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I am
Barry Golash the owner of Wood Solutions. I have very eclectic
interests, one of which is designing our shop equipment. I have
enjoyed this type of homespun engineering for the past twenty years.
This project required 18 months of part-time work and $5000 to
complete. This shop-built machine has proven to be very affordable,
commercially available machines cost approximately $45,000. In
addition, by designing two machines, which share a common footprint
valuable floor space was saved. This machine is constructed using
structural steel tubing and 1/4 plate for the frame. The enclosure
is comprised of MDF and top-coated with an automotive paint. Three
motors are used, one of which is a 1/4 hp variable speed DC gear
motor. This motor supplies power to the conveyor belt, allowing feed
speeds from zero to twenty feet a minute. Standard automation
technology is incorporated to orchestrate all machine functions.
Belt tracking is accomplished with two photoelectric sensors, one
air cylinder and a programmable logic controller. The planer has a
twenty-inch cutter head, driven by a 3-hp motor. The pinch rollers
for the planer receive their downward force via four air cylinders
instead of the commonly used compression springs. This maintains
constant pressure on the wood regardless of varying stock thickness.
I believe this helps to minimize snipe and maintain uniform stock
thickness. Also by using this arrangement the rollers and
chip breaker are automatically retracted at sander start up allowing
free access to the sander which is located on the out feed of the
machine. |
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