november 2016 vol. 42. no. 1 - wood & timber times....2 november 2016 // wood southern africa...

November 2016 Vol. 42. No. 1

1November 2016 // Wood Southern Africa & Timber Times

November 2016 Vol. 42 No.1

Editorial comment .............................................................................................. 2

ForestryFire management symposium a roaring success ............................. 3

New Integrated Fire Management book .............................................. 3

Advanced fire information system essential for firefighters and control centres ................................................................... 4

Vulcan’s elite firefighting crew a first in South Africa ....................... 6

Forestry firefighters need specialised helmets .................................... 9

Bullard wildfire helmets’ heritage began in 1898 .............................. 10

Stihl BR 700 Magnum blower ........................................................................ 11

The intricacies of saving the rhinoceros ................................................. 13

Ezigro focuses on R&D, partnerships and economic empowerment ...................................................................................................... 14

Forestry seedlings & clones compared growing in plastic and polystyrene containers ........................................................... 16

First Agfo Expo sets the trend for the future ........................................... 17

sawmillingNew levies and tariffs for treatment plants ........................................... 23

Sales staff must understand timber treatment .................................... 24

Wood and furniture producers from Africa visit Italian research laboratory ........................................................................................... 26

Current market trends for sawmilling is positive ................................. 28

Record number of saw doctors attend educational forum ....... 32

Timber is in top 10 fastest growing UK manufacturing sectors ... 34

New MD for Bell sales operation................................................................. 35

What is grinding? Beware of imbalance of grinding wheels ................................................................................................... 36

Laser engraving and damping mass reduce vibration of circular saw blades ...................................................................................... 40

Leitz mourns passing of chairman............................................................. 42

New Lincoln PowerLuber grease gun ..................................................... 43

Multisaw launches SA designed and built Pinnacle finger-joint systems .............................................................................................. 44

woodworkingCover story: PG Bison has the answer to: What colour should I choose? ..................................................................... 48

Getting the best out of MelaWood SupaGloss boards .................. 50

Taking care of MelaWood SupaGloss surfaces ................................. 52

Thermally modified ash upcycled into the Cocoon ....................... 54

Designs and products from Spotlight Kitchens & Interiors in demand ............................................................................................................. 56

Mirka’s innovative net-backed sanding discs still a trend-setter ............................................................................................................. 60

Seven local designers collaborate in Seed to Seat project ........ 62

Festool expands its family of circular saws ........................................... 64

Joos Joinery is dedicated to quality through technology and craft .................................................................................................................. 68

Biesse offers systems approach to engineering problems .......... 72

Inside Biesse 2016: The era of the artisan’s digitisation ................... 73

Ekamant achieves black ownership and Level 2 black empowerment status ........................................................................................ 76

Dewalt adds three new models to XR 18V brushless drill and impact driver range ................................................................................ 78

Classifieds ................................................................................................................ 80

2 November 2016 // Wood Southern Africa & Timber Times

November 2016 Vol. 42 No. 1

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editorial

Fight the carbon tax - FSA

All employers must manage their financial (profits), social (people) and environmental (planet) risks, obligations and opportunities. However, it all boils down to making enough money to grow the business. In this issue, we focus on some of these expenses: fire prevention and fighting, tooling maintenance, education and training and adopting new technologies.

Forestry South Africa (FSA), says that in addition to these challenges a carbon tax could be devastating. FSA is calling on the forestry and forest products industries to fight the introduction of a carbon tax.

FSA is reacting to the report “Modelling the Impact on South Africa’s Economy of Introducing a Carbon Tax,” which was commissioned by the National Treasury. The report recommends the implementation of the tax, as a way in which the country can meet its international commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 42% relative to business-as-usual by 2025.

This is a direct result of the government signing the UN’s climate change Paris Agreement that comes into force from 1 December 2016. The contribution that each country makes to achieve the worldwide goal to keep carbon emissions “well below 2°C … and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C” is called the nationally determined contribution (NDC). The NDC has no standing in international law, and there is no mechanism to force a country to set a target by a specific date, and no enforcement if the target is not met.

PMR bases its analysis on two scenarios, a GDP growth of 3.5% and a growth of 2.4%. FSA, warns that these predictions are way too optimistic. We are currently hovering at zero growth and the situation is not likely to improve unless there are structural changes made to the economy.

“The bad news is that given a more realistic minimal growth scenario the potential negative impacts on employment, GDP growth, household consumption and real wages of introducing this tax will be far more profound than those contained in the report. “The good news is that if carbon credits can be claimed, the industry could, potentially, mitigate most if not all of any carbon tax payments levied. The bottom line is that given the current state of the economy, the last thing business needs, is an additional tax,” says FSA.

The opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher,

editorial and advertising staff. No part of this publication may be reproduced without

written permission of the publisher.

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Fire management symposium a roaring successMore than 120 delegates attended the annual wild fire management symposium, which succeeded in bridging the divide between the world of science and the reality of on-the-ground firefighting.

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Saasveld Campus and the Southern African Institute of Forestry (SAIF) organised the 11th Fire Management Symposium in the Kruger Park.

The event was held over two days. There was a good mix of scientific and applied presentations covering multiple land uses. During the field visit on the second day, participants were given a once in a lifetime opportunity when they were taken to the long-term fire experiment plots near Pretoriuskop.

The objective of the symposium was to streamline the efforts of natural resource managers, engineers and scientists through an integrated approach. This would ensure better management throughout the wildfire community by making the different role-players aware of each other's realities.

Globally, effective wildfire management is impeded by a lack of integration between research results, technological development and efforts by fire managers to prevent and suppress fires, and protect the environment, human wellbeing and assets.

The key note speaker was Prof Domingos Viegas (Portugal) with a talk entitled “Safety for firefighters combating wildfires”. Viegas proposes that time is the fourth element that must be factored into the fire triangle of heat, oxygen and fuel. He explained how fires that burn in

“safe conditions” can turn into killers of even the most experienced firefighters.

the speakers were:

Dr Paolo Fiorucci (Italy): Wildfire risk management – •science in action

Dr Jonas Franke (Germany): Fuel load mapping in •savannah ecosystems in support of integrated fire management within protected areas

Prof Winston Trollip: Fire, a bad master but a good servant •- reducing the risks

Malcolm Procter: Fire risk and food security •

Dr Philip Frost: Advanced Fire Information System (AFIS) •

Duane Roothman: Fire and fibre sustainability in •South Africa

Navashni Govender: Application value of fire research in •the Kruger National Park

Dr Izak Smit: High intensity fires – does it slow down bush •encroachment, or speed up loss of tall trees

Jason Donaldson: Can pyric-herbivory drive a switch in •savanna state from a tall to short grass system?

Tercia Strydom: The effect of long-term fire treatments •on soil hydraulic properties and water balances in semi-arid savannas

Chenay Simms: Fire mapping and monitoring in the •Kruger National Park - 1947 to present day

New Integrated Fire Management bookA comprehensive handbook has been published as a guide for firefighters, landowners, non-government organisations (NGOs) and local authorities on how to implement integrated fire management (IFM) practices.

The three-year project that resulted in A Guide to Integrated Fire Management, published in June 2016, was implemented by Kishugu Non-Profit Company in its FynbosFire Project. The Kishugu group also implements

the government’s Working on Fire programme.

The book discusses IFM, explores legal frameworks, reviews the relationship between landowners, land management and fire, and gives detail on the formation of Fire Protection Associations (FPAs), the drivers of IFM. It is the result of inputs from scientists, conservationists, veld firefighting experts and legal specialists in environmental law among others, many of whom gave freely of their time over three years.Val Charlton, Kishugu NPC managing director, who headed

the project, says: “IFM widens the traditional focus on fire suppression to fire awareness, prevention and early detection, rapid response, risk mapping, hazard identification, prescribed burning, resource sharing and co-ordination and dispatch of fire prevention and firefighting resources.”.

It is implemented through the Global Environment Fund (GEF) special climate change fund, with the support of the Department of Environmental Affairs. Co-funders included the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, FPAs, and partners in the project included national government departments, the Eastern Cape government, major conservation agencies and the Fire Chiefs Working Group.

Advanced fire information system essential for firefighters and control centresThe disastrous fire in the Kruger Park on 4 September 2001 that claimed the lives of 23 people and many animals, confirmed the urgent need for an integrated national fire information system. Dr Philip Frost joined the CSIR as a junior researcher in November 2002 and made it his mission to implement such a system.

A speaker at the fire management symposium held in October at Skukuza in the Kruger Park, Dr Frost is now the research group leader of a group called Earth Observation Applications at

the CSIR’s Meraka Institute. He described the evolution of the Advanced Fire Information System (AFIS) and how the development of new technologies is assisting landowners in rural areas and the urban-rural fringe to predict and manage wildfires.

A software solution, AFIS is a wildfire information monitoring, reporting and visualisation framework that directly supports the National Veld and Forest Fire Act. Over a 10-year period the technology and software was developed with many partners and today it is an internationally acclaimed system.

AFIS integrates satellite, crowd based and forest camera detection information into a seamless fire detection network. This information supports ground based resources through mobile solutions (AFIS app), and control centres with the fire dashboard. Frost says it dynamically links fire incidents with weather, fire danger and historical events. This improves decision making.

Frost summarised the three value propositions of the system:

AFIS Predict helps users to be proactive. It provides 1.

hourly and current fire danger forecasts, fire risk

mapping based on fuel loads and fuel moisture,

vegetation condition estimates and a fire

potential index.

AFIS Detect includes multi-mode detection. It accesses 2.

and integrates information from a range of satellites

and other geographical interfaces, its own crowd

sourcing app, forest camera detections to provide

dynamic fire spread models. Users are sent alerts via

sms, email or internet push notifications.

AFIS Assess is the top of the line system that facilitates 3.

rapid response decision making. It includes automated

burn scar mapping with a resolution of 20m, a 30 year

burn scar record, fire spread analysis, post fire forensic

analysis from high resolution satellite and in situ data

and incorporates a fire incident reporting system.

The sky seems to be the only limit, and Frost says even

this will be conquered in 2017 with the launch of an

experimental AFIS camera detection system on board a

South African nanosat.

An example of the information available to AFIS users

Vulcan’s elite firefighting crew a first in South AfricaVulcan Wildfire Management has introduced the country’s first specialised team of wildfire firefighters that offers an integrated wildfire management service (IMS) for municipalities, land owning organisations, forestry companies, private land owners and Fire Protection Agencies (FPA).

Ryan Heydenrych and Patrick Ryan are the directors of Vulcan Wildfire Management, which is based in Stellenbosch. Their initial focus is in the Western Cape and the intention is to expand their inter-

agency model nationally. “Our inter-agency approach is unique. Normally all crews are linked to local landowners,” says Heydenrych.

He explains that until now South Africa had no top level, wildfire focused, professional firefighting ground crews with full time leadership. “Vulcan is the only company that has a consistently high positive impact on the initial phases of a wildfire. We can carry out complex strategic operations,

and maintain an organisational independence that allows us to be geographically flexible and hassle free to incident commanders,” explains Heydenrych.

Ryan says the success of their model is based on attracting and retaining the best firefighters, investing in developing their skills, and providing an environment for a successful wildfire career path.

“We want to offer a career in wildfire fighting so that all crew members can earn a decent salary and have a career pathway. Firefighting cannot be viewed simply as a short-course based job creation project because desperate

Vulcan provides in-field training with multiple agency involvement to the Cape Winelands Fire Services and the VWS during a prescribed burn in Franschoek

Crew boss, Luncedo Rorwane works in thick smoke and steam during mop up operations

Firepeople see it as a way of earning a short-term income and are not dedicated to the profession. This is not sustainable and puts many lives at risk,” he emphasises.

Heydenrych and Ryan learnt their skills from the ground up. They have both completed a range of crew leader and incident commander courses. Heydenrych joined the Volunteer Wildfire Service (VWS) in 2009. A marketing graduate, he ran his own business at the time, and in 2010 was appointed by the VWS as its marketing director.

“Over the past six years my fire-line role has been predominantly in the crew leader position. This experience made me realise there is an urgent need for a different strategic fire prevention approach.

“There are significant advantages in containing a wildfire in the initial attack stage and this affects both the possible environmental and financial impacts of a large devastating wildfire. Specialised crews of qualified and experienced team members would be a better way to do things,” he says.

Ryan a professional photographer in advertising met Heydenrych at the VWS. “Over the last three years I have been deeply involved in guiding and developing the VWS, and applying international best practice to the organisation. I was on the board for three consecutive years, which allowed me to develop a greater understanding of the management of a wildfire organization. I am also a member of the International Association of Wildfire (USA),” says Ryan.

Hotshots and Raft best practiceWhen they decided to establish Vulcan Wildfire Management, Heydenrych and Ryan spent two years researching international best practice business models, and networking to build sound working relationships with relevant private, municipal and provincial organisations and disaster management agencies.

Their research convinced them that the best practice wildfire management systems are the United States’ Interagency Hotshot Crews, and the Remote Area Firefighting Team (Raft) in New South Wales, Australia.

America introduced the Hotshots programme in the 1940s. The name ‘hotshots’ is about being in the hottest part of fires. These are first response crews of 20 team members that are sent in to fight the initial phases of the fire. Their speciality is wildfire suppression, but also do search and rescue and disaster response assistance.

Like the Hotshots, Vulcan emphasises everyone’s responsibility and right to a safe work environment. All crew members should be skilled in risk management, firefighter safety, fire behaviour, communications, job hazard analysis,

fire shelter deployment, and field drills with various fire suppression techniques.

The Australian Raft system uses skilled firefighting teams capable of operating a long way from vehicle support. Heydenrych describes how the crew members rely on each other and are highly trained, have good navigational skills, are self-supporting and can carry food, drinking water, basic camping equipment and the heavy firefighting equipment over long distances.

“We want our crew members to be dedicated to their profession and fit enough to pass the ‘arduous pack test’ which involves walking 4.83km carrying 20kg in 45min or less. We operate in rugged, isolated areas accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles and then hike to the fire point. We also create fire breaks by cutting earth trails and doing back-burning work,” he says.

SWIFT crew system“Vulcan is focussing on offering elite wild-land ground crews of the highest calibre. During the 2015-16 fire season, which is December to April in the Western Cape, we worked closely with the Cape Winelands fire services and provincial disaster management centres to successfully test our Specialised Wildfire Integration Firefighting Team (Swift) crew system.

“We proved that our Swift crew-based model is sustainable. Our vision is for there to be at least one specialised team per municipality and that these are interlinked so that resources can be shifted where and when needed,” says Heydenrych.

Firefighting is a professionVulcan wants to redefine and raise the standards of the South African view of ground crew types. “Traditionally ground crews are assumed to be unskilled or semi-skilled people. It is time to invest money in skilling firefighters to make a difference,” says Heydenrych.

Vulcan offers Type 1, Type 2, and uniquely, specialised Type 1+ crews. The standard and preferable team size is 20 firefighters however smaller crews, called sticks, can be formed. Within each crew there is strong leadership, experience and the right balance of skills such as drivers, chainsaw operators, and helicopter safety leaders.”

Personal protective equipmentHeydenrych and Ryan believe the standards for personal protective equipment (PPE) in South Africa must be raised and enforced because many firefighters are given sub-standard equipment. Vulcan only use Bullard firefighting helmets, which meet local and international specifications. “We do this even though they are not cheap. We care for the safety of our crew members.

Fire Tools and equipment

Vulcan crews are equipped with the following minimum gear and resources:

Advanced Fire Information System (Afis)•

Crew transporters.•

Chase or equipment vehicle or medium size tanker as •alternative to chase vehicle.

All internationally approved clothing and PPE.•

All personal fire line gear: Packs, four litres water, food •for 12 hours, clothing, headlamps, first aid kits etc.

Base camp tents, sleeping bags and approved •personal items.

Crew line-of-sight radios.•

Strategic communication radios as per designated unit •setup.

Fire line tools: Beaters, rake hoes, chainsaws, handsaws, •drip torches, fusees and other tools

Fire line equipment: GPS, Weather meter, •thermal scanner

“The solution is not simply increasing the boots on the ground at a wildfire. As with military engagements, there are times when more specialised forces need to be deployed.” Vulcan says this is where the use of highly trained crews in the long term saves money and the environment.

from page 7Vulcan’s elite firefighting crew a first in South Africa

Below: Ryan Heydenrych rests his twisted ankle after an ember storm on the fire line

PapaJerry Nduwa assists a Cape Winelands firefighter at the Wabooms fire

Stuart Wood of Vanguard Fire and Safety, the South African supplier of Bullard firefighting helmets, says that as PPE, helmets must be designed to meet a variety of protection needs and must be resistant to:

impact from falling objects, contact with electrical wire, high heat, and flame exposure - all while remaining light to prevent undue stress on the firefighter.

The required features of these helmet are: a shell, an energy absorbing system (for impact), a retention system (controlling how the helmet fits the firefighter’s head), retro-reflective and or fluorescent trim, with options to integrate ear covers, and either a faceshield or goggles or both.

“Thermoplastic helmet shells provide greater impact and penetration resistance than fibreglass, and they will hold up through repeated thermal exposures. Combined with applied engineering in energy shock absorption, the Bullard suspension system design provides superior impact resistance, and, importantly, provides a thermal barrier in the form of a ventilating “dead air” space between the outer shell and the person’s head. This reduces thermal stress on the brain and associated vital cognitive functioning,” says Wood.

“With an almost indestructible outer shell a significant cost of ownership advantage can be leveraged in that every component of the helmet is field replaceable so helmets can be cost-effectively re-furbished and re-cycled season after season.

“Durability, comfort, safety, quality and innovation are hallmarks of every Bullard product line. After operating for more than a century, Bullard is

committed to excellence in the eyes of our customers, and we are proud that our products are widely known among users to be the best in class,” says Wood.

FireForestry fire fighters need specialised helmetsFire fighters put their lives on the line each time they are called out to fight wild and forestry fires and it is essential that their personal protective equipment (PPE) meets local and international safety standards.

The Bullard wildfire helmet traces its heritage back to 1898. Founded in San Francisco by Edward Dickinson Bullard, the company originally supplied carbide lamps and other mining equipment.

When his son, EW Bullard, returned from World War I, he combined his understanding of customer needs and his experience with his doughboy army helmet to design a protective headgear for miners.

This Hard Boiled” hat, introduced in 1919, represented the first of many innovative designs that have led Bullard to its prominent position in head protection for industrial and emergency response applications.

During the 1930s, while the Golden Gate Bridge was being constructed in San Francisco, bridge engineer Joseph Strauss contacted Bullard to request that the company adapt its hats to protect bridge workers from the hazard of falling rivets and thereby becoming America’s first designated “Hard Hat Area”

Following the development of the hard hat, Bullard engineers designed the company’s first fire helmet in 1930. Bullard quickly became a technology leader in the industry, developing and introducing the first fibreglass fire helmet in 1947, the first National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)-approved thermoplastic fire helmet in 1983, and a new helmet that

incorporated a non-slip ratchet suspension with a knob in the back for simple sizing.

Bullard’s distinctive three-rib, heat resistant fibreglass hard hat was developed in the 1940s. In the 1950s and 1960s, thermoplastics replaced fibreglass because the newer material was less costly and better suited for the applications. Bullard was one of the first manufacturers to inject thermoplastic into a mould to produce a helmet.

The requirements for wildfire firefighter protective helmets are dictated by NFPA 1977 (Standard on protective clothing and equipment for wildland fire fighting), which establishes a series of specific design and performance criteria. An example of compliance to this internationally recognised standard is Bullard use Nomex based chin straps and not easily combustible nylon webbing sometimes used on non-compliant products.

(Ed’s Note:The NFPA is an American, non-profit organisation, founded in 1896, devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and

standards, research, training, education, outreach and advocacy; and by partnering

with others who share an interest in furthering the

NFPA mission. All NFPA codes and

standards can be viewed

online for free.)

Bullard wildfire helmets heritage began in 1898By Stuart Wood of Vanguard Fire & Safety

New STIHL BR 700 blower adds another firefighter to the team

South Africa is in the grip of the worst drought in decades, and with vegetation so dry, it is vital to have a fire management plan in place and appropriate equipment on hand. Effective and

powerful equipment can be a game changer when there’s a sudden fire and fast reaction is required. It also makes sense to have equipment that performs optimally when preparing for fire season.

A key player in any fire-fighting repertoire is a top class blower. The latest model from STIHL is the BR 700 Magnum, an improved, more powerful version of the popular BR 600 backpack blower, which has always been reliable in ensuring that fire-breaks are properly cleared of flammable debris, dry vegetation and dead leaves.

The BR 700 Magnum backpack blower has increased blowing power that forces potentially dangerous organic matter from under rocks and roots and makes sure that fire-breaks are clear. It is also useful for creating new fire lines by blowing away flammable debris with a strong gust of air, and clears dry earth mineral fire-breaks quickly and efficiently.

The STIHL BR 700 Magnum has an impressive, enhanced high air-throughput of 1550 cubic metres per hour, yet retains the BR 600’s reduced noise, reduced emissions and lightweight design (it is the lightest machine in its class) for maximum user comfort. It is also highly fuel efficient, thanks to the STIHL 4-Mix engine, an important factor when working out in the field with few accessible refuelling opportunities – especially in a crisis situation.

While the BR 700 should not be considered a single fire-fighting tool on its own, it can replace beaters on a fire line

and can be used in the management of cold fires and when control is needed while clearing a line for back-burning. Its diverse applications make it an dispensable piece of equipment because it:

quickly clears areas that would have been cleared •manually with rakes and hoes, which is time-consuming and labour-intensive;

is more comfortable to use than hand-held tools such •as beaters, thus reducing user fatigue, especially over extended periods.

Improved design features of the BR 700 include the infinitely extendible blower tube length, tooless handle position adjustment, automatic choke reset where the choke lever returns automatically on accelerating, and the easy-to-start and adjust operating system. The convenient locking of the variable throttle trigger offers an effective cruise control.

Once again STIHL has developed a power tool that is an example of innovative design and clever technology. The BR 700 Magnum delivers what its name promises – truly magnum-sized power when it really counts. For more details about STIHL and its products, visit www.stihl.co.za.

FireAdvertorial

The intricacies of saving the rhinocerosStihl South Africa is helping Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife (EKZNW) protect our rhinos against the threat of extinction caused by poachers hacking off their horns.

The poaching crisis is fuelled by a growing demand for rhino horns in Asia, mainly China and Vietnam, where it is used for traditional medicine believed, erroneously, to cure a range of ailments including

cancer. The only solution at this stage is to dehorn all our rhinos.

“Dehorning is not the ideal solution,” says Jeffrey Cooke of EKZNW, “but it is the best one we have for now.” Used in conjunction with other security and monitoring measures, dehorning has proved to be an effective preventative measure to protect rhinos in other parts of Africa. The horn does grow back, so dehorning is an ongoing practice that must be repeated in 18 months to two years’ time. And while it is sad and unpleasant to see such an iconic mammal without its horn, rather a dehorned rhino than no rhino at all.

Stihl has been involved with EKZNW through the Impi Trust since 2015, when it committed to donating R200 000 worth of equipment over a three-year period towards the upkeep of its reserves. This year Stihl is sponsoring equipment for the dehorning of EKZNW rhinos.

The dehorning process is intricate. Once the animal is immobilised using a dart gun, its eyes and ears are covered to minimise stimulation and stress as the immobilising drug causes depression of the central nervous system but does leave the animal sensitive to external stimuli.

This is when Stihl enters the process. It supplies the equipment, training and advice on how best to use the chainsaws for the task. The horn is painlessly sawn off about five centimetres from the base, taking care to ensure that the horn bed is not damaged so that the horn will grow back healthily. The Stihl MSA 200 battery operated chainsaw

is effective, particularly on younger calves, because it is much quieter than petrol chainsaws and is lighter and manoeuvrable for the rangers.

Once the horn has been shaped and ground smooth, a topical antiseptic is applied to prevent infection, cracking and drying. The horns and shavings are collected and put into marked bags and DNA samples are taken to be sent to the Onderstepoort animal research laboratory for analysis and recording.

The procedure is well co-ordinated, with each member of the team swiftly tending to their designated task. In all, the process takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Once it has been completed and everyone is a safe distance away, the veterinarian administers an antidote which completely reverses the effect of the anaesthetic. Within minutes the rhino is back on its feet, fully aware, with no after-effects.

Stihl says the visual effect is jarring because the rhino is less recognisable without its horn. It is not hard to see why the topic of dehorning is a controversial one; some feel that it is the horn which characterises the rhino and to remove it is seen as ‘defacing’ the animal. Questions have also arisen around whether poachers would not still target the animal when the stub has regrown.

Stihl South Africa commends EKZNW for their dedication to conserving the rhinos, and the work done by the Game Capture Unit to secure and protect them.

If you would like to assist EKZNW in its conservation efforts, please contact Jeffrey Cooke on 033-8451396.

Stihl has partnered with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in its efforts to curb rhino poaching

The EKZNW Game Capture Unit in Spioenkop Nature Reserve. The unit travels between the various reserves dehorning the rhinos to curb poaching

Ezigro focuses on R&D, partnerships and economic empowerment Ezigro Seedlings’ specialised commercial forestry research and development focus, launched in 2002 by Charl Rorich, is playing an important role in the long-term sustainability of forestry in South Africa.

Rorich, a University of Stellenbosch economics and forestry graduate bought a private nursery in White River, Mpumalanga, after he’d spent some 14 years working as a forester for HL & H Timber,

Mondi and the Global Environment Fund.

The nursery was producing mainly vegetable seedlings, but Rorich applied his knowledge of the forestry industry’s needs, and today forestry seedlings and clones constitute around 70% of Ezigro’s business. The company produces around 40-million eucalyptus, pine and wattle seedlings, hybrids and clones a year, which is about 16% of the industry’s total requirements.

Ezigro has instituted a strong, black economic empowerment programme. This includes 26% black

ownership, 65% black management, numerous school and community projects and training and upliftment of all its staff. This has achieved a Level 2 BEE contributor certification.

The management and ownership of the business is based on profit sharing principals and all members of the senior management team are either partners in the business, or on a profit share scheme.

Three long-standing staff members, Karen Steyn, Isaac Sibiya, and Grace Ndlovu, are now partners. Sibiya started out as a nursery foreman, and is now the nursery production director. Steyn, formerly a clerk in the administration section, is now the general manager and financial director, and Ndlovu who used to fill vegetable

Ezigro’s nurseries are located close to their forestry customers. There are nine trucks to deliver seedlings to those further afield

seedling orders, now runs the Ezigro Evergreen nursery in White River. Ant Baird, is the operations director and partner responsible for marketing the business.

Ezigro began producing plantation tree clones in 2005 and the company has since invested heavily in developing new and efficient systems. “When we started we were doing about 600 000 clones a year and now we are producing 12-million clones a year,” says Rorich.

In the case of GxUs clones, the rapid growth in demand has been driven by the spread of Leptocybe invasa, the blue gum chalcid wasp, the higher yield (+- 30%), better and more consistent stem form, and improved timber quality that clones deliver.

Ezigro is assisted by many industry experts to ensure that it has the best genetic and clonal material to work with, and collaborates in partnerships with NCT and the CSIR, to develop new clones. The Ezigro Karatara nursery, headed by John Mather, has its own R&D section and is developing pine clones like P. patula x P. tecunumanii and P. elliottii x P. caribaea.

The company has 9 trucks with trailers to deliver between 10 000 and 115 000 seedlings at a time to customers throughout South Africa.

Ezigro currently employs 300 people and the increase in mechanization systems has resulted in an increase in their skills levels. Their customers are also mechanizing, and that means further changes. Both Mondi and Sappi are increasingly using mechanical pitters and planters that require bigger plants. Rorich says that

the move to bigger seedling/clone root plugs and fewer plants per tray has provided greater accuracy, control and efficiencies.

LeftAn Ezigro tunnel shows the great care that is taken with all seedlings

Below:Staff development is important to Ezigro

First Agfo Expo sets the trend for the futureMore than 90 exhibitors supported the first Agriculture and Forestry (Agfo) Expo held at Casterbridge Lifestyle Centre, White River in October.

The expo provided a platform for stakeholders from the agriculture and forestry industries to promote their interests and showcase their products. The event was geared to attract a combination of the latest

in farming and forestry technology, product variety and innovation in the two industries.

“We aim to grow the Agfo Expo year on year and are committed to making a positive impact on our industries and stakeholders. We received positive feedback from the exhibitors and people who attended the event,” says Joey Lascelles, a member of the organising committee.

Visitors were surprised by the wide choice of stalls, demonstrations and displays, the latest in fire-detection cameras and the vintage cars and tractors.

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Hin-Tech’s machines impressed the forestry and agricultural industries expo-goers

On the first day Expo introduced the AGFO-Rum, which is a collection of industry related talks by experts in their fields. Michael Peter, executive director of Forestry South Africa, was the chairperson and introduced the speakers and their topics:

Future of agriculture in SA by Ernst Janovsky (ABSA), •

Outlook on the global nut market by Alan Sutton •(Valley Macadamias),

The State of the South African nation by •Dr Roelof Botha,

Succession planning in the family business by Pierrie •Cronje (Nelspruit)

Panel discussion led by Alan Sutton on the future •sustainability of agriculture with Charl Senekal, Roy Plath, Dorran Bungay and Bennie van Zyl as participants.

There was also time for fun activities aimed at the whole family, which made it attractive to a broad audience. The directional tree felling and chainsaw cross-cutting competitions attracted large crowds to the beer tent where the proceedings could be watched from the comfort of the shade on one of the hottest days of the year.

The chainsaw gang get racing

from page 17First Agfo Expo sets the trend for the future

Some of the highlights were the march by the Lowveld and Escarpment Fire Protection Association (Lefpa) fire-fighters, live demonstrations, the auction of wood in favour of the Honorary Rangers that raised R7500 for the cause, and 10 percent of gate ticket sales were donated to the local Rotary Club.

Old-hand chainsaw operator Marius Taljard, was spot on in the Husqvarna directional tree-felling competition and managed to hit the flag directly, winning the Agfo Expo Trophy. The Rudamans team beat the MTO Group in the tug-of-war after a fiercely contested competition.

Another highlight were the two Thrush firefighting aircraft that demonstrated a water drop. Pilots Rob Taylor and Riaan Foley demonstrated their skills with an expert drop of up to 1500 litres of water each in full view of the spectators. Andre Scheepers of Lefpa, explained that the aircraft are contracted to the organisation by Orsmond Aviation in Bethlehem for the forestry fire season from May to October.

The Agfo-MTO mountain bike challenge drew a field of 145 cyclists who said the route was well planned and marked around the forest trails.

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Cyclists getting ready for the Agfo-MTO mountain bike challenge

from page 19First Agfo Expo sets the trend for the future

“Without the participation and support of our sponsors and exhibitors, AGFO 2016 would not have been the success that it was,” says Lascelles. “Thanks to our sponsors; Sabie Valley Macadamias, Ezigro Seedlings, MTO Group, Silvex

Forestry, United Forestry Products, Imvelo Forests, PWC and ABSA,” says Lascelles.

“Planning for AGFO 2017 is underway.”

Competition time and the winner is…Marius TaljardThe Casterbridge vintage motors museum was a drawcard at the Expo

Sawpa says all treatment plants should look out for the quarterly declaration forms from the NRCS at the intervals: 1 January to 31 March,1 April to 30 June1 July to 30 September, and 1 October to 31 December.

Payment must be made by the end of July for the first six months of a year and by end of January for the last six months of a year.

The NRCS says it is concerned that poor postal services and incorrect email information could result in some declaration forms not being delivered to the intended destinations. To solve the problem and to prevent any potential liability for non-declaration and non-payment of levies, as required by NRCS legislation, treaters who do not receive the quarterly levy forms are advised to verify their email addresses with the NRCS.

Sawpa advises that there are also two online options: Go to www.nrcs.org.za and register online on the •services page under the “Quick links” area on the left-hand side toward the bottom part of the home page.

This will allow you to keep track of your declarations online.

orGo to www.nrcs.org.za and download the relevant •period’s levy return forms from the “Levy Administration” link at the top right-hand corner of the page.. Complete, save and return it to the NRCS. Ensure that the unique HEF or JDE number is included on the form.

Please remember to save all documents submitted so that you have proof that the submission was made.

millingNew levies and tariffs for

treatment plantsTreatment plant owners are reminded that the new levies and tariffs for the next year came into effect on October 1, 2016.

Each year the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) publishes amended fees and this year Government Notice (GoN) 1200 was published on 30 September with effect

from the date of publication. The South African Wood Preservers Association (Sawpa) explains that for local

volume-levied plants this means that production volumes until the end of the third quarter of 2016 reside under the old levies, and the last quarter under the new levies.

Please keep this in mind when the January 2017 declaration and payments are submitted.

Commodity description Unit

old tariff per unit

old product certification type 5 tariff

per unitr

new tariff per unit

old product certification type 5 tariff

per unitr

1 July 2015 to 30 Sept 2016 1 Oct 2013 to next annual increase

Preservative treated timber (VC 9092) 1 m3 1,18 1,06 1,25 1,12

Application fee for the approval of a manufacturing facility (LOA) for the preservative treatment of timber – Non-refundable

Per facility 1 202 – 1 275 –

Application for a sales permit – Non-refundable1) Per application

2 640.00 – 2 800 –

1) Typical sales permits will be required fpr processing plants that are situated outside South Africa and that supply treated timber to entities in South Africa through a registered associated or partnering business in South Africa.

Sales staff must understand timber treatment A training workshop, conducted by Lonza Wood Protection at Mintroad Sawmills in Johannesburg, reaffirmed the importance of sales staff understanding the treatment process and hazard applications when selling Tanalith E and Tanalith C treated wood.

One of the biggest challenges faced by treaters is the incorrect use of treated products according to their hazard specification. Thus, premature wood decay leaves the customer

disillusioned and thinking that the product has not delivered on its promise.

Roy Smith, owner of Mintroad Sawmills, said, “Our main concern when selling treated timber is ensuring that the customer purchases the right product for the job. To achieve this, our sales staff needs to know what questions to ask during a sale, which means having an in-depth understanding of Lonza’s products and their specifications”.

For example, a nursery may incorrectly purchase treated poles appropriate for a hazard class H3 application for a shaded area when in fact their requirement is a hazard class H4 application for in-ground use because they are watering their seedlings twice daily, causing the wood to rot beneath the surface. Another common problem addressed at the training session was the purchase of longer poles that are trimmed to size, leaving the cut end unsealed and exposed to decay beneath the ground.

“It is scenarios like these that can make or break a customer’s confidence in Tanalith E and Tanalith C wood

preservatives,” explained Doug Sayce, general manager of Lonza Wood Protection. “With this in mind, we make it a priority to invest our time and resources in providing all the necessary training and after-sales support for our customers. Through this we believe that a wider confidence in and use of timber products can be achieved”.

The training went one step further when a second session was held to assist the sales staff of Builders Warehouse, who are a key customer of Mintroad Sawmills. The main objective of this session was to create an interactive education platform that could provide a basic understanding of the treatment process.

Smith added that while he tries to impart as much of his knowledge as possible to his sales staff, the training provided by Lonza’s technical team makes this task much easier for him. “Our longstanding relationship with Lonza has built tremendous confidence in their expertise and products. Their professional approach and ability to explain the basics and more technical topics in an easy to understand format is a valuable service that motivates our sales staff and gets them excited about selling Tanalith E and Tanalith C treated wood products”.

Tanalith E and Tanalith C treated wood products on display at Browsers Garden & Home Centre, Mintroad Sawmills’ product showroom

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Wood and Furniture producers from Africa visit Italian research laboratory The European union hosted 30 delegates from Algeria, Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya for a week in Italy to explore opportunities and to get a better understanding of the traditions and needs of the Italian and European wood and furniture industries.

The delegates included panel manufacturers, standards setting and implementation bodies, laboratory technicians, and

representatives of trade associations.

They spent two days at the headquarters of Catas, the Italian research and certification institute and test laboratory in the wood and furniture fields. The laboratory is situated in San Giovanni al Natisone in the province of Udine in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, about 50km northwest of Trieste and 15km southeast of Udine. The main activity of the laboratory is the testing of safety, strength, ergonomics and durability of furniture products, including doors and partition walls; domestic and office chairs, tables, cabinets, storage furniture and children furniture, beds, mattresses and sofas.

Paolo Fantoni, president of the European Panel Federation (EPF), introduced the “EPF for Africa” initiative, which is a major project to highlight the potential of a deeper relationship between European economies and those of African countries in the field of engineered wood.

“Africa is the future of our industry, and we need to have a common language and understanding of the rules that arise from the adoption of specific reference standards, and the control procedures and tests to be performed on the raw materials and the finished products,” Fantoni said.

Andrea Giavon, managing director of Catas said the two days were intense. “It was a sort of continuous seminar that on one hand allowed us to inform our African colleagues on the standards and tests that Catas adopts and offers to the market and, secondly, it was an important opportunity for us to understand what and how many possibilities exist in the African continent,” said Giavon.

During the two days Catas presented the complete technical and regulatory framework in the field of standards

and testing. They were informed about the in-progress activities of the CEN and ISO technical committees.

Paolo Tirelli, head of the mechanical department of Catas, introduced the European and international standards that define test methods and requirements to evaluate the mechanical properties of engineered wood panels.

Sandro Ciroi, from the formaldehyde department, informed the guests about the chemical safety issues concerning the emission of harmful substances. Formaldehyde, he explained is now recognized as a carcinogenic substance and it is important to monitor its use by the sector.

Fantoni said North African countries are experiencing strong economic growth and Italy is a preferred destination for their industry. The purpose of the EPF for Africa is to help the development of high quality production processes and to provide support by testing products according to standards and specifications already well-established in Europe.

Catas performs more than 41 000 tests per year for 1850 companies in the sector from 47 different countries. This makes it is the most important European testing and research laboratory for the wood and furniture sector.

Delegates from Africa spent two days at Catas, an Italian testing and research laboratory for the wood sector

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Current market trends for sawmilling is positiveMandy Allpass of Crickmay & Associates says that demand for structural timber from formal structural sawmills is high, and that mills must continuously look for ways in which to improve recovery from the round log resources that are available.

Crickmay & Associates gathers, researches, analyses and informs participating sawmillers and forest owners about past and current market

trends. This information is used to produce the monthly Lumber Index and strategic reports based on intermill comparisons and information on sales trends, lumber imports and exports, and merchant mark ups.

Allpass spoke at the South African Saw Doctors Education Association meeting in October. Some of the points she made are:

Total sawmill sales of structural timber have •grown overall by an average of 3% per annum since 2009.

The growth in sales from structural mills during •this period is about 4% per annum.

Demand for timber from structural formal •sawmills by the local building industry is at its highest since September 2006, and has grown by 420 000 cubic metres over the last five years.

An interesting trend is that the demand is reflected in •the increase in building plans passed for shopping centres, and sawmill sales to merchants adjacent to

areas that are largely cash markets.

Structural mills have shown an average •30% increase in demand for finger-jointed timber between 1995 and 2015.

Currently markets for sawn board are •strong, with mills having on average 10 days’ stock

Allpass concluded that costs will always be a challenge and mills must manage their waste and maximise their recovery. This is easier said than done but every little improvement helps. The only way to do this is to continually look for ways to be and keep efficient. There are sufficient resources in the short and medium term and “right now it is a good time to be a sawmiller.”

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from page 28Current market trends for sawmilling is positive

Record number of saw doctors attend educational forumFanie Smit presided over the gathering of saw doctors in October when they met for their 18th annual South African Saw Doctors Educational Association (Sasdea) convention and annual general meeting (AGM).

There was a near record attendance of 47 saw doctors and people associated with the industry. Throughout the conference stories were shared and homage was paid to the legacies of two men who

made a significant impact on the industry and its people: Dr Apies du Toit and Butch James.

Smit, the outgoing chairperson of the organisation, was re-elected for his seventh term during the AGM.

He said that in principle Sasdea will be 20 next year, however, “the Cooks got it wrong, we did not meet in 2009 and therefore we will be 19 next year.” This was in response to the request from the South African Lumber Driers Educational Association (Saldea) for a joint conference to be held in 2017, when Saldea (the Cooks) will be celebrating its 20th birthday. After a lengthy debate the AGM decided that it would be more manageable to keep the celebrations separate.

The purpose of Sasdea is to provide a forum for learning about best practice, and sharing and discussing some of the problems saw doctors deal with day to day. Roy Southey of Sawmilling SA said the good news is that saw doctoring will be receiving the recognition it deserves because it will soon be registered as a Trade.

The agenda for the meeting was an indication of the current debate in the local and international sectors on whether to use narrow band saw machines or wide band saw machines for better recovery and return on investment.

The topics and speakers were:

A history of sawmilling training with the SA Lumber •Millers Association (Salma): Don Priest

Framesaw buckle damage and failure: Fanie Smit, •Northern Timbers

Current trends in the sawn timber industry: Mandy •Allpass, Crickmay & Associates

Wide band saw cracks: Tommy Tesnar, Verulam •Sawmills

Proper recognition for saw doctors: Roy Southey, •Sawmilling SA

Saw Doctor as a Trade Qualification: Dianne Randall, •qualifications developer

Interesting sawn surfaces: Abel Banda, Tirhani Skills •Training

Fingerjoint defects: Fanie Smit•

Changes in the wood industry: Robert Welsh, Saw •Specialists

Crack growth, fracture mechanics and the failures •encountered in the de Havilland Comet airliners: Ian Schwartz, Ultramat

Narrow band saw problems: Tommy Tesnar•

Swaging problems from a lay-man’s point of view: •Abel Banda

Saw doctors networking before the start of the Sasdea AGM Craig Bell, Roy Southey, Ian Schwartz and Gavin Prowse enjoy a cup of tea at the Sasdea conference

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Timber is in top 10 fastest growing UK manufacturing sectorsThe UK’s Timber Trade Federation (TTF) released its annual Statistical Review for 2016 and it shows that timber has moved into the top 10 fastest growing UK manufacturing sectors, achieving 11.4% growth in wood products on the previous year.

UK forestry, logging and wood products sector has grown by 20.4% and outperformed many related industries, such as plastics and the construction of buildings. Together, the forestry and wood

products sector achieved a combined value of £9.5 billion in turnover. Despite this, the figures show that the timber market for 2015 suffered a small contraction from the previous two very strong years of growth. This was not exclusive to the timber industry however and reflected the overall economic slowdown in the UK, Eurozone and across the globe. Having followed a general trend of growth from 2008 to 2014, domestic and imported wood consumption decreased in 2015 by 1.8%. This was predominantly because hardwood and MDF consumption decreased, whilst softwood remained stable, and plywood and fibreboard consumption grew from 2014. David Hopkins, TTF managing director, said: “These statistics show the value and importance of the timber supply chain to the UK economy. This is a well-established supply chain, with great growth potential.

“The upheaval of Brexit may have caused uncertainty, but is also an opportunity for us to show our worth. If the government is serious about creating an ‘industrial strategy’ then we must put forward the case for the timber manufacturing sector providing skilled jobs in every

constituency across the country. These statistics help us do just that.” For more information, contact Owen Walton: owalton@ttf.co.uk.

Tasmanian state restructures forestry

Reporting a loss of 67-million Australian dollars, state-owned Forestry Tasmania will be renamed, 35 jobs will be cut and it will be downsized and renamed Sustainable Timber Tasmania.

The plan includes selling Forestry Tasmania's plantations and offloading some functions to the private sector to get the sector back on sustainable footing. At the heart of the problem is the fact that more than a quarter of its high-quality saw logs cost more to produce than it is to recover from current prices.

Describing it as a "wood bank" the government is pushing ahead with its plan to table legislation next year to open 400 000 hectares of forest to logging by July 2018. Under the current forestry legislation, the land is subject to a moratorium until 2020. The opposition parties are contesting the plans.

millingNew MD for Bell sales operation

Menzi Dumisa is the new managing director of Bell Equipment Sales South Africa (Bessa), and is taking over from Bokkie Coertze who is retiring in December 2016.

Dumisa joined Bell in December 2007 as Bessa financial manager and became financial director in May 2011. In March 2015, his responsibilities were extended to include

Bell-owned Africa operations as part of a group-wide restructuring process.

“Bokkie has been a driving force as MD, motivating his team and supporting our customers during the bullish times and the cyclical troughs. We thank him for his loyal service and leadership over the years and believe that Menzi will play a dynamic role going forward to ensure that we are able to keep meeting the service levels that our customers have come to expect from Bell,” says Bell Equipment group chief executive, Gary Bell.

Coertze joined Bell in September 1986 as the branch manager of Bell Pietermaritzburg, and was awarded Branch Manager of the Year for two consecutive years.

Three years later he was promoted to national operations manager based at the Bell head office in Richards Bay and in 1995 became managing director of Bessa, based in Jet Park, Johannesburg.

Menzi Dumisa is the new MD of Bell Equipment Sales SA

Bokkie Coertze is the retiring MD

What is grinding?Grinding is a final operation in the manufacture of circular saws and a method of sharpening or restoring the cutting ability of tools during use.

The sharpening cycle consists of grinding and finishing (honing). The basic requirements of the sharpening operation are the production of the optimum configuration of the cutting part of a tool and the

minimum roughness of the surface and cutting edges. Sharpening is done on ordinary grindstones or on grinding machines with polishing wheels.

The goal of grinding is to machine surfaces or separate parts of the material. The chips that are produced as secondary or waste products are known as grinding dust. The basic principle of machining involves a wedge-shaped cutting edge penetrating the surface of the workpiece and, following this, the stripping off of the chip. The cutting edge (tool) must always be harder than the workpiece being machined. Only cutting materials made from corundum, silicon carbide, boron nitride and/or diamond can be used for grinding tools.

What factors influence cutting behaviour?The significant factors determining the cutting process are the characteristics of the workpiece and of the grinding material. The behaviour of the grinding wheel depends on several factors, such as the:

Shape and size of the grinding grain•

Chemical composition and the crystal structure, i.e. the •bonding and the porosity of the grinding material.

Chemical and thermal resistance of the •grinding wheel

Breaking behaviour and strength•

Thermal conductivity•

Toughness•

Hardness•

What criteria are used to select grinding materials?A distinction is made between conventional grinding materials such as corundum and silicon carbide and ultra-hard grinding materials such as cubic crystalline boron nitride (CBN) and diamond. On the one hand, the grinding material used depends on the required hardness. On the other hand, the wear behaviour, which is derived from the micro-structure of the grinding material, plays a decisive role.

What is the role of bonding?The bonding holds the grains within the bonding matrix until they become blunt and break off. This process of releasing a blunt grinding grain is also known as the self-sharpening effect. At the same time, the bonding must be strong enough for the grinding wheel to retain its shape as long as possible, as this avoids unnecessary non-productive time resulting from dressing procedures. The bonding provides the protrusion of the grinding grains and helps to transfer the generated friction heat away from the workpiece. The most popular types of bonding include ceramic bonding, plastic bonding and metal bonding.

SummaryDuring machine grinding, it is important to know the properties of the workpiece, grinding tool, grinding machine and the cooling lubricants, and ensure that they work well together.

Jarred Ring (left) of White River Sawmill with Peet van Staden of Nukor at the SA Saw Doctors Educational Association (Sasdea) conference

Beware of imbalance in grinding wheelsPerfect surfaces and cost-efficient results while grinding depend on several factors, however grinding wheel imbalances is the most crucial, says Vollmer.

Vollmer, is a family-owned German company that manufactures rotary tools, circular saws, band saws and the machines to sharpen these saws. Vollmer and its solid reputation in the industry is over 100 years old, and is represented by Nukor Sawmilling in South Africa.

These imbalances are hard to see and may be caused during manufacture, when for example:

Caption: Diagrams 1 – 4: Imbalances in grinding wheels are depicted here and are explained below

Tolerances between the grinding wheel hole and the 1. mandrel (diagram 1) prevent the grinding process from running in a circle.

There is Inhomogeneous distribution of grinding grains 2. in the bonding agent (diagram 2).

from page 37Beware of imbalance in grinding wheels

There are slight asymmetries in the grinding wheel 3. (diagram 3)

The hole in the grinding wheel is off-centre (diagram 4).4.

Imbalances may also occur during regular operations because of wear on the grinding wheel, or during dressing when impurities are removed and blunt grain layers are detached from the grinding body. The same applies to profiling grinding wheels.

A single grinding wheel may have many imbalances, which are aggravated when multiple grinding wheels are placed on a mandrel.

What types of imbalances are there?A distinction is made between static and dynamic imbalance, even though in most cases both types occur simultaneously.

Caption: Figures 1 – 3: Types of imbalances in grinding wheels are depicted in these figures, and are explained below

A static imbalance is when the rotary body’s centre of gravity is not on the rotary axis. This produces circular, mechanical vibrations perpendicular to the rotary axis during rotation (figure 1).

By contrast, a dynamic imbalance is when the centre of gravity is on the rotary axis, but the mass is not evenly

distributed to the rotary body’s plane of symmetry. This results in circular vibrations at either end of the rotary axis and the rotary body is set in motion (figure 2).

How does this affect the grinding wheel?The co-rotating centrifugal force bends the grinding spindle to the side, causing a poor dynamic running accuracy. The contact pressure between the grinding wheel and the workpiece is uneven, and during precision machining the grinding wheel does not operate at full capacity. This leads to increased thermal loading on certain points of the grinding wheels. Since the grinding wheel is not fully operational, its operating life is correspondingly shorter and wear is increased. On top of this, the costs of dressing also increase.

How does this affect the workpiece?Imbalances can chip the workpiece (figure 3(2)), producing a surface quality that is inadequate. In addition, the errors in running accuracy lead to imprecision and lower dimensional stability.

Caption: Figure 4: Multiple grinding wheels can be fitted to a single mandrel. To run smoothly imbalances must first be reduced.

How does this affect the grinding spindle?To some extent, imbalances cause strong vibrations which place the machine bearings under greater load and faster wear. The operating life of the grinding spindle is also reduced (figure 4).

SummaryOwing to the imbalance and greater wear, the forward feed Vt (mm/min) is reduced and the result is considerably lower productivity. Grinding wheels should therefore always be balanced before use.

Extracted from: V - the Magazine of the Vollmer Group, 01/2016 pages 18 - 21

Leitz has designed new, aptly named laser engraved “ornaments” on its circular saw blades. These reduce vibration generated during cutting and thus increase stability and improve the quiet running of

the circular saw blade. The new laser ornaments allows better cutting quality, higher RPM and increased noise reduction. In cooperation with the Institute for Machine Tools at Stuttgart University, Leitz has also designed a specific dampening mass that can fill the ornaments. This reinforces the vibration dampening

“In the development of circular saw blades we pursue several goals”, says Andreas Kisselbach, head of Leitz research and development. Kisselbach gives some examples:

Reducing the cutting forces, the energy used by the •

circular saw blades are reduced.

Reducing the cutting width of the blades, the material •

waste can be reduced and yield increased

Developing circular saw blades for specific working •

materials by modifying tooth shapes

Looking at alternative tungsten carbide types and •

diamond to increase performance times

Increasing the stability of circular saw blades is •

also important.

Laser engraving and damping mass reduce vibration of circular saw bladesLeitz has introduced adaptations to its saw blades that makes them quieter and vibrate less while producing quality cutting results.

The Leitz Premium circular saw blades (decay curve in yellow) have laser ornaments, and vibrate less than the Entry level circular saw blades (dark blue). The Excellent version (light blue) has laser ornaments filled with a damping material and vibrate even less than Premium versions

The Leitz Excellent circular saw blade with the new laser ornaments and dampening mass

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“Today, a circular saw blade must be able to process many different working materials, and they all need different cutting speeds,“ he explains. The laser ornaments and dampening material makes this possible.

Leitz has divided its circular saw blades into three quality levels: Entry, Premium and Excellent levels. The Premium range has laser ornaments, and optimized gullets and tooth heights to reduce air turbulence. The Excellent variation is the same as the Premium range, however the ornaments are filled with the new dampening material and the blades achieve optimal stability and quiet running.

The laser ornaments allow for a better cutting quality, higher RPMs and reduced noise emission

Leitz mourns passing of chairmanDr Dieter Brucklacher, the long-standing chairman of machine tool manufacturer Leitz, died on September 27th after a short illness at the age of 77.

His wife Monika, daughter Dr Cornelia Brucklacher, the business managers and all employees of the Leitz Corporate Group around the world mourn a special person and an outstanding entrepreneur.

Leitz is a family business in its fourth and fifth generation of the Brucklacher family. Founded in 1876 in Oberkochen, Germany, the Leitz Corporate Group today employs around 4,000 people worldwide and is a leading manufacturer of machine tools for the processing of wood, wood materials, plastic and composite materials.

Brucklacher took over the position of chief executive officer at Leitz in 1982. With his strategic vision, he expanded the traditional company from one to two company groups: one specialising in machine tooling for wood and plastics and from the 90s, tooling for metals processing.

Since the 2000s, under the direction of Brucklacher, the two company groups Leitz and LMT have become worldwide operating enterprises and are world market leading leaders in their segments. He was active in the company until his last day. The company will continue to be run by the Brucklacher family with the dedicated support of its management team.

Dieter Brucklacher was born in 1939 in Oberkochen. He studied physics at the University of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe from 1959 to 1965. From 1966 to 1974 he worked as a scientific employee for the research institute Institut für Material und Festkörperforschung in Karlsruhe.

Brucklacher was appointed managing director of Leitz in 1975. In addition to his management tasks he crowned his academic career with a doctorate in engineering sciences at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Karlsruhe.

He rapidly gained a worldwide reputation and in 1997 was elected president of the Regional Association Baden-Württemberg of VDMA (Mechanical Engineering Industry Association). In 2007 he became president of the Federal Association of VDMA in Frankfurt, and at the same time became chairmans of the Federal Association of German Industries (BDI) and the Confederation of the German Employers' Associations (BDA), both headquartered in Berlin.

The knowledge and experience of this successful entrepreneur were highly sought after. In 2002 Brucklacher was appointed as an honorary professor of the Nanjing Forestry University in China. He also joined the supervisory bodies of many renowned companies.

In 2008 he was awarded the German "Bundesverdienstkreuz erster Klasse" (German Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class). This is just one of numerous awards he received worldwide. In 2014 he was presented with the German Mechanical Engineering Award Preis Deutscher Maschinenbau for his life's work. Brucklacher was an honorary citizen of his home town, Oberkochen.

As a friend and patron of music and the fine arts, Brucklacher is also famous outside the engineering fields. He was passionate about jazz music and established the International Music Festival “Jazz Lights”, which will take place for the 27th time in 2017.

Use more wood A study by the Swiss National Research Programme, “Resource Wood” recommends using wood more widely as a source of energy and as a building material.

The study examined the overall environmental impact of wood in Switzerland, analysing the value chain from cutting trees to recycling wood or burning it, including the making of semi-finished products such as paper, boards and pellets for heating purposes.

The researchers recommend: use wood where it brings the greatest comparative •benefits (construction materials and energy); mitigate the negatives such as the emission of •particulate matter, andconsider the entire value chain to maximise the •positive effects.

There are opposing views that say it is preferable to burn wood only after being used and not directly after being cut. The short-term impact of wood is highly contested among scientists.

SKF has launched a new battery operated PowerLuber for quick, effortless application of lubricant for agricultural, automotive, construction, general maintenance and industrial applications.

The 12-volt PowerLuber features a lithium-ion battery for maximum power and efficiency and delivers grease at up to 8,000 psi

(551 bar). Its three-point base keeps the tool upright for user convenience and helps prevent dirt and debris from entering the motor. Its ergonomic, lighter-weight construction reduces operator fatigue and allows easy

access to tight areas. The tool’s new dual-lip follower enables bulk or cartridge delivery and eliminates grease bypass. It has a bright, built-in light-emitting diode to illuminate the work area. Also, the grease gun has an integrated hose holder and tube guide for secure hose storage and easy threading of the grease barrel.

New Lincoln PowerLuber grease gun

milling

Multisaw launches SA designed and built Pinnacle finger-joint systemsThe use of wet-off-saw eucalyptus in the Biligom project, resulted in a call to Multisaw to redesign and manufacture a horizontal finger-joint plant for the jointing of boards to produce eucalyptus structural timber.

Multisaw did not hesitate to take the opportunity to produce its first finger-joint plant, and its Pinnacle unit was recently commissioned at Limpopo Lumber. It is successfully converting

the mill’s wet-off-saw low value black cross eucalyptus material into higher value long length structural timber. The material was previously supplied to the pallet industry, and was not cost-effective for Limpopo Lumber.

Timber joined in a vertical joint system has the typical zig-zag joint pattern on the wide face of the timber, whereas the horizontal joint simply has a line on this face. The horizontal joint therefore has a great aesthetic advantage over vertical jointing and, for this reason, Multisaw decided to offer the system to the pine market.

Luke Murray of Multisaw says that historically, as far as Multisaw could ascertain, the Pinnacle is a first for a South African manufacturer of this kind of equipment. The machine is heavy duty and full of local content to ensure value-adding plants in Southern Africa have good back up.

Too often the backup is either out of the SA time-zone or in a foreign language. By offering a locally developed and manufactured machine, downtime can be avoided and minimised.

“We work closely with our customers to ensure that our machines meet their needs. Local technical support, a

From super short to long boards can be processed

Infeed showing right cutter, roller transfer, and left cutter head

strong build and ease of maintenance are important to us. We provide constant access to support, both telephonic troubleshooting and guidance, as well as on-site visits. We also offer the option of site installation and project management,” Murray explains.

The Pinnacle horizontal finger joint machine has three main sections:

The in feed is magazine loaded onto a slat chain •conveyor; material passes the first profile head and is then cross-fed piece by piece to the second profiling head. The boards then pass the glue head and are cross-fed •onto the crowding table. From there the now joined pieces are fed through to •the press, cross cut to length and hydraulically pressed to finish the process.

“There has been huge interest from the pine industry for these machines. This is driven by sawmilling and furniture manufacturing companies taking a keen interest in their recovery processes. They are no longer looking at offcuts as waste, but rather as a value adding product. We have made a finger-joint system for structural pine and it is currently being tested against standards by the SABS,” says Murray.

from page 44Multisaw launches SA designed and built Pinnacle finger-joint systems

Joined boards exiting the press

milling

He is based at Multisaw’s R&D office in Cape Town, where he and his team of mechanical engineers interpret their design briefs and use the latest 3D Solid Works design software technologies to draw up and model the new machines.

When they are satisfied that the design is ready, they send the drawings to Multisaw’s state of the art manufacturing facility near Plettenberg Bay. This production plant fabricates the machines and is assisted by local expertise companies that use hi-tech laser cutting and bending that is world class.

Multisaw’s Cape Town branch stays in touch with customers to oversee the development of the project and works with the clients to test and refine the designs. Murray says it took only two iterations for the first finger-joint system to be robust and market ready.

“Our staff like to keep themselves up-to-date with technology. It is important for us to develop logical solutions to complex problems. Creativity, passion and forward thinking are key, says Murray.

The Pinnacle range of finger-joint machines are simple to use, in line with Multisaw’s philosophy of keeping their products easy to set up and run, clean and maintain.

PG Bison has the answer to: What colour should I choose?Okay, so you have made the decision to redo your kitchen and are paging through interior design and home improvement magazines, chatting with friends, and worked out how to create a board on Pinterest, then you hit the wall. There is an overwhelming number of design options and choosing the right style and colour seems daunting. What if you get it wrong?

The effective use of lights with MelaWood SupaGloss makes smaller rooms appear brighter and interesting

r Story

For years, colour trends in kitchens and furniture were easy to plot and forecast. But gone are the days when Henry Ford’s Model T automobile was only available in black. Now, the trend seems to be that

there is no one specific trend. The options seem endless and your search for an individual style is daunting.

Designs, colour, textures and lighting in furniture and kitchens are constantly changing . More and more, the international print houses supplying decorative papers for wood-based panels used in kitchens and furniture include light, medium and dark options in their annual range offerings. Some designs may be rustic with saw-marks and knots. Others may be cleaner with smooth grains, have variations of grey or have more natural tones. Some are a double espresso of darkness and some a milky latte in lightness.

Whether your preference is for light, medium or dark colours, it is important to keep the following in mind:

Light colours make rooms feel airy and open. All-white •kitchens have wide appeal, and combining it with a wood grain or accent of colour creates that little extra magic with a bolder feel.

Medium colours are often more natural in tone and •feel homely. Using two tones can change things up.

Dark designs seem sophisticated and intimate. Be •careful though, as too many dark touches in smaller areas may become overpowering. You can always balance dark designs with glossy surfaces which bring more light into the room.

PG Bison believes that all homes should reflect the essence of the people living there, and they have experienced staff and a wide array of products for every lifestyle. When considering your revamp, visit PG Bison at www.pgbison.co.za to see its range of products reflecting international trends.

Medium colours are natural in tone and feel homely. Using MelaWood SupaGloss with two tones can change things up

Light colours with strategic use of high gloss wood finishes make rooms feel airy and open

tory Getting the best out of MelaWood

SupaGloss boards The key to any great looking finished panel product is the quality of the cutting and edging because a well-edged panel, particularly with a high gloss finish, looks superior and makes end-users happy.

PG Bison, the local manufacturer of MelaWood SupaGloss boards, uses patented technologies to produce hard-wearing high gloss decorative boards. A hot coat polyurethane (PUR) coating is applied to

MelaWood with a SupaWood core and cured using ultraviolet light. This process creates a durable, high gloss surface with excellent wear and scratch resistance.

It does not matter how well your panel saw or beam saw cuts the boards, the type of edge band and the edge banding process can result in customers rejecting the boards and you having to redo the work.

But you don’t need the latest and most expensive saws and edge-banding machines to create first-rate product. PG Bison says that by applying the tips below, using your current equipment, you can go a long way in creating quality edges and great looking finished products out of your MelaWood SupaGloss.

Firstly, the quality and finish of your edged MelaWood SupaGloss components will be greatly enhanced by having the following in place:

Saws and edge-banding machines must be well •maintained and properly set up. Edge band material needs to be the best you can afford, •and preferably thinner than 1.5mm.The adhesive must be the best possible quality •compatible with your edge-banding machine.

Although a pre-milling system is not essential, it is recommended to ensure a square cut to the edge of the board and to remove any scorer path or saw cut marks. Secondly, a good extraction system will ensure trimmings are removed so as not to contaminate the pressure rollers or buffing systems. Anti-static systems are also effective. Applying an inline release agent will help ensure any glue squeeze-out does not bond to the panel surface.

Thirdly, a “framing effect” is often the result of poorly finished and overly thick edging. This will spoil the appearance of your gloss components. To avoid this, use good trimmer and rounding blades and scrapers to ensure the edging material has an attractive finish. Buffing wheels should then clean off any glue squeeze-out and further enhance the appearance.

Always try and use an edging material thinner than 1.5mm. The gloss of the edging is only on its surface and does not run all the way through the material. As the trimmers cut away the corner material, the duller core is exposed, adding to the

“framing effect”. The thicker the edging, the more noticeable the dullness of the core.

Last, but not least, use the best possible adhesive system your machine can process. The emphasis should be on spreading the glue as thin as possible, while keeping the required bond strength. The thicker the glue line, the more noticeable the joint between the edging and the panel. The main adhesive systems are:

EVA hot meltBasic thermo plastics, normally in granular format•Heat resistance of 95°c •Capable of running on most conventional •edge-banding machinesWith careful attention to settings, unfilled hot melts •can produce a finish with a minimum glue line of about 185 gsmWorking with unfilled hot melt enables a much thinner •spread with stronger bonding capabilities

Polyolefin (PO) hot meltThermo plastics with polyolefin rather than •EVA-based polymer Heat resistance of 130°c •Higher water resistance than EVA hot melt•Step up from EVA hot melt, producing stronger bond and •thinner glue line (Target = 160 gsm)Polyolefin can be processed on most conventional •edge-banding machines

Polyurethane (PUR) hot meltModern adhesive system allowing for very thin glue •line while offering optimum bonding (Target = 120gsm and lower)PUR reacts to the slightest moisture in the atmosphere, so •keeping the system purged remains a challenge for most workshops and requires a disciplined approach to details.Due to the chemical crosslinking that is fully engaged •after 48 hours, the glue line is heat, moisture and solvent resistant with a near lifelong bondThis superior bonding system is ideal for the kitchen •industry where components are often exposed to moisture and heat.

With this knowledge from PG Bison in hand, and by paying close attention to your processes, you can confidently create superior edged panels and amazing finished products that will help keep your customers coming back.

Taking care of MelaWood SupaGloss surfacesAll surface materials used in homes, offices and shop fitting need tender loving care so that the surfaces weather the stresses they are put through every day, especially when children with sticky fingers and hard objects they like to bang things with are around.

No matter whether it is granite, solid wood, veneer, melamine or PG Bison’s MelaWood SupaGloss products, there is a right way and a wrong way to handle, care for and clean it.

In the case of MelaWood SupaGloss surfaces the panels have a tough and high gloss surface. However, PG Bison advises users that utmost care should still be taken when handling, machining and installing the product so as not to damage the surface.

Always keep the protective film in place until installation is completed and all other service providers have finished their projects. The protective film should be removed within six months of completion of the job to avoid it ageing and becoming difficult to remove.

Any spilt chemicals and liquids that can cause stains must be wiped away immediately using a damp cloth and soapy solution. Minor scratches and scuffs can be removed with a soft microfibre cloths and automotive liquid polish that is suitable for painted surfaces. Always follow the supplier’s instructions, and when in doubt test the polish on an inconspicuous area first to ensure suitability.

The success of polishing out scratches cannot be guaranteed as it depends on the degree of damage and depth of scratch. “Spray And Shine”, distributed by Bulldog Abrasives, has been tested and found to be a very good surface treatment. It creates an anti-static layer which minimizes fingerprints and keeps the surfaces smooth and polished.

In high use areas like kitchens and bathrooms daily cleaning, needs to be done. Always use a damp, soft, lint-free cloth and, for best results, use a mild soap and water solution with the soft cloth to remove daily grime. Do not wipe the gloss surface with a dry cloth as this could lead to micro-scratching and eventually dull the surface. Never use scrubbing brushes, scrapers, steel wool and scouring pads, or any other abrasive tool on the gloss surface.

PG Bison says name brand window-cleaning products are excellent for avoiding and removing drying marks and smears on the surface. Take care to prevent any moisture from penetrating any unprotected or exposed edges. Do not use polish with abrasive compounds, washing powder, furniture cleaner, bleach, detergents with strong acids and acidic salts, steam cleaning equipment and solvents.

Thermally modified ash upcycled into The CocoonT.Zed Architects and AMBB Furniture Manufacturing unveiled The Cocoon at Dubai’s Downtown Design exhibition in October. The structure is made from thermally-modified American ash, previously used to clad pavilions at exhibitions in Turkey.

The basic concept was to create a physical space where people can disconnect themselves from their everyday stresses and simply switch off and relax.

The Cocoon is the result of a collaboration between T.Zed Architects and the American Hardwood Export Council (Ahec). The thermally modified wood had been used to clad Ahec’s exhibition pavilions in Turkey.

The product and its design provides an opportunity to test the durability and performance of thermally-modified ash and white oak in a climate and context that are very different from where they are more often used, and naturally sourced.

According to Tarik Al Zaharna, founder and director, T.Zed Architects, the biggest challenges were to not only utilize a specific quantity of thermally-modified ash, but to also give new life through new usage whilst ensuring the least amount of wastage.

“When we were making our initial sketches, we drew inspiration from designers like Frei Otto and Peter Zumthor.

We wanted to portray a visual lightness to a typically heavyweight, wooden structure.

“As architects we push for the use of natural materials whenever possible, as we believe this is the best way for architects and craftsmen to remain sustainable in design and relevance. We are constantly challenging ways in which traditional crafts and natural resources are utilized, and we play on the notion of contextualizing what otherwise would seem to be out of context,” explains Zaharna.

“We have enjoyed collaborating with Ahec as we feel that by promoting the use of American hardwoods, we raise awareness of the value and qualities of raw materials, which are sought for and enhanced in our architectural works,” he said.

Ahec is also involved with the Design Ras Al Khor (DRAK) initiative, which aims to transform the industrial area, one of the oldest in the city, into a creative district and hub in Dubai. In keeping with the theme of ‘Celebrating Wood, Ahec brought acclaimed New Zealand designer,

On show in Dubai: The Cocoon creates a physical space where people can disconnect themselves from their everyday stresses and simply switch off and relax

David Trubridge, to Dubai. Trubridge designed a recliner bench, Aleni, made from thermally-modified American ash for Ahec's Seed to Seat project earlier this year.

“Ahec is delighted to be able to work with such talents as Tarik Al Zaharna and David Trubridge and to be a part of Dubai Design Week again,” said Roderick Wiles, Ahec director for Africa, Middle East, South Asia and Oceania.

“Thermally-modified American hardwoods are a relatively new concept and we believe they have real potential in the Middle East in decking, exterior cladding and street furniture. Working with Cliff Caley and his team at AMBB Furniture Manufacturing on

the development and production of The Cocoon was also a very positive experience and underlines how much talent there is in the region,” said Wiles.

The finer details of the repurposed thermally modified American ash Cocoon structure

Designs and products from Spotlight Kitchens & Interiors in demandReferrals from customers, and a reputation for quality workmanship, has made Spotlight Kitchens and Interiors a preferred supplier to top architectural firms, contractors and developers, project managers and procurement agents.

Nine years ago, Bo Bylin and his friend, Andrew Scott, joined the so-called “bakkie-brigade”. They outsourced cabinet components to cut-and-edge board companies, and installed kitchens

and cupboards for clients who responded to their adverts on Gumtree.

“When you outsource most of your work you are dependent on your suppliers to meet your delivery times and specifications. 80 percent of the work is managing personalities of clients and we realised that the only way we could up our game was to take control of the manufacturing process,” says Bylin.

Scott and Bylin moved into a small factory in Woodstock, Cape Town. Although they continued giving their cutting jobs to cut-and-edge suppliers, they bought a spray booth and began to do their own spray work. “We had to wear many hats, and it was hard work. When we grew from five employees to 15 we knew we had to find new premises,” Bylin explains.

In the Spotlight Kitchens and Interiors factory with work in progress behind them, Andrew Scott and Bo Bylin of Spotlight, and Clifford Art (on the right) of CMC Woodworking Machinery and Supplies

Brandon Isaacs cuts components on the Robland panel saw supplied by CMC

A family friend offered them space in a derelict building in an industrial area in Lansdown. Spotlight Kitchens and Interiors first occupied one unit on the premises, however this rapidly became too small and today their manufacturing process is spread over four units. Scott is the director of design and sales and Bylin directs production and installations.

Research and development of new products is a crucial part of the business, and Scott says this is an important reason for ensuring sustainability and ongoing improvement of their operations. “The only way to ensure competitive pricing is by continually improving our designing, manufacturing and installation operations, products and services.”

“We keep abreast with the latest styles, trends and global innovations, and offer our customers the latest options available. We have several international customers who come to us because we offer a range of different styles including contemporary, country, farm style, modern, veneered and shaker style kitchens,” Scott explains.

All projects start with a sketch. This becomes a 3D design with Sketchup computer generated photo

Clifford Art coaches new edge bander operator, Dickson Phiri on the Smartek edge bander. Phiri is an assembler who is learning how to use the edge bander

from page 57Designs and products from Spotlight Kitchens & Interiors in demand

realism that allows the customer to get an accurate visual image of the room that needs to be built or renovated. When the design is approved, cutting lists are generated and manufacturing begins

Bylin says the company has invested in additional capacity so that it can offer all types of interior and customised joinery. Spotlight uses traditional woodworking machines to convert its raw materials procured from Veneer Craft, Bison board from Lansdowne Boards, American solid wood sourced from sustainable forests by timber importers, and hardware like hinges, drawer slides and soft-closing mechanisms from Hettich.

Clifford Art of CMC Woodworking Machinery Supplies assists Spotlight Kitchens and Interiors when it comes to the technical side of the business. This includes maintenance of the machines, spare parts, blade sharpening and, importantly, keeping Bylin up to date with the latest manufacturing technologies.

“It is a pleasure working with Clifford. His advice is invaluable and CMC’s reputation is so good that it opens doors for Clifford to take us to visit our contemporaries to see machines in action so that we can decide whether it would work in our operations,” says Bylin.

Recently the company has purchased machines from CMC. There are three panel saws, and the latest purchase is the Robland Z-3800 panel saw with a 3.8m sliding table. The night shift operates the panel saws to produce the components for the day shift. A characteristic of the Z-3800 are the hardened steel rods inserted into the table extrusion, that makes the machine stable and robust. The Smartek MD-401 edge bander with top and bottom, front and back trimming units, radius scrapers and polishing units puts the finishing touches to the board components.

Solid wood components are produced using CMC supplied machines like the Casadei spindle moulder and CKM P-20 thicknesser. Veneered boards and solid wood items are put through the CB wide belt sander.

Bylin says the company is growing and next year hopes to invest in more machines. “We have 10 installation teams and presently provide employment for 70 people. We have a very personal approach to our clients' requirements, and work hand in hand with builders, architects and interior designers. Our teams’ attention to detail is what sets us apart from the rest.”

Terence Petersen takes care to keep his fingers away from the revolving tool of the spindle moulder at Spotlight Kitchens and Interiors

Spotlight uses the CB wide belt sander to finish its veneered boards and solid wood components

The CMC supplied CKM P-20 thicknesser is part of Spotlight’s joinery department

The only way to ensure competitive pricing is by continually improving our

designing, manufacturing and installation operations, products

and services.”

Mirka’s power tools are light and ergonomically designed

Mirka’s innovative net-backed sanding discs still a trend-setterSanding is a necessary yet unhealthy and messy process where fine wood particles are inhaled by workers, and sanding areas and products are covered with dust. Mirka, a pioneer in researching and developing dust free sanding solutions, set a new industry standard with its family of net backed sanding discs that it named Abranet.

Mirka’s sole local supplier is Bulldog Abrasives, who have found that dust-free sanding saves time and money and is kind to the environment. Most importantly it

significantly improves the health and safety of workers in sanding departments.

Traditional sanding products typically use paper as the backing to which the abrasive grains are attached. Instead of paper, Mirka's patented net-mesh products feature a strong yet flexible polyamide or nylon fabric. The mesh material is constructed using a crisscross net pattern (think of a noughts and crosses game, and you'll get the idea). The abrasive particles are attached to the mesh, creating a net of abrasive that can easily contour to complex shapes.

By eliminating the solid backing and replacing it with one featuring thousands of openings, dust is swept from the surface, or vacuumed away altogether. Mirka's net-mesh design minimizes the propensity for pilling because abraded residue and other contaminants can easily

migrate away from the face of the disc and into the void areas of the mesh, keeping the abrasive face of the disc debris free.

Interestingly, machine speed determines the characteristics of whichever net-mesh disc you happen to be using. In general, slower speed settings allow the disc to follow the intricacies of a surface accurately thus refining the surface, while efficient levelling can be accomplished using higher speed settings. Whereas film backed discs quickly pack with residue, thereby essentially losing contact with the surface at those points, net-mesh discs stay clean, allowing higher speeds to be a viable option to heavy duty or thickly-backed film discs.

Keeping the abrasive and the sanding surface virtually dust-free extends the lifespan of the abrasive. Since the abrasive maintains its aggressive properties over the entire surface, sanding becomes more even and efficient, improving the quality of work. Since you can always see what is being sanded, you gain control over the work to avoid over-sanding, for example.

AdvertorialW

from page 60Mirka’s innovative net-backed sanding discs still a trend-setter

The award winning Abranet family of net-backed sanding discs will be expanding soon

Health, safety and the environment are key drivers for Mirka’s design teams. The company’s sanding tools are among the smallest and lightest on the market, thanks to the use of brushless technology.

The company’s award winning, low vibration and ergonomically designed tools, such as its orbital sanders, are designed and tested under the same roof as the abrasives. This assists Mirka to provide an all-round solution to its customers.

Abranet product was launched in 2000, and since then Mirka’s focus has been on improving the net-abrasive family properties for different customer needs. This has resulted in the birth of many “siblings”.

To date the Abranet range includes:Original sanding net discs•

Gentle and soft sanding discs•

Autonet for metal surfaces•

Ace HD strong and rough discs•

Ace for ceramic grain •

NS – non-stearated discs•

NC - non-corrosive discs•

Max – cool cut discs•

SIC NS with silicon carbide grain•

Bulldog Abrasives says Mirka expects additional family members soon!

Seven local designers collaborate in Seed to Seat projectFurniture design and life cycle assessment project aims to identify the true environmental impact of design using less well-known American hardwoods.

The American Hardwood Export Council (Ahec) has launched a “Seed to Seat” collaboration with seven of the most prominent and exciting designers in South Africa. They have been given

an open brief and asked to design “something to sit on”. The pieces, which will be made from a selection of four American hardwood species, will be unveiled at 100% Design South Africa 2017, which will run from August 9 - 13, in Johannesburg. 100% Design South Africa is a curated exhibition platform to source high-end contemporary design, and runs alongside Decorex Johannesburg.

With Seed to Seat, Ahec aims to identify the true environmental impact of design and build on its extensive

work with life cycle assessment (LCA). The announcement follows kick-off meetings held with the designers in Johannesburg and Cape Town earlier this month.

Roderick Wiles, Ahec regional director, says the word “sustainable” has almost become design rhetoric. Whilst many well-intentioned designers claim sustainability in their approach to their work, there is often little solid evidence to support them in making those claims. The seven top furniture designers collaborating with Ahec are:

Adriaan Hugo (Dokter and Misses) •Andrew Dominic (Andrew Dominic Furniture), •Christoph Karl (Guideline Manufacturing), •

The seven designers are briefed about the challenging Seed to Seat project

David Krynauw (David Krynauw) and •Jacques Cronje (Jacques Cronje Timber Design), •James Mudge (James Mudge Furniture Studio), •Laurie Wiid van Heerden (Wiid Design), •

Each designer will create “something to sit on” made from American cherry, tulip wood, soft maple or red oak. During the manufacturing process, and incorporating data from Ahec’s LCA research for 19 American hardwood species, all materials, energy usage, transport and wastage will be recorded to assess the full environmental impact of each design.

Wiles explains that LCA is a scientific tool that helps industry to establish environmental frameworks that have real meaning and assess true sustainability. The results will present the cradle-to-factory grave impact of creating each product.

“We’re very excited, not only by the caliber of the designers involved in this project, but also by the fabulous pieces that we look forward to seeing in these versatile, yet less well-known American hardwood species, says Wiles.

“We’ve seen for a long time that South Africa has a real commitment to sustainable design in principle and

through this project we can demonstrate what that means in reality - an opportunity for us to show, and learn, what works and what design elements make a difference to the environment,” says Wiles. “We have also developed a microsite for the project, which is now live at www.seedtoseat.info. This will be the hub for all information regarding the project and will include details regarding the designers.”

The project in South Africa is the second phase of “Seed to Seat “, which was launched in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year. Ahec worked with six designers, who were given the same open brief, and their designs were on display at DENFAIR, held in Melbourne in June. Ahec calculated that it would take a mere 2.2 seconds for all the wood used by the six designers to grow in an American hardwood forest.

“This ambitious project will be the first of its kind in South Africa and the initial response to it from the designers has been overwhelmingly positive. “We hope the project will prove to be a great learning experience and an opportunity for the designers to test new designs in new species. In addition, we are thankful to Rare Woods SA, who will be donating all the timber required for the project,” says Wiles.

Festool expands its family of circular sawsFestool, or Festo as it was called at that stage, developed and built their first circular saw in the 1930s. Today Festool continues the tradition of innovation to develop new tools for professional craftsmen so that they have the ideal solution for practically every job at their fingertips.

Festool is proud that it is still developing and building its machines in Germany. For more than 80 years the company has built its reputation of delivering quality tools and service, including its circular saws with

guide rails, the first random orbit sander with integrated dust extraction, and its famous Domino joining system.

“This is mainly due to the technology that goes into all their products,” says Ryan Hunt sales director of Vermont Sales. Vermont is the South African agent for the German brand.

“Years of testing, working with the trade and their customers in the field to develop the perfect range of cutting tools,

plus the years of research and development that

go into fine-tuning the best saws and cutting power

tools in the business, have earned Festool the reputation

for being the leading power tool brand in the market,”

explains Hunt.

Circular saws

Festool has recently introduced its new portable HKC 55

cordless circular saw unit. The high-performance 18 Volt

Lithium-ion battery combined with the FSK trimming rail

attachments make the HKC 55 saws perfect for onsite

use. It has brushless EC-TEC motor for maximum cutting

Festool’s range of HK corded and KHC cordless circular saws are versatile and ergonomically designed with the operator in mind

performance and the ergonomic design makes it easy to handle.

The electric cable versions of the saw, the HK 55 and HK 85 also use the unique FSK cutting rails and FS guide. This increases their versatility and precision cutting ability. When sawing in combination with the guide or cutting rail, the cutting edge accurately follows the scribe mark edge, even when mitre cutting. It only takes one click and Festool’s fastfix FSK system lets the user change the cutting rail, which is available in three lengths, in a quick one-handed operation with no need for tools.

A conversion kit can transform the HK 85 into a groove router for transverse and longitudinal grooves, making it a great all-rounder.

Plunge-cut sawsNext in line is what is reputed to be one of the best plunge-cut circular saws Festool has built, the TS 55 electric model. Its primary feature is the ultra-flat, completely smooth casing for precise sawing close to edges, with a minimum wall distance of 12mm. None of the company’s competitors offer this feature. It can be optionally equipped with a viewing window and splinter guard, and guarantees absolute control and perfect results always.

The TSC 55 cordless plunge-cut saw operates at 5200 revolutions per minute. It has a brushless EC-TEC motor and two variable 18-volt batteries for maximum power, or one 18-volt battery for minimum weight. A maximum machine power of 36V (2 x 18V) guarantees rapid working progress and a high degree of cutting precision and working comfort. Like the classic TS 55, it has variable speed control, angle adjustments, a quick-acting brake and a guide wedge.

All Festool units come with their state of the art storage cases, a three-year guarantee and unique service plan.

gfrom page 64Festool expands its family of circular saws

The Festool TSC 55 plunge cut saw can work as close as 12mm to a wall

Joos Joinery is dedicated to quality through technology and craft W

Joos Joinery was established 45 years ago and is one of a handful of manufacturers that use traditional handcrafted solid wood furniture and CNC technology to make mass-produced cabinetry for large projects; all under one roof.

Leo Joos says the Joos philosophy is built around quality and customer satisfaction in manufacturing and design. “We love what we do and take great pride in delivering the best possible quality products,

along with a great customer experience. We offer the widest range of services in the industry.”

Joos Joinery manufactures its own components, from basic melamine carcasses to solid wood, curved veneered cabinetry, and high gloss spray finishes. There are three distinct style choices: traditional, contemporary and bespoke design. The traditional style is created by highly experienced master craftsmen using a combination of hand skills and basic woodworking machines and tools. The brothers demonstrate how great care is taken with every detail, from hand selecting veneers to ensure that every section in the kitchen matches in terms of colours and grains, to pre-assembling kitchen carcasses with drawers in place to make sure each drawer fits perfectly.

“Our reputation is based on quality and attention to detail. Our clients include architects, interior decorators, people who want to have individualised homes with custom

designs, and developers,” says Leo, the younger of the brothers.

Jos Joos expanded on their product range and describes the bespoke items from wine cellars to storage units, stairwells, doors, complete interiors of houses and custom cabinetry. “The materials we use are of the highest quality and the carcases are of the best grade melamine available. We like to combine materials like glass and concrete with solid and veneered woods such as mahogany and beech,” he says.

Jos and Leo’s father, Joseph Joos, founded the business in 1971 and turned it into a thriving joinery business. In 1992 his sons, Jos and Leo, stepped in and, despite a major setback, have turned Joos Joinery into an industry leader.

Joseph was born and bred in Belgium, where he became a joiner. When he turned 21 he accepted a position as a worker in Cape Town. There he met Greetje, a Dutch immigrant, and they married in 1968. After working for several companies, Joseph decided to set out on his own and founded Joos Joiners in 1971.

The Joos Joinery factory. The beamsaw is in the foreground and on its right is the veneer press

Joseph started out making window and door frames in a small garage, and gradually built up to making bedroom cabinets and kitchen cupboards. The business grew and in 1982 Joseph moved it to its present home in Stikland, an industrial suburb of Bellville in Cape Town.

In 2011 disaster struck when the factory burnt down. “The process of rebuilding it from the ground up was difficult and we lost three years of production in the six months that we could not help our clients. The only upside about it was the fact that we had an opportunity to design our production processes so that we could work leanly and smartly. We decided to do this by embracing technology and upskilling our people and we chose Austro as our technology partner,” says Jos.

The production process starts with the Selco EB-95 beam saw, which cuts the boards and prints the component tracking information that accompanies the component from start to finish. The next step is the new Biesse Skipper-100 CNC machine that is flexible enough to create any drilling pattern required. “It’s given us the capacity to reduce hours, confidence to sell more similar products when we work with developers, and the ability to improve customer lead times,” says Leo.

Francois Els of Austro says all the Skipper needs is a cutting list. “There is no setting-up, no adjustments and no trial runs are required,” says Els. “Unlike other CNC working centres there is no suction mechanism the machine’s clamp holds

Tony Filander (right) explains to Cameron Herrendoerfer how the Biesse Selco beamsaw works. The beamsaw prints out the barcodes for each component

Eugene Heunis loads the cutting programme onto the Biesse Skipper 100. Once the programme is loaded the machine is ready

Joos Joinery Factory Foreman, Leon Warrecker, and Eugene Heunis with the Skipper 100

The Biesse Rover A-330 can be set up to work on two work tables

Carcasses are assembled with the help of the Biesse Artech Cosmo carcass press

the work pieces and moves them into the machine.” The Skipper has top and bottom tooling heads that can drill, cut, groove and shape panels simultaneously from above or below, and can even produce two identical or mirrored panels per cycle with no difficulty. It is simple to use and provides maximum productivity. From the time the operator presses the start button, the entire process is completed in about five or so steps.

Production is planned so that some panels go to either the Rover A-330 or to the Austro DGC for routing and boring. Once completed, they are ready for the next step in production and are moved to the two Fravol edgebanders, the RX10 and the RX3, that take care of the edging requirements. The carcass components come together in the assembly area where the Biesse Comil carcass press produces carcasses that are perfectly square.

When all the preparation work is done the finished goods and their components go to the dispatch area. Here the Biesse Neleo 125 wraps them in plastic so that they are protected from damage and to make transport easier, because the special plastic prevents the loaded products from slipping or sliding on each other.

Joos Joinery was awarded a contract to manufacture and fit 80 percent of the kitchens, pharmacies, lockers, benches and shelving in the new Christian Barnard Hospital that opens on the foreshore in Cape Town in November. “We completed the huge project in three months with two permanent installation teams on-site,” says Leo.

from page 69Joos Joinery is dedicated to quality through technology and craft

Every cabinet and doors are shrink wrapped by the automatic Neleo plastic banding machine

Joos customers who prefer the traditional style of kitchens, for example, are catered for in the woodworking shop. Here Darryl Florus who has been with Joos Joinery for 14 years, and Dean Roberts who has delivered 24 years of dedicated service, put the finishing touches to solid wood products

An example of a solid wood and veneered kitchen made and installed by Joos Joinery

Biesse offers systems approach to engineering problems

Biesse Systems Engineering is devoted to providing engineering and consulting services to clients faced with complex production, technology and logistical issues.Through one-on-one consulting with expert engineers, they deliver integrated technological solutions, including analysis, design and installation of complete systems and plants.

Having worked with leading corporations the world over to optimize production, Biesse Systems ranks second in the world in the development of turnkey systems. (Based on in-house statistics.)

Drawing on in-depth knowledge of the market and leading-edge technologies, Biesse Systems Engineering bridges the gap between your product and the most efficient way to produce it.

Their services include:Design and implementation of turnkey plants•

Design and implementation of integrated •production lines

Modernization, renovation and integration of •existing plants

The process, overseen by a dedicated project manager, typically involves the following steps:

1. analysis

The Project Engineer conducts an in-depth analysis of the customer’s requirements, including:

Definition of all machines and equipment needed to •achieve project objectives

Study of customized machines and components•

Study of the plant’s software integration system•

Plant productivity calculations•

Definition of plant logistics•

Calculation of material flow and warehouse •space requirements

Identification of the staff required for optimum •plant operation

Study of the production organization and •manufacturing process

2. Proposal

The information gathered during the analysis phase is organized into technical specifications and presented to the client for review and approval.

3. execution

Once the proposal is accepted, the new system can begin to take shape. A dedicated project manager manages the ordering, installation and testing of all machines, along with

Inside Biesse 2016: The era of the artisan’s digitisationMore than 3000 registered visitors from all over the world visited the Biesse Group in Pesaro, Italy, to take part in the Inside Biesse event dedicated to technological innovations for those who work with wood and advanced materials.

Initially a two-day event, it was sold out a week before and Biesse added a day so that they did not disappoint their customers. The company reports that orders for almost 10-million euros were received, largely from

Italian customers reacting to the economic recovery of the country.

“Our order intake was 250 percent higher and we attracted 16 percent more visitors from five continents compared to the previous event. A considerable percentage of these orders are directly connected to the Biesse 4.0 technologies,” says Federico Broccoli, Wood Division sales director.

The “Smart-4-all” theme gave visitors a complete view of the potential that digitalization can offer to the manufacturing sector. Broccoli says the 4.0-ready machines, systems and software are ideal for big and small size companies

that want to gain competitiveness through the optimization of their design and manufacturing processes.

More than 400 customers participated in the concurrent seminar series organised by Accenture, Biesse Systems and Wood-Skin. “These contributions demonstrated how it is possible and convenient to digitise processes within factories, while keeping strong the value and skills of those who know how to work with wood and other materials. This is the era of the artisan’s digitalization,” explains Raphaël Prati, marketing and communications director of Biesse Group.

Speaking at a press conference, Broccoli announced that the Italian firm had enjoyed a very positive trading year, with orders of 350-million euros in the year to September, compared with 216-million euros for the same period to 2015 - a growth of 13 percent year on year.

Broccoli said the markets that had shown improvement were the Italian and United States market, which had almost doubled its performance. Other regions doing well were Asia and Australia which had seen similar growth. Russia and Brazil remain weak and somewhat surprisingly, Turkey had also started struggling.

The growth encouraged Biesse to increase its workforce from 2600 to 3600. Broccoli also pointed out that materials handling and edge banding technology were the two sectors that had given the business extra impetus in recent months.

When asked about the UK situation, following the Brexit vote, Broccoli said that prior to the vote, Biesse was "hyper-scared" but was pleased that the situation in the UK was "so far, so good". He emphasised the company's long term confidence in the UK market by saying that the company plans to expand the UK operation with significant investment to cope with current and anticipated strengthening of the market.

Frederico Broccoli, Biesse's Wood Division sales director

from page 72Biesse offers systems approach to engineering problems

personnel training. This phase generally consists of the following:

Machine installation and pretesting•

Control and integration software installation•

Personnel trainingTo enable total control of the production process, the client is supplied with Line Supervisor software, which makes it possible to easily import and manage the working load of the entire line. It also provides a communication interface with machine operators. Customized information is received in real time, creating databases to manage and perfect the production process.

Service and SupportAfter installation and testing is complete, Biesse Systems Engineering provides ongoing support. Their Service Department makes professionalism and timeliness in telephone assistance and technical intervention its primary objectives.

Also, a team of technical engineers in Biesse’s main facility in Pesaro, Italy, and branch offices worldwide, are always ready to provide assistance, by phone and directly on the machines via modem. In South Africa Biesse is represented by Austro Woodworking.

The NC controlled beam saw series contains technology solutions that make it suitable for both

small and medium - sized companies

The Skipper 100 boring and inserting machine is the ideal solution for cabinetmakers.

The Jade 340, an automatic single-sided edgebanding machine designed for artisan craftsmen

who want to improve and automate production.

The NC controlled beam saw series contains technology solutions that make it suitable for both

small and medium - sized companies

The Skipper 100 boring and inserting machine is the ideal solution for cabinetmakers.

The Jade 340, an automatic single-sided edgebanding machine designed for artisan craftsmen

who want to improve and automate production.

Ekamant achieves black ownership and Level 2 black empowerment status

Ekamant South Africa, a bespoke supplier of coated abrasives to the various manufacturing and reseller industries, is proud to announce that it has achieved its Level 2 Black Economic Empowerment target, and is now 59% black owned and 30% black female owned.

Wendy Turton, director of Ekamant, says the new BEE legislation looked

insurmountable at first. But when they studied it in-depth they found that it made sense because it fits in with the company and its values. “We decided to formally embrace it because it would benefit our staff, our clients and our country,” she says.

“As management, we realised that the first step was to review and evaluate our current strategic and operational processes. We found that it took longer than we expected because change must start from the top. We adopted a systematic review process and used a range of business analytical and development methods. It is a difficult yet exciting journey that needs commitment and passion. By changing our approach and business practices we realised we could achieve our sustainability objectives by engaging with our staff and providing them with new opportunities,” says Turton.

Staff members are encouraged to participate in skills development opportunities and this has increased morale and performance levels. In-house technical courses are presented so that each staff member understands the products and conversion processes, team working, and techniques for managing emotional and related stresses in the work place. Ekamant also provides access to learnerships, skills programmes and short courses in business administration, inventory management, cleaning and hygiene, supervision and management.

“The personal growth has been amazing. For instance, our domestic assistant is now the receptionist, general factory workers have become supervisors, and where there are no vacancies for promotion we offer inter-group transfers. We are also engaging with the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Falsebay College to explore ways to contribute towards

entrepreneural development beyond the borders of our company,” says Turton.

Sonja Klopper, managing director of Ekamant says their business model is focused on conservatively growing Ekamant in South Africa. “It is important for the company to sustain its service levels in the present economic climate, to be transparent and to focus on minimising risk. To achieve this we must continue to offer value to our customers through innovative processes that includes everyone at Ekamant. We have introduced a profit-sharing incentive where the staff get quarterly and annual finacial incentives based on company performance,” says Klopper.

“We are now going through another strategic planning phase to see how we can develop our supplier portfolio. The primary aim is to identify a structure that offers opportunities for staff members to start-up their own businesses in areas like packaging, logistics and marketing.”

Turton and Klopper are excited about the future of Ekamant and the country. “We all need to play our part because the government can’t do it alone. There is no enterprise without people and we are as passionate about people as we are about the business,” they say.

Ekamant’s directors are all immersed in the day to day running of the business. The directors are, from left: Megan Adams, Wendy-Ann Turton, Andrew Doubell and managing director Sonja Klopper.

DEWALT adds three new models to XR 18V brushless drill and impact driver range

Research by Dewalt has shown that modern tradesmen and building contractors doing repetitive drilling and fastening work require tools that offer reliable and powerful performance, a compact design, and ease of control.

In response to its customers’ needs Dewalt decided to expand its XR 18V lithium-ion brushless portfolio of power tools and has introduced the premium and highly-durable

DCD791 drill driver•DCD796 hammer drill driver, and •DCF887 impact driver. •

The new power tools offer users improved performance, control and ergonomics:

Increased power and faster speed of application •Shorter tool length to get into tight spaces with minimum fuss •Drill driver and hammer drill driver have focused, angled and •brighter LED light to reduce shadows, with an output of 60 lumensImpact driver has a choice of three impact control modes, •Rugged design for exceptional toughness in the •working environment

Improved power and speed of applicationDewalt says professional craftsmen benefit from increased performance and productivity through the improved power delivered by the brushless tools. This enables a faster speed of application, and the completion of high torque applications.

Enhanced ergonomics Featuring a more compact, balanced and lightweight design, the length of the drill drivers and impact driver have been reduced by 7mm and 6mm respectively. This allows professionals to easily work in small and tricky spaces with minimum fuss, and be even closer to the job in hand. ‘Guaranteed Tough’, the Dewalt says tools have been built to deliver exceptional reliability, and to withstand the constant rigours of the jobsite, avoiding costly downtime.

The specifications of the cordless tools are:

DCD791 drill driver: weight 1.3kg, length 173mm, height 203mm, •depth 67mmDCD796 hammer drill driver: weight 1.6kg, length 190mm, height •203mm, depth 67mmDCF887 impact driver: weight 0.9kg, length 134mm, height •195mm, depth 67mm

The Dewalt DCD796 hammer drill driver

Dewalt’s new DCD791 drill driver

Greater work area visibilityThe super bright focused LED light on the base of the DCD791 drill driver and DCD796 hammer drill driver is angled to reduce shadows around the work area. The highest of the three switch positions provides a 60-lumen output with an impressive 20-minute delay, delivering greater visibility and productivity on site.

Variable impact control for light to high speed applicationsFor greater control, operators of the Dewalt DCF887 impact driver have access to three different control settings, including ‘Precision Drive’. A first for a Dewalt tool, this mode is suitable for delicate screw driving applications. It gives users the optimum amount of turning force, avoiding over-driving screws, splintering, or damage to materials, bits or fasteners such as brass or machine screws.

By contrast, Dewalt says the high-speed impact setting offers its customers market leading torque and speed of application to ensure that they have all the performance they need to get even the heaviest applications completed quickly.

Mayan Desai, trade marketing manager of Stanley Black & Decker Southern Africa says: “A lack of power to tackle larger tasks, poor work area visibility, and drilling tools that are too large for the more intricate jobs, are common frustrations of today’s professionals.

“The latest range of innovative, brushless products on Dewalt’s XR 18V Lithium-Ion platform provides an extremely tough and reliable solution, which addresses these critical user needs. Increased performance, variable impact control, focused LED lighting, and reduced length allow maximum productivity in all drilling and fastening applications, no matter how demanding,” says Desai.

the key features of the new range include:

Brushless motor for less servicing and downtime•

Tool length reduced by up to 7mm•

DCD791 drill driver and DCD796 hammer drill driver: •Super bright, focused LED light with a three-position switch (low – 2 lumens, medium – 18 lumens, and high – 60 lumens) *

DCF887 Impact Driver: Three-mode impact selector •with ‘Precision Drive’ for light screw driving, Speed I for standard impact applications, and Speed II offering up to 207Nm for high torque applications

Compatible with Dewalt XR 18V 2.0Ah, 5.0Ah and •Bluetooth battery packs

For more product information, please visit the DEWALT web site http://www.Dewalt.co.za/ or the DEWALT Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Dewalt.

Bezner RFK 60-200 Rounding MachineTechnical Specifications

Type: RFK60-200 •Pole Range: 60-200mm•FeedSpeed: 4-16m/min•Dimensions: 3x1.2x1.6m•Weight: 3500kg •

Wema Probst Rounding Machine Cylindrical PolesTechnical Specifications

Type: RHM 100-I-H•Pole Range: 30-100mm•Feed Speed: 5-30m/min•Weight: 1200kg•

Paul Board Edger – MultiripTechnical Specifications

Max Cutting Height: 120mm •Max Cutting Width: 550mm •MaxPassageWidth: 700m •Variable Feed Speed: 0 - 75m/min •MaindriveMotor: 15kW •One Fixed Saw Head and one Mechanically •Movable Saw Head.

Paul KM 346/800 Multirip SawSpecifications

Type KM 346/800 • Maindrive Motor: 32.5kW•Max Passage Width: 800mm•Max Cutting Height: 100mm•Shortest Input Length: 450mm•Top Rollers: 7•Bottom Rollers: 4 •Adjustable Saw Arbour•Variable Feedspeed•Includes Switch gear panel and Saw bush extractor •

New Weima Shredder WL 4Technical Specifications

Type: WL4•Year: 2016•Weight: 1300kg•Dimensions: 1.8 x 1.14 x 1.64m•Hopper Opening: 800x600mm•Hopper Volume: 0.6m3 •Maindrive Motor: 18.5kW•Rotor Length: 600mm•Rotor Knives: 28•Screen Hole Size: 25/30mm•

QUALITY SECOND HAND MACHINERY FOR SALE

IMPORTED FROM GERMANY

Delivery ex stock, subject to prior saleFor more information please visit our showroom in

Plett at Bitou Business Park or website www.wis.za.com or via e-mail, wis@iafrica.com

Tel: 044 533 3651 or Fax: 086 600 3724

All machine prices are upon request

To advertise

in Classifieds –

Mickey Petersen

on 011 726 3081

november 2016 vol. 42. no. 1 - wood & timber times....2 november 2016 // wood southern africa...

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