No matter how high-tech the sawmill, preparing a kiln-dried workpiece for the market usually involves a few standard processes – ripping or edging, cross-cutting, and planing. When it comes to cross-cutting, especially if there is a demand for same length pieces cut from longer lengths, a trim saw can increase operating efficiencies.
Neil Murray of Pinnacle-SA and his technical team are on a mission to assist value-adding plants in reducing costs. They want the industry to achieve maximum throughput of consistently dimensioned and sorted products (see the March and April 2022 issues of WoodBiz Africa).
The no-nonsense trim saw can be fitted with several saw units.
Pinnacle-SA trim saw
This month, Murray highlights the advantages of introducing a flexible cross-cutting machine in the line. The Pinnacle-SA Trim Saw is “an uncomplicated manually fed yet extremely effective machine able to continuously cut boards to the same length”.
The robust machine weighs in at over 2000kg, and its 500mm diameter blades can cut board widths of between 40 and 240mm and heights of 20 to 80mm at a maximum speed of 2800rpm. Cutting heads can be increased and decreased for each order.
Murray says the trim saw heads are effortlessly adjusted and precisely aligned manually using a rack-and-pinion system. “It is a matter of stopping the machine, unlocking the head and shifting it to its new position. It significantly reduces kickback and the inaccuracy of misaligned blades.
The machine base can be from 3m to 6,9m or longer. The cantilevered top hold-down frame is designed for material that is longer than the base.
Murray emphasises that in the unlikely event of a Pinnacle trim saw breaking down, it consists of locally available standard and easy to repair or replace components. “The local content reduces the inconvenience and costs of downtime considerably.”