Monday 2 June 2014

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Tuesday 24 September 2013

Not All Straight Line Ripsaws Are Created Equal


Not all straight line ripsaws are created equal.

 
When purchasing a straight line ripsaw a number of factors are considered to ensure you are getting a machine that fits your needs.  You need to ask yourself what are you going to do with the machine.  Do you require a glue joint cut? If so how long of a glue joint do you require?  How deep do I need to cut?  What is the maximum ripping width?  

Below we explain some of the key differences between straight line rip saws which will aid in your machine selection.


LENGTH OF HOLD DOWN & NUMBER OF HOLD DOWN ROLLERS

When looking at a ripsaws one of the critical factors for glue joint accuracy and cutting precision is the length of the hold down assembly. This is the total length of the pressure assembly that holds the material on to the chain track assembly.  For instance we offer a range of (4) straight line ripsasws.  The range of hold down length goes from 19” up to 33 ½”!  That is a difference of 14 ½” of hold down length resulting in a glue joint of 4’ and 15’ respectively.   The longer you hold the material to the chain track assembly the more precise of a cut you will achieve.

Most all straight line ripsaws have either (6) or (8) hold down rolls.  The additional hold down rollers also assist in cut quality as they are holding the piece more firmly on to the serrated chain assembly.   There are typically (1) or (2) rows of full width rollers before the blade, (4) rollers surrounding the blade, and (1) or (2) full width rollers after the blade.   The rollers on either side of the blade ensure that the work piece is being held during the cutting process to eliminate vibration and movement.

 
CHAIN & TRACK ASSEMBLY

In addition to the hold down assembly, equally as important is the chain & track assembly.  Most all straight line ripsaws utilize a Double “V” guide rail system.  The double V rails ensure the chain assembly travels precisely straight along the track assembly with no lateral movement to affect the cut quality.  The chain track assembly is lubricated by an automatic oiler.  As you have one cast iron surface being pulled along another you need to have proper lubrication or run the risk of wearing out both surfaces due to friction.  The best type of lubricator is a mechanical type. The operation is simple. It is directly connected to the chain feed so when the feed is on it is pumping lubricant. When stopped, it stops. An alternative system which is very good is an electronic lubricator. The issue with this type of a unit is that it is on a timer rather than being physically tied to the feed chain.  The mechanical unit will start instantly as the feed chain moves whereas the electronic unit will be set off after a certain time running.

A new feature for our line of Cantek ripsaws is heat treated and hardened chain & track assembly.  This process hardens both surfaces and provides more than 3 times the life over the original design.   This means less wear and improved accuracy over a longer period of the life of the machine.


ARBOR / SPINDLE ASSEMBLY

As you can imagine a precise saw spindle is critical in providing a smooth cutting surface.  The use of poor quality bearings and lower quality steel can result in a spindle that will deteriorate quickly after installation and ultimately result in reduced cut quality.


SAFETY KICKBACK FINGER ASSEMBLIES

Safety is an important consideration when purchasing any machine.  Many ripsaws, including Cantek, are equipped with either (3) or (4) rows of anti-kickback fingers. (2) or (3) top rows and one bottom row. These fingers restrict kickbacks in coming back towards the operator.  Some machines are only equipped with (2) rows of anti-kickback fingers and many without a proper row in the table.  Safety is something you do not want to overlook as your staff are the most valuable resource to your company.

 

What to Look For When Purchasing a Used Straight Line Ripsaw

When purchasing a used straight line ripsaw it is most critical to go through the machine in fine detail to ensure it will perform to your desired needs.  If not properly maintained the cut quality will most certainly not perform a glue joint.   Check the wear on the chain and track (race). If there has been significant wear it may have lost its precision and potentially can move side to side during the cut.   Normally the track or race is chamfered on either side with a flat portion on the top.  If this flat portion is very narrow or non-existent you will likely need to replace the complete assembly.  The chain and track have to be replaced as a pair as they wear evenly and this can be a costly undertaking both in parts and time to replace.  If you only replace one it will wear very quickly to match the worn piece. 

Also check the radial run out of the spindle by putting a dial indicator on the plate of the blade from the table.   Make sure all spindle and thickness adjustments move smoothly.  These typically are moved by ballscrew and you want to ensure they are not worn.   The pressure rollers from above should all be in contact with the work piece. If they are not then they must be adjusted. If they do not turn properly then it could be a bearing issue that needs to be addressed.

Be diligent in your analysis of a used straight line ripsaw because it may not perform the job it is intended for. 

Proudly celebrating 75 years of operations!


We are celebrating our 75th anniversary!

Our history


W.A. Akhurst


H.W. (Spud) Akhurst
Akhurst Machinery was founded by William (W.A.) Akhurst in 1938.  Mr. Akhurst moved to Vancouver in 1903 and worked as a sales representative for Canadian Fairbanks Morse Co. Ltd., a Montreal based machinery sales organization.  He became the sales manager and worked at Fairbanks for 30 years.  In 1937 he decided to start his own distribution company out of his home in Vancouver.  In 1938 W.A. Akhurst Machinery Co. Ltd. was incorporated and moved in to the 17th floor of the Vancouver Sun Building in downtown Vancouver.   Shortly after World War II, in 1945, W.A. Akhurst was joined by his son H.W. Akhurst (Spud), who served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy during WWII.  He received early medical discharge when his ship, the HMS  Alberni was torpedoed and sank in the English Channel.  In 1946 Frank Akhurst, the brother of H.W. Akhurst returned to Vancouver after spending 17 years in the U.S.

On June 6, 1950 W.A. Akhurst passed away and H.W. Akhurst assumed the Presidency.  Frank Akhurst was forced to retire due to illness and passed away in February 1955.  Under H.W. Akhurst the company would thrive.  In 1955 W.A. Akhurst Machinery Company Limited relocated to a new office and warehouse at 215 West 2nd Avenue in Vancouver, and later to a larger facility across the street at 216 West 2nd where they were for over 30 years.  The 1960’s were an expansion time for Akhurst Machinery where they opened branch offices in Edmonton, AB in 1960; Toronto, ON in 1961; Montreal, QP in 1965; and Moncton, NB in 1970.  Currently the company employs close to 80 people in their five offices and continues to be the only woodworking equipment distributor with offices covering across Canada.

Akhurst Machinery Group of companies also includes Akhurst Machinery Inc., Cantek America Inc. and Leadermac USA Inc. who are set up to distribute equipment through their U.S. operations.

The company is still family owned, by brothers Bruce and Brian Akhurst.  The company's leadership also includes Eric Stebner who is acting president of the company.  Akhurst Machinery has moved into its 4th generation of operations with the additions of Graham, Ryan, & Brent Akhurst.


We are very proud of our past and would like to take this opportunity to thank our valued customers, suppliers, and staff for their continued support and loyalty.


Office at 215 West 2nd Avenue
in Vancouver, B.C. - 1955
Showroom at 215 West 2nd Avenue
in Vancouver, B.C. - 1955
Back (L-R) Ryan, Graham, & Brent Akhurst
Front (L-R) Bruce Akhurst, Eric Stebner, Brian Akhurst

Thursday 10 January 2013

Twinheat M Type Biomass Heating Systems

M Type Biomass Heating Systems



Since 1979, Twin Heat has been dedicated to developing and producing burner systems and fully automatic silo systems for both industrial plants and private customers. There are currently several thousand Twin Heat systems in operation, of which the majority was sold on the Danish market.

Twin Heat Combi Systems are produced to a very high specification. All surfaces are powder-lacquered and therefore very durable. The flue gas box in the boiler is produced from 6mm boiler plate. The fuel storage is produced from 3mm steel plate. The heavy-duty stoker auger has a diameter of 120mm.

The systems are tested and have been granted technical approval by the Danish Technological Institute in accordance with DS/EN303-5 for the following fuel types: wood pellets, grains and wood chips. The M type Combi system, in particular, has an integrated fuel storage which is available in three sizes: 300, 500, 700, 800, and 1,400 litres. The fuel storage is fitted with an efficient stirrer which ensures that fuels such as wood shavings and wood chips do not create bridging over the auger.

The professional biofuel burner automatically burns wood pellets, grains, wood chips, sawdust, etc. and also provides the opportunity for manual firing of solid wood with the Variant boiler. It has a user-friendly oxygen control with all relevant features, including pre-set programs for wood pellets, grains and wood chips.

A Twin Heat M system is delivered complete and ready for installation and consists of three main component parts: boiler unit, water-cooled burner tube and fuel storage. As standard, all M systems are fitted with: fuel stirrer in the fuel storage, sprinkler system to prevent back-burn, user-friendly oxygen control, draught regulator for manual firing, flue temperature regulator in boiler (bypass), cleaning brush and poker.

The M type is the perfect choice for the user wanting the benefits of a fully automatic filling unit while still retaining the operation of manual filling.

Akhurst Machinery Installation Success Story

Recently, Akhurst Machinery equipped our customer Church Communities NY Inc. with a TwinHeat M40i Biomass Heating System for a 5 story multi-family dwelling that houses 75 people, plus all the potable water for showers:

Q: Why TwinHeat?
A: Compact, manual stoking, dual fuel usage with Combi-burn

Q:What are you using for fuel and how much do you burn?
A: Softwood woodchips, about half a silo a day

Q: What are you heating?
A: 5 story multi-family dwelling, that houses 75 people, plus all the potable water for showers etc.

Q: How was the installation?
A: It was very easy to install. Everything was in the box, you just put it together, very Plug and Play

Q: How did the start up go?
A: There are always issues with starting up something new and we were nervous about it because we did it ourselves. We were on the phone, with support, while doing it, all we had to do was change one setting in the controller. It was that simple.

Q: What about maintenance?
A: It was very easy to maintain. We clean and inspect it once a week. Once we improve our chip
quality, it will be better.

Q: What is your overall opinion of the TwinHeat boiler?
A: In my opinion, it is the closest Biomass boiler to an oil boiler, it fires really easy.

Q: How was dealing with Akhurst Machinery?
A: I was concerned at the beginning with the distance between us but it has worked out better than I expected. Between them and TwinHeat in Denmark, I can reach anyone at any time of the day.

Q: Would you recommend TwinHeat to others?
A: I already have, and we are looking at more for ourselves.

- Darrell Arnold, Resident Plumber, Church Communities NY Inc.
Rifton, NY

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Testimonial Letter from an Appreciative Customer

Congratulations to Dave Kowalczyk for these kind words from our valued customer K & A Custom Cabinet Doors Ltd. in Calgary, AB.  They recently took delivery of a Doucet RDM2 Rotary Door Clamp


From: Ann Voutier
Sent: April 11, 2012 8:14 AM
To: Dave Kowalczyk
Subject: Doucet RDM2 Rotary Door Clamp

Good Morning Dave,

Ken and I would like to take this opportunity to thank for your professionalism with respect to the purchase of our new rotary clamp carrier.  You sold us exactly what we wanted and needed and didn’t push for a bigger machine for your own monetary gain.  We realize this is just a small sale for you, however you still took the time to explain the machine in detail to our employees, answered any questions we had with respect to shipping and delivery etc. and then followed up once the machine was placed to ensure everything was running properly.  All this was unexpected and very much appreciated.

It certainly was a pleasure meeting you and we are confident we will do business in the future. 

Have a grand day,

Ken and Anne Voutier
Owners - K & A Custom Cabinet Doors Ltd.
5958 35 St SE, Calgary, AB T2C 2G3

Wednesday 28 December 2011

The Importance of Proper Dust Collection for Woodworking Applications

Many professional woodworking companies spend significant capital on production machinery but fail to adequately address dust collection issues.  Proper dust collection has many advantages, well beyond the obvious health benefits.  An inadequate dust collection system can result in a poor quality finished product, reduced tooling life, and can damage your woodworking machinery. 

HEALTH ISSUESWood dust can be very hazardous to workers health.  Inhaling dust can lead to allergies, respiratory issues such as asthma, and worse yet has been known to cause nasal cancer.  Some wood species contain toxins that when inhaled can cause serious respiratory issues.  Inhaling wood dust can reduce your lung capacity which can be either temporary or permanent in some cases.  By properly collecting dust and minimizing the amount of airborne dust in a shop you will greatly reduce these health risks.  Employee health risks can also have an effect on your bottom line due to lost work days and increased health care coverage.

PRODUCT QUALITY ISSUES
Wood dust which is not properly extracted can cause havoc on your finished product.  In sanding applications the dust can build up on sanding belts which can load up the belt.  This can lead to friction between the belt and the work piece, causing heat, and resulting in a polished finish or a broken belt. It can also cause chatter as you are asking the belt to remove more material than it can actually handle thus the belt will skip because it is overloaded.  

On edgebanders it is critical as well.  Laminate and PVC chips can fall on to the panel, tracing wheels will roll over these chips causing a poor banded edge finish.  Also these chips can get into the glue pot and can contaminate the glue.

On moulders and planers inadequate air flow from the collector or poorly designed ducting will result in excess wood chips deflecting back onto the finished work surface, coating feed rolls and being pressed into the wood surface causing small dents in the work-piece. This will force the manufacturer to sand his product to remove the dents or discard the piece.

REDUCED TOOL LIFE
As described earlier improperly extracted sawdust can lead to increased friction which causes heat.  This heat can prematurely wear down tooling which can greatly increase your sharpening costs and also result in dull tools and ultimately a poor finish quality. 

As a wood chip is machined it carries with it the heat from the cutting action. You want to extract this chip so that this damaging heat is kept away from the recalculating cutter.

Sanding belts can clog and in fact not sand after the grit is plugged which causes friction.  This friction is head which will wear down the sanding belt quickly.

INCREASED MAINTENANCE COSTS
Inadequate dust removal can lead to more frequent and serious machinery break-downs. Excess dust can clog drives, gears, and worm/ball screws causing premature wear and breakage. In addition many CNC machines rely on air flow from the dust collector to cool the spindle. Poor air flow can cause premature bearing failures in these situations.

WHAT SIZE DUST COLLECTOR DO YOU NEED
There are a number of formulas that go into sizing a dust system.  Each diameter of dust port requires a certain amount of CFM.  Add up all of your ports and you will then get a rough idea of the CFM required. If some machines are only running periodically you can reduce this figure by installing blast gates to restrict the air flow from that particular machine.


Port Dia.
3"
4"
5"
6"
7"
8"
9"
10”
12"
CFM/Port
225
400
600
900
1200
1600
2000
2450
3500



WHAT OTHER FACTORS SHOULD YOU CONSIDER WHEN PURCHASING A DUST SYSTEM

Other factors to consider when sizing a dust collection system are:
·         Type of dust you are collecting: Rough or fine.  Fine dust requires more filtration than wood chips.  Wood chips require more storage capacity than fine sawdust.
·         Are you installing the system indoors or outdoors. For outdoor installations you need to be aware of heat loss as the dust collector collects dust but also pulls the warm air out of your shop.  A return air system can be installed to combat this issue.   For indoor installations you need to be concerned with noise and local safety/fire codes.  Belfab have a Hummer blower which has twice the diameter of fan than a standard blower and rotates at ½ the RPM.  The result is in a system which has the same CFM but is 50% quieter.   Also in indoor systems some codes specify that you are not allowed to have dust collection systems indoors that are greater than 1500 CFM.  Other codes state that for larger systems they are required to be 15’ from the nearest machine operator and some require the system to be put in a separate room behind fire rated drywall.      

IMPORTANCE OF PROPER DUCTING
Improper ducting can undo any improvements you have made to your dust collection system.   Improper ducting material, poor ducting layout, and improper duct diameter are only a few of the potential pitfalls you can face.

PVC ducting should not be used in wood applications. PVC is non-conductive and can build up static electricity.  An operator could be struck with a static electrical charge and it can be an extreme fire and explosion hazard.  A term which is well known now is COMDUST which means combustible dust.  These fine dust particles can become explosive when in contact with static electricity.

A poor ducting layout can greatly reduce the air flow which nullifies the CFM being generated by the dust collector.  When installing ducting you should not install sharp elbows.  This restricts air flow.  Elbows should be gradual.    Also if you start off with main duct which is too small it will not allow enough air flow through the dust collector.   

Also when attaching ducting to a piece of equipment it is in some cases necessary to have a length of flexible ducting as it may have a moving head or a cover which opens.   Flexible ducting should be minimized in length because it actually greatly reduces air flow in comparison to steel ducting.

WHAT DUST CONTROL SYSTEMS ARE AVAILABLE TODAY:
At Akhurst Machinery we are pleased to offer the Belfab Dust Collection solutions.

Sanding tables are used when workers are hand sanding where they sand directly on top of the table and the dust is drawn down into the sanding table through a filter thus reducing airborne dust.

Belfab have a range of standalone and modular dust collectors to suit your dust collection requirements. Their revolutionary modular systems can be upgraded over time by adding larger blowers and more filter modules.  This allows you to grow you dust collector as you grow your business.

Industrial Air Cleaners
BELFAB BA-1800 industrial air cleaner is a multi-purpose unit for ambient air filtering. This filtering system can be used on a wide range of industrial shop applications involving releases of fine dust into the air. The BA-1800C is designed to be suspended from the ceiling, while the BA-1800G is to be installed on the ground with the discharge going towards the ceiling, to improve air circulation.

Portable Dust Collectors
Our Cantek range of portable dust collectors are ideal for smaller shops or shops with existing dust systems which are at capacity or which can’t easily be modified to add existing machinery.  

If you are considering a dust collection system, be sure to speak with one of our account representatives.  They can help in specifying the correct system and provide you with a dimensioned layout drawing.  We can supply you with a turnkey solution including our K&B snap together ducting.