The perfect woodworking cutting tool means something different to every customer. Unlike metalworking, woodworking cutting tools are usually unique to an application, so their variations are endless. Woodworking customers change products and product lines frequently to keep up with ever-shifting consumer and end-user trends. To supply the cutting tools and related services their customers require, toolmakers must possess an arsenal of capabilities very different from the ones they had when their shops first opened for business. 

“To deliver the highest quality products to the woodworking industry and new segments, we have to be advancing in our machining technology,” said Jens Schulz, President of Leuco. “To gain access to a market, and not just copy competitor’s products, we have to bring innovation and utilize innovative equipment.”

Leuco is one of the world’s largest suppliers of carbide and diamond-tipped machine tools for wood and plastic processing. A wealth of ideas and technical know-how have been the heart of Leuco since the beginning. The product range includes circular saw blades, hoggers, bore-type and shank-type cutters, drills, clamping systems, and inserts. Sharpening service, application consulting, and service packages bundled under “Tool management” complete the spectrum.

As lumber supply catches up with current demand, a potential boom is on the horizon for wood processors. There was never a better time for manufacturers of their cutting tools to update perspective on responding with maximum flexibility to what will come in the door. Because while woodworkers will always require performance reliability and extended service life for their machine tools, the landscape has changed in significant ways that have spilled over to the shops manufacturing those tools. 

What is different today from 20 years ago? The type of wood materials being cut, the circumstances surrounding production, and the workforce’s skillsets have shifted substantially in that time. These realities are a lot to contend with, doing things the way they’ve always been done. In a more sustainable business model, woodworking tool manufacturers would have all the right technologies to produce a tool design, program the grinding machine, simulate a prototype, and make a cutting tool in one seamless undertaking.

The good news is: they can have these technologies right now. 

“The ownership of cutting tool innovation lies solely on our shoulders. Cutting tools are specialized; they are application-specific,” said Kevin Misenheimer, President, Misenheimer Inc. “We don’t try to do one tool for a multitude of applications. Whether they’re routing MDM, melamine, or laminated particleboard – we want to say to our customers: ‘this is the tool you should be using.’”

Challenge: Produce new tools for new materials in record time

With business conditions forever in flux, cutting tool producers know that the days of being a commodity supplier to the woodworking industry are behind them. A customer base that is constantly setting trends for wood and wood-based products needs its tool producers to be partners – helping them meet and exceed their expectations for producing parts quickly, parts that are cleanly cut using tools that perform consistently, accurately, and reliably over a long service life. 

But today’s wood and wood-like materials are more exotic and are using composites unheard of in the past. Woodworkers explore alternative materials like never before, implement new performance laminates, and use new finish and surface treatments. After they come up with new material, they want to cut it right now, which means going from tool concept to production in shorter time frames. But machining these newer materials is often frontier territory. Woodworking cutting tool producers have to apply abstract and innovative thinking to every challenge and do it in record time.

The only way to be that responsive – even within 24 hours if the customer requests it – is if the tool manufacturer can produce a design, verify the capabilities to deliver it, and give the customer a preview of what they will get and how it will perform, in advance. Sometimes this process might need to occur without ever touching a grinding machine or being in the same building with it.

For this scenario to have a happy ending, toolmakers need to harness the ingenuity that can be programmed into grinding machines with software. Whether the material is MDM, melamine, laminated particleboard, or plywood with rubber laminated in the middle of it, programmable CNC machines and proprietary software developed by leading grinding experts give toolmakers the functionality to work without risk to achieve customer objectives. 

“The Tool Studio simulation is one of our customers’ favorite features. For instance, when we set up a compression router bit, the wheels are set and programmed, and the 3D simulation begins,” said Justin Harris, Engineer and Carbide Supervisor at Leuco. “The simulation shows the tool being ground as it comes out correctly, with no runout and no breakage. The customer is satisfied with our products before even receiving the tool in hand.”

Challenge: Design tools requiring complex geometries, tolerances, and cut quality

Custom tools, increasingly a more significant percentage of a shop’s overall production mix, require complex tool surface geometries, tight tolerances, and cleaner cuts. Achieving more aggressive design features in a tool intended to produce parts from newer wood-like materials is one of the biggest challenges that woodworking toolmakers face. For these tools, solutions for controlling excess heat transfer use and optimizing chip removal to prevent clogging will be needed. With software, G-codes can be selected manually to direct a grinder’s movement more precisely – not only from the center but from different entry points as needed – without hours of guesswork and costly material waste. 

“When we have a challenge in front of us, and we want to make tool geometry changes, that’s where Tool Studio software comes into play,” said Misenheimer. “We can make changes on the computer before any blank is ever put in any chuck. It allows us to create a special tool in a short time frame, and it reduces scrap. Before Tool Studio, we would be up until the wee hours of the morning, failure after failure. Those days are gone.”

A tool design must balance precision and quality with the equally important machining efficiency and uptime. Grinding machine OEMs can show the way to achieve this and increase value per operation. It can be eye-opening to consider just how much room there is in an operation to streamline the grinding process, or more specifically, the non-grinding tasks preceding and surrounding it. 

• State-of-the-art machine hardware and software combines ease of programming feeds and speeds with the ability to produce highly complex geometries in one clamping. 
• It can simulate the wheel grinding carbide or eroding PCD or other super-hard materials from the blank to produce a unique tool. 
• A grinding machine can offer built-in automatic wheel changers and dressing units. 
• The machine can be programmed to start the grinding process closer to the part and utilize in-process probing, further reducing cycle times for increased productivity. 
• When processing edges and tips with PCD, grinding and eroding functions can even be combined in the same machine. 

The result is that running good tools in 15 minutes vs. an hour becomes a realistic scenario. The market also offers automation solutions integrated into gantry robots, palletized part loaders that can run 1,500 pieces in a single pass, and vision inspection systems. The potential to take cutting tool production to unprecedented levels is there today. 

Challenge: Bring your A-game despite the skills gap

This brings us to the elephant in the room: the state of the available workforce. These sea changes are occurring at a time when, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29,000 new machinists will be needed by 2024 to meet demand from retiring workers alone. The continuing downturn in workers trained for a tool cutting environment would be problematic were it not for advances in production automation. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, almost 9 of every 10 hours spent on activities performed by workers in manufacturing production occupations can be converted to automation. 

New levels of productivity and growth are within reach with automation, especially since machine tool OEMs offer standard options for automation implementation with increasing functionality and flexibility for woodworking toolmakers, such as tool changing and machine tending. United Grinding’s U.S.-based Automation Solutions offers a portfolio of industry-leading standard systems along with custom automation of specific equipment combinations from among the company’s eight grinding machine brands. Training and setup to get new operators up and running quickly is all part of the value. 

Furthermore, in the new world order, current employees can be used with a resource like Tool Studio to the best of their abilities. For instance, having a workforce with no background in G-code, the CNC programming language, can be overcome with pre-programmed feeds and speeds in a simple operator interface. On the opposite side of the spectrum, newly minted trade school graduates with a general understanding of CAD/CAM can branch out and quickly become proficient in Tool Studio applications to design and program the CNC grinding process. 

Solution: Leverage advanced engineering and applications expertise

Do any of the above challenges describe your situation? Have you thought about how to lower your cost per part, reduce cycle time, expand your know-how to match what you see going on around you? Pain points that woodworking cutting tool manufacturers face today can be converted to competitive advantages tomorrow. 

United Grinding North America offers our customers the professional training needed for the most basic to the most advanced skill levels within a facility. Courses range from general grinding, operation, and programming to customized training. This service can be provided at your production facility on your own machine or at United Grinding North America’s headquarters in Miamisburg, Ohio.

But what we really want to help you do is assess the limits of your capabilities today and then push them further to serve your trendsetting customers best – and still be poised for the industry developments that you haven’t even thought about.

With lumber prices in such a wild flux in recent months, interest in reclaimed wood has become a popular trend that makes tools for treating this kind of wood essential.

Robert Kundel Jr., Originally developed the Restorer to deal with rust removal that was one of his family’s company’s largest expenses. Driven to find a solution, Robert searched for an affordable handheld solution, but couldn’t find one, so he took it upon himself to build his own with the help of fellow employee Richard Schley a former tool and die employee of Delphi Packard Electric. Now, the tool is widely used in industries far beyond rust removal.

“The Restorer provides much more than an average sander,” explained Kundel. “It evenly distributes pressure across the tool, proving better control while reducing strain on wrists and hands.”

The Restorer can be used for material removal that typically requires many different hand tools and power tools. This patented handheld or benchtop tool can be used to buff, sand, grind, polish, scrub, or clean any surface. It’s balanced and compact for maneuvering in tight areas and around tricky obstacles.

“You can save money and the environment when you restore old materials rather than buying new and filling the landfill with items that have more heart and history than the store-bought alternative,” explained Kundel.

It can be used on surfaces that are flat or curved, wet or dry. It can also be fitted with any type of roller, from abrasives to wire wheels. The pistol grip allows for one-handed tool control or the front palm grip to work vertically or overhead. Users can also connect a vacuum source to the output port to efficiently clear away debris.

Kundel built his first prototype out of an angle grinder, a power source, a steel wire wheel, and pieces from his wife’s vacuum. In just a few short years, it went from this Frankensteined piece of homemade equipment to being patented and sold in major hardware stores across North America in just seven years.

Considering most people never even make it through the patenting process, this alone is a huge achievement.

“I already had a couple of connections; I had worked with my family’s company’s intellectual property lawyer quite a bit,” he explained. “And my sister worked at a patent attorney’s firm in California and knew the technical side of things. She was able to write the patent application for me.”

For anyone unfamiliar with the process, a successful applicant will typically spend three or more years and up to $14,000 to get the patent. Kundel did it in less than two years and spent only $1,200 to file.

“And I bought my sister an iPad as a thank you,” he laughed.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing; getting the patent was only about 5% of the process of getting it into stores, even if the feedback they were getting was very positive.

“People kept telling me that they had never seen anything like it, but I was looking for the right fit,” he explained. “After seven years, I signed a reverse brand license agreement with John Cunningham and the licensing team with Stanley Black and Decker under the brand names Porter-Cable and Black+Decker.”

In the fall of 2019, the Restorer was also be launched under the Craftsman brand and came to market in France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece under other global brand names. All told, his product sells in retailers in 12 different countries, and it ships worldwide. He’s come a long way from his first order of 14,000 units from Lowe’s.

Would you take your truck to a motorcycle mechanic for repairs? No, and you shouldn’t take your carbide cutting tool to just any sharpening service either. Here’s a guide to identifying a sharpening service that best fits your business needs and can even help grow it. When choosing a sharpening service, look for:

A rep that can recommend if your saws and machines are running smoothly. A skilled rep who is a reliable source of technical cutting tools and manufacturing information can provide you with more than just pickup and delivery services. They can give on-site troubleshooting, on-site technical support, and test tools. Reps that are continually trained in state-of-the-art technology can identify process improvements, provide solutions engineered to reduce your cost-per-cut, and collaborate with you to implement optimal performance. These are value-adds for you.

Consider a company with a local facility or a rep that travels in your area frequently and coordinates the logistics. They can restore your saws to better-than-new conditions at a certified local service center. This will save you time and money in shipping costs.

To ensure you are getting the most out of your investment, use an EOM-certified tool service provider that can restore worn tools to like-new conditions in a 7-step process: inspection, tip replacement, straightening, re-tensioning, sharpening, cleaning/polishing, and final inspection. You’ll be glad you switched to a service provider that does; they have special skills from years of training.

Look for a sharpening service done by manufacturer-trained technicians that can provide high precision sharpening. They can extend tool life, reduce scrap levels, provide a cleaner cut from the original factory specification service, and lower noise levels. They can provide quality with exact specifications, close tolerance testing to correct the slightest misalignment, extend tool life, improve cut quality with the sharpest cutting edge possible, less drag, and verification with an optical comparator.

Also, they know how to pre-tension the saw body to compensate for stress under load and can increase run-times up to 150%. Remember, the lowest price does not mean it’s the least expensive option in the long run.

When you choose a rep that can deliver an impact to your business, they can improve your manufacturing process with your team through on-location support, saving you time and money. A partnership with your rep can drive growth for your entire organization. They are a knowledgeable resource for solving production problems and a valuable contribution to increasing your team’s efficiencies through personalized service. A partnership with your rep can maximize your investment and keep your machines running smoothly.

A rep that will visit as often as you prefer to deliver service on your schedule.

Look for a service company that offers an extensive selection of inventory. They will be the most familiar with your product and its specific sharpening requirements, adding no extra costs to you for custom or standard products.

Are you getting all the benefits that can be standard from your sharpening service and rep? They should listen carefully, ask questions to understand your service needs, provide high-value tools and solutions that exceed your expectations, follow up as needed for your continued satisfaction, provide complementary engineering services, deliver superior service and not just product to your door. If this is not your experience, it may be a good time to review your options.

The right, knowledgeable partner can make all the difference. Their expertise can grow your business, reduce your waste and lower your stress level because you’ll have confidence that you are sharpening at the facility designed for your equipment.

A CNC is usually the first major equipment purchase a woodworker makes, and it’s important to know how to both choose and use it well. 

During the 2021 AWFS Fair, Brian Clancy brought his CNC advice to an educational session. He shared how he researched his purchase, integrated it into his shop, and learned how to make the most of its capabilities. We asked him to share some of the highlights of that presentation, CNC Essentials: How to Maximize Your Machine.

The purchase

My decision to buy a CNC came from a project requiring me to create an elaborately curved reception desk. I wasn’t sure how I would do it with the equipment I had, but fortunately, a local contact connected me with a woodworker who had a CNC. I watched him fabricate these pieces for me and vowed that I would figure out how to get one of those machines. 

After that, I began researching on my own and through the Cabinet Makers Association’s online forums. The info I got from shop owners who had already made that investment was really helpful. 

Here are a couple of thoughts that influenced my CNC buying experience:

• While I had always bought used equipment in the past, I didn’t have enough knowledge to feel confident about going that route for this large purchase. I bought a brand-new machine so I would have service and support to rely on.
• I ended up agreeing with the mindset that you should “buy your last machine first.” In other words, if you already see a time when you’ll need more, go ahead and buy for that scenario. This was a massive investment for me, and I wanted to ensure I got the right machine for both the residential and commercial work. I decided to stretch and buy a 5×10 model instead of a 4×8, and I have never regretted it. 

I touched on several topics in the presentation, and I’ll boil them down for you here. (By the way, none of my advice is original to me! I learned so much from others and through trial and error and making lots of mistakes; mistakes are great teachers.)

Material handling

This is such an important consideration, and I learned the hard way. You have to think through where the machine is going to be located in your shop in terms of the logistics of loading and offloading the materials. There are fancy tables out there for loading and unloading, but in the end, I solved my problem by taking ideas from the CMA forums and coming up with my own solution. I found a heavy-duty material handling cart that tilts and lifts. It’s set up in such a way that I take the stored panels and slide them onto the cart. It’s on wheels, so it’s easy to move it over next to the CNC to start sliding the material onto the spoil board. I also made a parts cart for storing the cut parts before they head to the next step in the production process. Thanks to all of the ideas I got from others, I seldom have to lift a sheet of material and transfer it from one horizontal surface to another. 

In short: Plan for the space needed to load and unload BEFORE you get the machine. 

Software

My advice on this important topic is a) be aware of the learning curve and b) get familiar with the program before you buy the CNC, if possible.

The extent of my experience on a computer was emails, Facebook, and the CMA forums! The intimidation factor was huge. If you are worried that you have to know AutoCAD, you can stop worrying: Most software has features that mean you don’t have to be a CAD expert to be successful.

For me, the breakdown of getting up to speed on my CNC was 80 percent on the software piece and 20 percent on learning the machine. You’ll be so far ahead of the game if you do your homework with the software beforehand.

Tooling

Here are some tooling tips, in a nutshell:

• Understand what you’ll need,
• Establish a partnership with a supplier,
• Buy three sets of tools, and
• Budget for the price of tooling and sharpening expenses.

It’s so important to have additional tools for the CNC; when one breaks, you need to put the backup tool in place quickly, so you don’t lose any time on the project. The third set should be at the sharpener.

I don’t have three of every single tool, but I have backups, especially for the more heavily used tools — cut-out tools, compression bits, drill bits, etc. I also have a great supplier who can get parts to me by the next day, and I have a sharpening service that comes once a week. 

I have resolved the budgeting issue by adding these costs into the jobs. For instance, melamine and laminate wear out the tools faster, so I add in $100 or so for the set of tools for those types of projects to cover that reality. 

Training and service

I’m combining these two topics because they are so intertwined. Here are the questions I recommend researching as part of your homework:

• How reliable is the manufacturer’s service and parts program? 
• Where is the manufacturer located? 
• What is the installation process? 
• What training will the manufacturer provide? 
• Beyond the manufacturer training, what peer support is available to you via user groups or forums? 

These questions are self-explanatory, but here’s a little more detail about Question #2.  

My manufacturer is based across the country. While they don’t have reps in my area who can stop by, they are very responsive (they usually get back to me within 30 minutes) and will get on the phone, connect virtually and visually if they need to see something, or log in to my machine if they need to troubleshoot. 

Parting thoughts

Before I invested in the CNC, I was physically exhausted from doing everything manually. When I got it, I was so enthusiastic and reinvigorated. Some think automation takes the fun out of the work, but after working with the CNC, I felt the sky was the limit. 

You begin to appreciate the lack of mistakes, the ability to make joints that fit together so perfectly, and the unique or tricky things that are so much faster and easier to execute. 

I also experienced a common effect of having my own CNC: Other shops asked me to cut parts for them, which is a nice added income stream. 

Good luck! 

This article was reprinted with permission from FDMC magazine.