August 25, 1921 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



33 



When After Efficiency Don't Forget Economy 



By ./. L. SEAMAN 



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The word 

 efficiency has 

 been woefully 

 overworked in 

 recent years 

 and thus to a 

 certain extent 

 has lost its 

 effect i ven ess. 

 In striving for 

 this much-to- 

 be-desired goal 

 many a manu- 

 facturer has 

 overlooked the 

 complementary 

 word economy. 

 True efficiency 

 prevails in a 

 plant when all 

 operations are 

 performed 

 speedily, with- 

 out confusion 

 or undue effort 

 and when the 

 quality of the 

 product is im- 

 proved rather 

 than sacrificed. 

 Is not that economical manufacturing? 



Using the term economical instead of efficiency seems to re- 

 move some of the glamor with which the latter word has been 

 surrounded and with it the tendency toward over-organization, 

 elaborate systematization and the use of multitudinous forms and 

 charts. Not that such things have not their value and place but 

 in going to the extreme in systematizing, economical operation is 

 often overlooked and the goal missed. As the idea can be ap- 

 plied to one operation as well as to the plant as a unit, it is well 

 to work out and develop efficient operating methods in a gradual 

 manner. Here is a suggestion which may prove of value to some 

 readers of Hardwood Record. 



Many woodworkers and manufacturers of panels and plywood 

 find that trimming and sizing this stock is a tedious job. With- 

 out a double cut-off saw, which is the most satisfactory machine 

 for the purpose, the pieces must be handled several times before 

 they are squared up and finished. The operations which must 

 be performed include straightening one edge, ripping to width 

 and finally cutting to length. In the case of a panel with a 

 center joint it is difficult to size it so that this joint will be in the 

 center of the panel and parallel with the edge. 



Here is how this operation was simplified and production 

 speeded up in one factory. In the first place templates were made 

 to correspond to the finished sizes of the work going through. 

 For small panels the templates were made solid of either three- 

 ply or straight lumber, while for the larger pieces they were 

 framed as illustrated. A number of screws were driven in from 

 the back and allowed to protrude through about an eighth of 

 an inch, then filed to sharp points. The short lines, shown on 

 the edges and ends, mark the centers. Figure I shows panel 

 ready to be sized with template in position on top. In the case 

 of a matched panel with a center joint in laying on the template 

 the center lines on the ends are placed directly over the center 

 joints. If the veneer had been matched in quartered effects the 



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An Equipment to Simplify Panel Trimming and Sizing 



template would 

 be placed with 

 the (our lines 

 directly over 

 the joints. In 

 actual practice 

 it has been 

 found that the 

 indentations 

 made by the 

 fine points do 

 not show when 

 the pieces are 

 cleaned up and 

 finished. 



To use this 

 template a spe- 

 cial piece must 

 be fitted to the 

 guide on the 

 saw table. This 

 is shown in 

 figure 4. There 

 are many ways 

 in which this 

 might be at- 

 tached. If in 

 almost con- 

 stant use and 

 for work of 



different thicknesses it might be fastened to the fence with a couple 

 of small bolts, properly counter sunk. In that event either the 

 block or the fence should be slotted vertically to permit of a 

 vertical adjustment to suit the thickness of the panels going 

 through. In setting, the edge of the piece B is set in line with 

 the outside of the saw. It will follow that when the template 

 with panel below is run against the piece B, the panel will be 

 cut the same size as the template. Using what is known as a 

 mitre saw, and keeping the teeth sharp, the four sides are trimmed 

 without laying the piece down. The saving effected in labor 

 and handling is obvious and the 'esult is a panel which is cut 

 true, square and to the dimensions required. The safety feature 

 of this method should not be overlooked for the saw is so covered 

 that the danger of accidental contact w^ith it is practically 

 eliminated. 



To insure accuracy and uniformity a number of gauges as 

 shown in figure 3 were prepared to suit the different sizes cut. 

 These could be made of either hardwood or light iron plate, A 

 gauge of this kind not only tends for greater uniformity but is 

 found very handy if any of the panels require to be duplicated 

 or if there are repeat orders lo be filled. 



This work differs from the usual run of sawing operations in 

 that the material is all sized outside the saw. In handling targe 

 stock, especially in cutting to length, a certain amount of diffi- 

 culty is experienced in holding the work flat on the saw^ table. 

 This may be overcome by attaching an extension top as show^n 

 in figure 4. This was made of inch square hardwood glued to- 

 gether to make a top of a suitable width. Hardwood blocks 

 w^ere fastened on the underside which brought the thickness of 

 the extension top and the blocks equal to that of the iron rim. 

 Holes were bored in the rim to accommodate the hanger bolts 

 which were screwed into the two edge blocks. When put in 

 place and the nuts tightened the two tops are brought into line 

 fContinurtt on pai/r .ill) 



