Editorial - IWF 2010
By Gary Wells
Last week was a truly amazing time for the woodworking industry, with one major machinery supplier after another making news defecting….sorry, cancelling from the upcoming IWF Show in Atlanta in August. If one didn’t know better it seemed as if they were conspiring to destroy the very venue they spent the last 25 years building up as the premier industry event the United States has to offer. Even more interesting, this took place under the cover of ‘saving valuable resources’ that could be better directed at helping their customers whether the current economic storm caused in part, by cheap and easy credit and a housing and commercial real estate bubble that pushed machinery sales to record levels over the past decade. There is no question that there was ample irrational exuberance on both sides of the supply and demand model.
And speaking of supply and demand, who demanded that the IWF show, as with the AWFS show now in Las Vegas, become bigger and glitzier with each passing event? The same large suppliers who now complain that the shows have become too expensive and that, amazingly, they are now at a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis the smaller suppliers because their show costs are (disproportionately?) greater. Like the other, smaller suppliers held a gun to their head and demanded that they aspire to dominate the industry with their all inclusive product offerings? Or maybe these large machinery firms just decided to take a page from the recent government bailout of the large Wall Street companies or the auto giants and claim victimhood as a matter of principle.
Why can’t these big machinery firms just scale back and do a more modest show, just as the entire industry has been forced to do over the last couple of years? Maybe it is because then they could not claim the moral high ground with the introduction of their “new” format where a few of them can form a group and completely marginalize their competition by controlling the information and choices available to the woodworking and panel processing industry. This new ‘next’ venue is not meant to educate the public so much as it is control the environment in which the market sorts out the best cost effective production means for getting out of the current economic mess.
If there is one common sentiment regarding the value of an event like IWF it is that it provides an opportunity for both the sellers and buyers of woodworking supplies and machinery to come together, gather information, and become more educated in the process, all under one roof and at a single event. So, the next time one of the big guys tells you that their business is all about helping you succeed, ask them why they are not going to be at Atlanta this year.
Concept Primusshown with transfer/ loading table. The table can also be used on the ECO and Easy.This table setup also available for off loading assembled cabinets. Use on tandem side by side case clamps.....read more about the Primus assembly tables
Special pricing on two machines used for demonstrations at our Virginia and California showrooms. Save over $4000.00 on the Proline 50 plus get free shipping and and $4500.00 on the Format 42 plus get free shipping ( based on 2008 price list).......for more info
Automatic dowel insertion machines operate best when high quality glue and dowels are used. Amco dowels have the best length and diameter tolerances of any dowel on the market. Is downtime worth the moiney saved on low quality dowels? ...more
Logic 70 drill, glue and insert dowels - Demo- $29,900.00
plus delivery and Installation
As the popularity of machining centers and routershas continued to increase so have sales of CNC dowel insertion machines . Although machining centers and routers are versatile for cutting out and drilling to programmed patterns they have proven tobe less than accurate or productive for producing the corresponding end holes for dowels and of course they do not insert dowels.......see video the Logic drilling, gluing and dowel insertion machine.
25 spindle construction boring machine $11,500.00
For more information on these two machines call Gary Wells at 703-904-7890
Small in footprint big in production.The new Concept Easy 70, a new addition to the Concept case clamp series, meets the requirements for a clamp with a small footprint and fast setup..... more on the Easy 70by Tom Van Alstyne
Taking pride in keeping a machine clean will help prevent costly breakdowns in the future.
Owning a quality CNC drill and dowel machine makes dowel assembly a breeze. But sometimes the glue system is ignored until there is a major malfunction, which usually happens during a busy job. With regular routine maintenance the entire glue system will operate correctly.
To help keep your CNC drill and dowel machine running smoothly, you need to pay close attention to the glue system. All too often the operator will allow the machine to insert too much glue into the hole before insertion. This extra glue can squeeze out and get on the end of the insert rod, which in turn spreads it back into the dowel insertion tube. If this is allowed to continue long enough, the glue will eventually build up and cause the insert rod to stick inside the dowel tube. There is also a chance that glue can splash up onto the lens of the GIC (glue insertion control) laser. This will not allow the GIC system to function properly. Of course, extra glue can also collect on the front stops, causing incorrect panel placement.
The glue amount must be set to a level that allows for the maximum inserted amount with no evidence of squeeze-out or of glue on the face of the dowel insert tube. To achieve this, increase the glue amount until squeeze-out is present, than back off the amount a little at a time just until the squeeze-out stops. Another good test is to run a program with glue and dowels, them immediately bottom-out one of the dowels in its hole. This should produce a small drop of squeeze-out around the dowel.
Cleaning the glue system
The first thing to look at would be the glue supply tank. It should be cleaned out at least 2 times a year, maybe more depending on usage. Make sure that solids in the glue have not settled to the bottom. Regular stirring or agitation is recommended. In some shops where production is not constant, it is a good idea to only fill the tank with enough glue needed for that job. If you find thick glue at the bottom of the tank, you can use very hot water to help break it up and clean it out. Once clean, it is a good idea to flush hot water through the entire gluing system. This will slightly expand the hoses and loosen any debris or solids that may have built up. And if you remove the glue hose from the gluing assembly, you can quickly flush the system into a bucket and allow any debris to flow out and not get caught in the nozzle.
Another item that requires maintenance is the glue nozzle assembly. It’s a good idea to remove the piston and needle assembly every few months. Clean out the inside of the brass body. Clean the carbide needle with a scouring pad until shiny and smooth. Lubricate the needle and piston o-ring and re-assemble. Also inspect the inside of the nozzle for any glue deposits and clean if necessary.
