing the nut with the wrenches, tightening the reverse threaded nut

into the wheel until the wheel is free.

2. Place finish wheel onto the spindle and tighten with the two finger method.

3. Loosen the motor and set to 3,000 rpm. Insure that the belt is on the correct pulley. Refer to the

diagram on the grinder for pulley specifications.

4. Set the back clearance to 20 degrees by loosening the angle clamp and using the lever. Retighten clamp

when back clearance is set.

5. Adjust the wheel 0.02’’ away from the knife rest (the Weinig ruler is 0.02’’ thick).

6. Clean the templates or template stand and insure that no there is no debris on the surfaces that the

template rests against. Place the template, for the desired knife, in the correct orientation (right or left).

If the template is not big enough to be held down by both clamps, then place another template beside it

and butt it to the side of the desired template and clamp both down. Insure that there is no gap

between the axial constant stud and the template.

7. Insert the 2mm pin into the tracing pin slot, groove facing forward, and tighten the knurled screw.

8. Place the arbor, with the desired knives in the correct cutting head, on the arbor rest. Make sure the

arbor is all the way to the right and the collar nut is making contact with the stationary pin. Clamp the

two arbor clamps over the arbor.

9. Pull the table lock up and twist, so the table can move freely.

10. Adjust the template stand (by turning the main knurled knob in front of the template stand) so that the

rough wheel removes 0.001’’-0.002’’ in reference to the max point of the knife.

11. Turn the motor and the coolant valves on. Insure that there is enough coolant on the face side of the

knife especially.

39

12. Place light pressure forward and downward. Feed rate or traverse rate of the work piece should be

slower than rough grinding speed. Grind both knives at the same position.

13. Remove steel burrs from the face of the knife with a block of wood.

14. Turn the motor and coolant valves off. Remove the 2mm pin and clean the grinder thoroughly.

**Note: For angles greater than 60 degrees and which have been rough grinded at 10 degrees, set the

side clearance to 5 degrees (by pushing the lever on the left and rotating the template stand until the

lever engages at the correct angle) and grind on a separate pass. This side clearance grinding allows air

movement and makes for longer knife life and more efficient removal of timber.

**Note: Finish grind straight portions of knives at a 5 degree side clearance as well as the angles. This

keeps the wheel rounded and causes a sheering cut of the lumber. This directs the motion of the

removed lumber towards the suction.

**Note: Be cautious with the amount of pressure applied against the 2mm pin. If the pin bends or gets

bent, the profiles will be off.

Knife Steel: Knife steel hardness is based on a system called Rockwell Hardness. All molding knife steel has

Rockwell hardness. The Rockwell scale is a hardness scale based on the indentation hardness of a material. The

Rockwell test determines the hardness by measuring the depth of penetration of an indenter under a large load

compared to the penetration made by a preload There are different scales, denoted by a single letter, that use

different loads or indenters. The result is a dimensionless number noted as HRX, where X is the scale letter.

40

o Endurance + SR Coating:

The “Endurance” super run molder steel is the best option for extended production time and tool life.

An excellent choice for cutting problem hardwoods and for super long production runs. Tool life is

increased up to 600 percent over normal High Speed Steel without the inconvenience associated with

using carbide knives. This proprietary knife coating process uses the latest technology developed in

Europe for metal working tools. An ion sputtering magnetron chamber applies a P.V.D. (Physical Vapor

Deposit); 5 layer film of Titanium, Ceramic crystals, and other elements to the knife surface to form an

extremely hard and heat resistant cutting edge. The hardness of the coating is greater than 3500 HV –

about twice as hard as C2 grade carbide, but because the coating is so thin, normal vitrified or CBN

grinding wheels can be used to profile sharpen the knives. To avoid removing the wear resistant coating,

a wooden block should be used to take off the burr on profiled knives instead of an abrasive slip stone.

o V2+RW:

V2+RW, this is the steel we currently use because it is best for ultimate value and long tool life. Titan®

applies a hard, long wearing diamond dust chrome coating to the face of V2-HSS which can increase

wear life 100% at a small additional cost. RW coating gives this steel 72 Rockwell hardness to the cutting

edge only. This steel is not as prone to chipping as the Black Nitride because the steel underneath the

RW coating is a softer V2 base. This RW coating increases tool wear life without increasing your grinding

time. The RW coating is a proprietary electro-plating process that adds .001” thick chip resistant coating.

This line of steel is great for most hardwoods and can triple tool life in wet woods that contain tannic

acids (oak, cedar, redwood).

o V3 high speed steel:

V3-HSS offers up to 100% longer tool life over M2-HSS. This super alloy steel is great for long runs or on

tough hardwoods. V3-HSS contains high levels of Vanadium, Tungsten, Molybdenum, and Chromium for

extended wear life. V3-HSS has 66 Rockwell hardness which is one of the hardest HSS offered and is

almost the last step before having to go to carbide. This type steel is harder to grind for that same

reason.

o Tungsten based T1 (64Hrc): This steel offers 25% longer run times than standard M2-HSS. T1 is a commonly used European grade

made of 18% Tungsten for extra-long runs and better resistance to abrasive glue lines. T1-HSS is 1 point

on the Rockwell scale harder (64Hrc) for extended tool life, yet easy to cut and profile grind because of

the high levels of tungsten. T1 is popular for mills that run mostly hardwoods or for softwood mills that

want the ultimate in knife life and cutting performance.

o Black Nitride High Speed Steel: BN-HSS is a premium HSS with case hardened (carbon nitride) and black oxide to resist pitch build up.

BN-HSS offers up to 100% tool life increase over standard M2-HSS, without being harder to profile grind.

BN-HSS features longer wearing cutting edge .010” deep that is more than 72 Rockwell C hardness.

Great for long runs and stubborn hardwoods, it is prone to chipping if lumber is abrasive planed.

41

o V2 (63 HRC):

This steel is a new blend of high speed steel with extra Vanadium for longer tool life. V2 offers the same

wear life and performance as M2, but at a lower cost. By increasing the levels of Vanadium to replace

more expensive molybdenum, the cost is kept down to make this steel most affordable. This steel is

widely used as base steel for most coated type steel and it's easy to grind with today’s advanced

grinding wheels.

o M2 (63 HRC) :

This high Speed Steel offers 25% longer run times than HCHC grade. This type of steel has been around

for years. M2-HSS offers high levels of Tungsten (6%), Molybdenum (5.5%), and Vanadium (2.2%). With

the recent high cost of elements to manufacture this type of steel, we have seen price increases, that

focuses us on using the V2 based type steel.

Grinding Wheels: Grinding wheels are composed of a couple of things, bonding agent, and abrasive granules.

These wheels contain thousands upon thousands of abrasive granules, each of which displays many cutting

edges. Selecting a grinding wheel with the correct bonding agent and abrasive granule type will reduce knife

burns and make a cleaner edge. If the correct wheel for the application is chosen, then it will be able to

constantly sharpen itself by granule fracturing and granule release. To select the best grinding wheel for the

particular application, a good understanding of the composite of the wheel is needed. A combination of abrasive

type, abrasive grit size, hardness grade, granule structure, and bonding agent determines wheel performance.

By varying the amount and type of each of these elements, the effectiveness of the wheel can be made to

respond differently.

The abrasive granules are the elements of the grinding wheel that actually cuts the steel or carbide from the

knife blanks. Here are four abrasive types that are commonly used; Aluminum Oxide, Ceramic, Cubic Boron

Nitride (CBN), and Diamond (for carbide). All abrasive granules are sized to an established worldwide standard

and are designated as a numerical grit size, the larger the number, the smaller the granule size. Generally

speaking a large number or coarse granule size will increase stock removal rate, but provide a poor surface

quality finish. High number granule sizes provide less steel or carbide removal, but vastly improve surface finish

quality. Most grinding wheel manufacturers utilize combinations of two or more grit sizes to produce various

finishing effects for each grinding step.

Hardness grades for wheels are designated by letter “A” (softer) thru “Z” (harder). This letter grade represents

the specific amount of bonding agent contained in the wheel which determines the ability to hold the abrasive

granule in the wheel. Normally, the harder the grade the better surface quality you will obtain, but it provides a

smaller chip removal rate than softer grades, which can lead to burning of the tool.

The granule structure of a grinding wheel refers to granule spacing within the wheel. This granule density is

identified by a number 1 thru 16. The more open the structure within the wheel, the higher the number is

designated. A denser wheel will generally provide a better finish, but will generate more heat and again a slower

metal removal than a more open structure wheel.

**Recommended Grits: 54-60 grit wheels for roughing out the main portion of the knives and a 100-120 grit

wheel for the finishing portion of the procedure.

The grinding wheel bonding agent or binder is the material which holds the abrasive grain together. Here are a

few essential properties of the best bonding agents. The binding agent must have the ability to retain the grain

42

during grinding, self-sharpening and dressing application. It must also have the ability to allow the grain to be

pulled out from the grinding wheel when the grinding friction becomes high because the abrasive grain has

become too dull to properly cut. There are a few bond types that are most common in our industry. These are

vitrified and resin. Vitrified is basically a glass much like pottery or glassware and are fired in a kiln at very high

temperatures. Vitrified wheels should be ping tested before use by holding the wheel in center on one finger

and ping it with a small metal object, it should have a nice ring to it. If it sounds dull, it most likely has a crack in

it and should not be used. Resin wheels are plastic resins mixed and cured at lower temperatures. Vitrified

wheels are commonly used for bench, surface and tool room applications such as profile knife grinding. Resin

wheels are commonly seen in cutoff wheels, and abrasive wheels like Diamond & CBN.

Vitrified- A clay or ceramic bond characterized by its strength, rigidity, and resistance to oils, water, or

temperature changes. Vitrified is basically a glass much like pottery or glassware and are fired in a kiln

at very high temperatures. Vitrified wheels should be ping tested before use by holding the wheel in

center on one finger and ping it with a small metal object, it should have a nice ring to it. If it sounds

dull, it most likely has a crack in it and should not be used. Vitrified wheels are commonly used for

bench, surface and tool room applications such as profile knife grinding.

Resinoid - An organic bond used in grinding tools that offers rapid stock removal and finer finishes. Resin

wheels are plastic resins mixed and cured at lower temperatures. Resin wheels are commonly seen in

cutoff wheels, and abrasive wheels like Diamond & CBN.

Rubber - An organic bond used in grinding wheels that offers smooth grinding action and fine finishing.

For the woodworking industry, the large majority of grinding wheels used are either ceramic or aluminum oxide

abrasive with a vitrified bond. Within each category, there are numerous different types of ceramic, aluminum

oxide, and bond types that can be used depending upon the manufacturer. Hardness is rated from A-Z with A

being the weakest bond and Z being the strongest of bonds. A weak bond is recommended for grinding harder

materials while a stronger bond is desired for grinding softer materials. A typical weak bond grinding wheel for

high speed steel would be in the F, G, or H range. A medium hardness grinding wheel for HHS would be in this I,

J, or K range. The strongest bonds for grinding wheels would be in the L, M, or O range. The particular hardness

used depends on the grit type, the material being ground, the amount of stock removed, and a number of other

factors including personal style of grinding.

Aluminum Oxide- An abrasive made by fusing bauxite, iron, and coke that is widely used to grind ferrous

materials. The natural form is called corundum.

Ceramic Aluminum Oxide- An exceptionally hard, strong, sharp abrasive made from a process in which

alumina gel is dried and crushed. Ceramic aluminum oxide has the ability to re-fracture at the sub-

micron level.

Grinding wheel structure or granular structure is in short, the spacing between abrasive granules. An open

structure or grain grinding wheel would be twelve or higher pore size while a closed structure wheel would be

around six pore size. The structure depends on a wide variety of factors including how hard you’re your knife

steel material is to grind (Rockwell Hardness). Most people would think that a closer spacing wheel would be a

stronger wheel but this is only partly true, reality is there would be fewer bonds holding the individual abrasive

43

grains together, that would make it a softer wheel. The same holds true for a very open structured wheel, if the

granules have wider spacing you would have fewer grains to grind with but a greater amount of bond holding

each granular together, this could make the wheel stronger. Grinding wheel manufactures will typically adjust

the bonding agent strength depending on the application.

The main reason ceramic wheels last longer than the aluminum or chromium oxide wheels deals with the way

the grain acts. Picture if you will, a single grain or granular of abrasive in a wheel. On the aluminum or chromium

oxide wheels that single grain falls free from the wheel as it gets dull while grinding. On the ceramic wheels that

same single grain or granular micro fractures upon itself many times before it releases from the wheel

constantly exposing new cutting surfaces.

CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) wheels: Generally speaking these wheels are mainly geared in our industry for light

finish grinding on ferrous steels with Rockwell hardness above 45. There is no wheel wear between knifes which

allows an almost perfect cutting circle. These wheels are a finer grit (100 – 150) than most vitrified wheels which

allows a superior finish on the tooling. There are literally hundreds of types of CBN wheels; most experienced

grinder people favor one or two specific wheels. It’s all based on the specific style of grinding used and

everybody is different. Always run the grinder at 3000 rpm’s on these wheels. Clean grinding fluid is essential

for long life and so the wheels don’t get clogged with metal from grinding. Light pressure on the work piece

produces better and faster results.

**Recommended initial removal rate per pass: Rough finish grinding .003-.004" and finish grinding: .001"-.002.

Shims should always be kept or requested when buying one of these wheels so the operator can align the wheel

to axial constant. This will increase continuity between the rough wheel and the CBN wheel and eliminate the

need to move the axial carrier on the grinder. They generally come with a cleaning stick for cleaning the wheel

before putting on the finish grind. Wilding currently uses the 2mm wheel with a 1mm radius, they are available

in 1mm and 1.5mm sizes, be aware these smaller wheels will require an even more gentle touch and they will

tend to burn easier and can break from aggression. Remember CBN wheels are for ferrous metals only (metals

with iron content); use of these wheels on non-ferrous metals (metals with no iron content) will destroy the

wheel quickly.

Here are three main rules that will eliminate a lot of issues when grinding:

1. A lot of clean coolant around the wheel and work piece will extend wheel life and finish.

2. Light pressure on the work piece produces a better product with faster results. Recommended initial

removal rate per pass: Roughing wheels .003”-.004" and finishing wheels: .001"-.002”.

3. Feed rate or traverse rate of the work piece should be faster for roughing, slower for finishing.

How to Maintain an accurate CBN wheels Radius: This is most commonly done by using lots of side clearance

during grinding procedures. Also, if the operator is too aggressive during grinding, the wheel will not last and the

wheel will develop a flat edge. In order to get the CBN wheel back to the correct radius a special CBN wheel

44

dresser will be needed. The correct radius will keep the wheel from putting a square grind in places it shouldn’t

be e.g. round tips of crowns.

Cutter Head Balance: The dynamic balance of rotating tooling has a big effect on the life and reliability of the

molder. Every facet of product quality is affected by it. The “Q” value is the woodworking industry standard

measurement of relative balance quality and a lower value means better balance. A “Q” of 0.0 means perfect

balance and a “Q” of 16.0 is acceptable. Most tooling manufacturers use 16.0 as their goal, but Weinig’s

standard is much higher (“Q” = 2.5).

Parallel Knife-slot Serrations: It’s accepted practice to create knife-slot serrations on the cutter head with

standard metal-cutting tools. But this can result in a waved surface and less than adequate support for the knife.

Weinig creates serrations by broaching the surface using titanium-coated tools. Broaching actually shapes the

entire tool surface and provides near-perfect parallelism of individual serrations. This parallelism provides better

knife support and exceptional surface quality of the finished profile.

Bore Tolerance: The industry standard ISO-specified tolerance for a cutter head with a 1 3/4" diameter bore is

0 to +25 microns. But if the tolerance is 0 microns, the cutter head can be difficult to install on the molder’s

spindle shaft and if the tolerance is 25 microns, the tooling can be too loose on the shaft. Weinig tries to

minimize these problems by controlling the bore diameter tolerance at +5 to +20 microns.

45

Bore Concentricity: If the cutter head bore is not concentric to the cutter head body, product dimensional

accuracy and surface finish suffer. Weinig hones the bore with two passes (not just one) for near perfect

accuracy.

End Parallelism: A large tolerance in cutter head end parallelism can cause out-of-balance running, less

spindle strength, and reduced product accuracy.

Daily Operation Reminders for Molder and Grinder:

1. No one is allowed to work with this WEINIG grinder/molder without proper training from a certified WEINIG

technician, or someone currently within the company who has been trained in similar fashion.

46

2. Visually inspect the tools before inserting into the grinder. Make sure that the tool is not damaged, and that

the tool has the proper rotation and RPM rating for the application.

3. Cleanliness is EXTREMELY important. It is a good practice to soak cutter heads in Cutterguard (or an

ultrasonic cleaner) after each production run in order to remove wood dust and resin from the surface of

the tool, bottom of the knife pockets, corrugations, and gibs.

4. Ensure that knives and clamping wedges have the same thickness. They MUST be balanced within 0.1 gram

(0.0035 oz.) of each other for proper performance. Follow these procedures for balancing knife steel:

a. After the steel is cut to length, balance to the 0.1 gram tolerance.

b. Complete the rough grind on the knives.

c. Remove the knives from the cutter head, rebalance to the acceptable tolerance, and then reinstall

into the cutter head. Properly torque gib screws at this time.

d. Complete the finish grind on the knives.

5. Review the instruction and safety manuals for both the Rondamat grinder and Unimat weekly.

72 73

Sanding the Product and Stocking the Bays:

Profile Sander: The profile sander is used on all profiles that cannot be run through the wide belt sander. These

profiles have valleys and ridges or non flat surfaces.

1. Open the suction gate and turn the power on.

2. Set the Top Height according to the profile being sanded.

3. Adjust the height of the rollers to slightly lower than the thickness of the material.

4. Tap on the screen under Conveyor and set it to 20.

5. Adjust the side pressure roller and last side head out, so that contact will not be made with product

6. Push material through and set the side pressure roller and last side head to the correct settings. The

last side head should have about 1/4’’-1/2’’ of sanding amount on the material.

7. Set the Top and side head on the screen to 1000 rpm’s each and push the material back to back

through the machine. A cart on the out feed side is helpful in catching the material.

Sand the following profiles through the profile sander:

47

**Note: if the material needs more sanding, then lower the “top height” until sanding is suffice.

Wide Belt Sander: The wide belt sander is used on S4S or shaker materials including mission crown. The

sanders setting should be checked, adjusted and measured with calipers every run in reference to existing stock.

Depending on plenum activation and paper quality the sanding of materials can vary. It is critical to produce

consistent thickness of material because most hardwood components are joined by butt joints or 45 degree

miters. These types of joints expose thickness variation easily. The most reliable procedure is to lightly place a

pencil mark throughout the entire face of the material. Run the piece at the height of the material and adjust

down until the marks are completely sanded away. If the material is two sided, then repeat these procedures.

Once the lowest setting is made, split the difference between the two sides and, with pencil, log the settings on

the following chart. While sanding, it is critical to keep the lumber organized. The standard method is to keep

sanded side up when the initial side is sanded. Whichever method used, insure that both sides are sanded. The

standard settings to check include the following:

1. Check the pressure of the plenum (set to the “H” setting marked with a marker).

2. Apply the “Hardwood” plenum

3. Activate the correct head indicated by “H” on the front panel.

4. Set the conveyor to 20 ft/min

5. Insure that the numbers of sections sanded are +1 on each side.

6. When feeding lumber into the machine, do so at a 12 degree angle to even the wear on the paper.

Moulding Top

Height Conveyor Top Side

Regular Base 1 20 1000 1000

Chair Rails 9994 20 1000 1000

A & B Style 9990 20 1000 1000

All Crown 3.5 20 1000 1000

except Mission

Wardrobe Rod 2 20 1000 1000

Panel Cap 3 20 1000 1000

Harm/Wind Flutes 3.5 20 1000 1000

Quarter Round 1 20 1000 1000

48

Stocking the Bays: The stock bays are meant to be storage for the materials that are used often. This area

must be kept organized and material should be rotated when new material is made. Don’t allow too many short

pieces to accumulate and take up valuable space in the racks. Taking time to insure organization here will

greatly reduce waste and excess material.

Final words of encouragement:

"If you don't have integrity, you have nothing. You can't buy it.

You can have all the money in the world, but if you are not a moral and ethical person, you really have nothing".

- Henry Kravis

"Who knows better than themselves… just what their product is really worth”

- Russ Rego

“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those

around him positively”

- Bob Marley

Material 1st Side 2nd Side

13/16’’ (All Face Frames, Bridge Front/Backs, Bed Legs, Head Boards, Shaker Base, 3’’ Chalet, Pres. Columns)----------- ------- 5/8’’ (All Drawer Boxes)------------------------------------------------- -------

3/4’’ (Tuscany Flutes, Mission Crown, Bullnose,------------------- ------- ¼ round blanks) 3/8’’ S4S---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------

3/8’’ B & A ------------------------------------------------------------------- -------

3/16’’ Trim Kit--------------------------------------------------------------- -------

7/8’’ (Column Cap)--------------------------------------------------------- -------