News

Variable Pitch and Depth Bandsaws

July 07, 2021

Variable Pitch and Depth Bandsaws

 

By: John Eisenhut

A bit of background on myself, I’ve been in the Saw doctoring industry for quite a few decades now and in those years I’ve experimented a little outside the box with many things over those years.

Several in particular:

  • Hit and miss tipping 
  • Variable kerf, something I have a huge passion for. 
  • Variable pitch band saws off older cam Technology grinders.

Now most of us know and I would think agree that reducing vibration in a saw is beneficial.

A Variable Pitch or Variable Pitch and Depth saw will run quieter than a standard pitch profile. There is no doubt about this; it’s an actual fact and has been documented well over the years.

So a few points to consider

Firstly: from a health and safety point of view, quieter saws in the saw mill are an immediate benefit in itself, and for most in the industry reason enough to make the change to a Variable Pitch saw.

It is common to receive feed back from the operators that they can’t hear the saw and in the next breath say I don’t like it, I can’t here it how can I cut fast and smooth if I can’t hear it?

What he is actually saying is the saw has changed its cutting pitch.

This is nothing that a re-adjustment period and a bit of reassurance and coaching over a few days won’t fix and it is definitely not something that should dictate not changing to the Variable Pitch concept.

This is a free advantage, no outlay, no more expensive than a standard saw.

Old technology grinders or standard cam grinders can grind a three pitch scenario with not too much effort, so the gain is there for us all.

Another benefit from a VP saw is the ability of the saw to decrease or eliminate completely any wash board that may be occurring… This. again is achieved without any other investment or modification being required. It’s a free fix.

Some of the myths around using Variable Pitch saws are that they cannot be serviced on a cam driven grinder, this is absolutely not the case.

Yes care needs to be taken to not over grind the face of the tooth “and” the tooth shape may not be as “pretty” as a CNC machine, however the additional benefits are there to grab. Your choice

The assumption that a VP saw is harder to deal with is also misguided information, setting a Variable Pitch saw going on a cam grinder or a CNC grinder is a simple task.

Continued Benefits

Now the money maker advantages

Increased feed rates

A decrease in within board deviation or a combination of both and again these benefits are being harnessed without any other investment or upgrade, it’s effectively a free performance increase for your sawmill.

You have to buy saws for your saw mill; there is no difference in price between buying a standard profile saw or a Variable Pitch profile saw,

We at Thode can cut your saw to any profile you require

Water cut by Thode Knife and Saw / cold cut flat and true, with no punch deformation

Even if you only have a cam driven grinders we can cut a profile to suit what they produce,

Our CNC water cutter allows us to cold cut your profile to very close tolerances,

The cut is clean, accurate and without heat absolutely no deformation in the plate

This can save you hours of grinding time, and have your new saw up and running in no time at all.



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Massive leap in technology for Bandsaw Shop" self programming & self setting bandsaw profile grinder (Iseli BNP200)

July 07, 2021

Iseli Latest Technology

ISELI TOOTH TRACING SYSTEM (TTS)

Programming tooth shapes is still a major challenge for many customers. The ISELI Tooth Tracing System (TTS) can help! The tooth shape of the saw you desire to be emulated can be probed automatically by an acoustic sensor and saved as the tooth shape of your choice. The data obtained is then used for sharpening in the recipe. Parameters such as tooth profile, hook and back angles, tooth height, variable pitch and depths etc, are automatically determined and saved by the program.

This process enables the exact reproduction of existing tooth shapes directly on the machine without a great effort. These can be used going forward on all saws you have in service. So an exact repeat of tooth profiles on every saws

Inaccuracies are also copied, which means that the removal and thus the costs can be reduced to a minimum, even if the profile is not precisely defined. In addition, inaccuracies on the grinding wheel are compensated for when probing and enables absolutely precise grinding of the profile, even with a worn grinding wheel.

Tooth shapes generated on a system using TTS can be read in other ISELI machines of the BNP series.

AUTOMATIC INSERTION AND EXTRACTION

Automatic insertion of the blade is now possible. The machine inserts the blade until a height pre-set in the recipe has been reached; the machine then closes the saw clamp. The first saw tooth is determined and the tooth pitch is calculated. In the case of variable tooth shapes, the group of teeth is automatically detected. This significantly reduces operating errors and the effort involved in searching for variable divisions.

The saw blade can be inserted / lifted to the stop point automatically on demand in automatic mode. The search for teeth and the determination of the zero point takes place automatically and the grinding process is started. In summary, the operator can insert the blade and start the machine by pushing the start button. The rest of the work is done automatically by the machine. The option is completed with a revised height adjustment, which works faster and more precisely thanks to a variable-speed drive.

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Pan Pac Napier Invests in High Tech Iseli Saw-Shop Machinery

July 06, 2021

The Iseli BNP200 Bandsaw Profile Grinder

The BNP 200 automatic profile grinders are equipped with a 3 axes CNC system which gives automatic tooth finding functionality and different options for optimised accurate profile grinding. This also opens the door to many other saw machining options for the future.

A user friendly touch screen makes the machine very easy to use.

Pan Pac have opted to run a full oil immersed CBN wheel system. The Iseli machines were found to have the best oil containment details of all machines considered including close fitting wipers, oil mist extraction system and a fully automatic fire suppression system.

The machines run an electronically controlled central height adjustment system for saw blades, a pneumatic blade clamping system. The machine also has a Thode designed swarf magnet and back feed engagement device, both of which build upon the base machine from Iseli.

The Iseli BNF100 Bandsaw Side-Grinder

The BNF side grinder from Iseli is a 4 axes CNC machine; it runs a user friendly touch screen that makes the machine very easy to use.

The machine runs a full oil immersed CBN wheel system for the very best side grinding results with accuracies second to none.

The oil also assists in lubricating all moving parts keeping maintenance to a minimum.

The machine also comes with an oil mist filtration system and a fully automatic fire suppression system to mitigate against the risks of using an oil lubricant.

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Iseli KHB110 Niagara Sawmill

October 22, 2020
Our latest Iseli machine install is the KHB110 circular grinder, the machine has been purchased by Niagara and has been installed in their Kennington Sawmill Sawshop.

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Thode Knife & Saw Newsletter

October 22, 2020

We are now seeing the market return to normality post Covid lockdown with strong orders for knife steel and bandsaws, we have good stocks and capacity to process your orders quickly.

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Onefortyone Mt Gambier Aaustralia Iseli RZ1

September 09, 2020
Onefortyone Mt Gambier Australia recently took delivery of a New Iseli RZ1.

Onefortyone's Matt Bowering on the left and Mark Barrington on the right after successful commissioning of their new Iseli RZ1 supplied by Thode Knife & Saw

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A World Leader in Saw Shop Machinery

July 29, 2020
Thode has been very busy in recent times with Saw shop machinery upgrades. Partnered with Iseli who are recognised as the world leader in Sawmill saw shop machinery Thode has delivered more saw shop solutions to industry in the past three years than it did in the previous ten years.

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Oil CBN versus Water Miscible

May 28, 2020
My thoughts on oil / CBN versus old school vitrified wheels and soluble oil in water

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Iseli stand Ligna 2019

March 21, 2020
2019 was a huge year both for Thode and Iseli in regard to machinery sales. Kevin Parker from Thode worked on the Iseli stand representing New Zealand, Australia and Canada. The flow on machinery sales achieved since Ligna has been extremely encouraging and is a testament to the brand and service.

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Thode at the Kanefusa Seminar during Ligna 2019

March 21, 2020

Kevin Parker and Darren Clissold (2nd and 4th from right) representing Thode at the Kanefusa Seminar during Ligna 2019.

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New Iseli install in Australia

July 26, 2019
Troy Kidman and Matt Laity of AKD Colac next to one of their new Iseli BNP200’s. Thode recently supplied AKD with 2 of Iseli’s latest 3 axis BNP200 profile complete with automatic tooth tracing along with a new Iseli SAA tipper, these machines compliment the Iseli 4 axis side grinder (EM300) and the Iseli RZ1 auto bench purchased 2 years ago for AKD’s Colac Saw-shop.

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New Iseli RZ1 Install Canada

July 06, 2019

Our latest happy customer Produits Forestiers D&G Canada, have taken a leap for the future and invested in the latest Iseli RZ1.

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Red Stag Saw Shop

June 22, 2019
Red stag have the latest Iseli technology in there saw shop

With two sets of quad saws requiring saw changes every six hours on average, a brand new saw shop has been built, much thought went into the planning and equipping this important element of the operation.

The saw shop is bright and airy and features the latest automatic saw sharpening equipment made by Swiss manufacturer, Iseli, considered to be the best in the world. Under saw shop manager Regan Eisenhut, the facility is kept meticulous.

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Thode Knife & Saw Canada

June 06, 2019
Phil Higgins Thode Canada’s Manager presents Roy Fillion with a set of Vernier Callipers which Roy won in a draw. Olly Mooney in the background worked on the Thode stand along with John Eisenhut (Thode's Bandsaw Plant Manager) and Philipp Iseli at the British Columbia Saw Fliers Association Convention in Kamloops in April 2019.

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LATEST Iseli BNP200

April 05, 2019

Another site that has taken the leap into the latest technology that Iseli has to offer.

Trevor Payne (Head Sawdoctor) Wespine next to his new Iseli BNP200 supplied by Thode. Trevor says the site’s band saw cracks are now a thing in the past after the installation of his new BNP200.

Please contact us if you would like a quote on any of the machines Iseli offer, we are more than happy to help you out with all your saw shop needs, our contact email is sales@thode.co.nz

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Latest Iseli Machinery

January 17, 2019
Come check out the latest machinery on display at our Rotorua Branch 316 Te Ngae Road, Rotorua

We have the Iseli BNP110 bandsaw grinder & Iseli KHP110 circular saw grinder on display and ready to be shipped out to you ex Rotorua branch, please contact us sales@thode.co.nz for pricing or for any other machinery requirements.

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Congratulations to Pakii

January 16, 2019

Thode Knife & Saw would like to congratulate Pakii from our Rotorua Factory on achieving the New Zealand certificate in solid wood manufacturing Saw Doctoring Level 3, We are pleased with your achevments and dedication.

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The Iseli Machinery agency for Canada has been awarded to Thode Knife & Saw

December 12, 2018
It is with great pleasure that we announce that the Iseli Agency for Canada has been taken on by Thode Knife & Saw.

Thode have been providing filing-room solutions with Iseli Machinery throughout New Zealand and Australia for many years, while building up a wealth of knowledge on the benefits that Iseli Machinery has in the modern filing room.

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Thode Knife & Saw Rotorua

September 22, 2018

SAW MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIER, THODE KNIFE & SAW, Rotorua, where it is better placed to service and support customers in the sawmilling and wood processing sector.

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New Site for Thode Auckland

July 29, 2018
After many years at Station Road Thode has moved to 14 Penrose Road. We now have all operations housed in a modern high stud building which brings a bright and airy workplace.

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How sawdust is worth $500,000

July 26, 2018
A Rotorua-based timber "super mill" is generating its own electricity in amounts sufficient to power a town the size of Whakatane.

The Red Stag Timber Company, which annually processes more than one million tonnes of logs at its Waipa mill, is using its waste wood as renewable fuel rather than trucking it to landfill and paying for its disposal – avoiding an annual power bill of up to $1 million in the process.

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EP Cutter Announcement

May 07, 2016
We are very pleased to announce that We Can Precision Engineering have purchased the Woodworking division of Eric Paton Ltd

Thode Knife and Saw have been appointed the sole distributors of Fingerjoint Tooling & EP Cutters previously manufactured by Eric Paton.

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Niagara Sawmilling Delighted with Iseli RZ1

January 29, 2016
After being faced with the proposition of losing a Saw Doctor and not many candidates available, Ken Richardson, Managing Director of Niagara Sawmilling in Invercargill, looked at investing in machinery to fill the gap this would leave.He had been aware that Craig Pine, who are close by, had reduced their Sawshop numbers after getting an RZ-1 and that was his goal.

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