Holzbearbeitung, gestern, heute und morgen

Summary

The present mechanical woodworking in sawmills and planing mills is the result of a rather long development period, where the framesaw is considerably older than the other machines. The technical development of this industry has followed the general technical development and especially the sawmilling industry has during certain periods rapidly made use of existing possibilities. The structure of the industry has been determined by factors as the supply of rawmaterial, transport facilities etc. The rate of production has increased considerably during the last 25 years. A question of great immediate importance is the use of the rawmaterial. Methods to reduce the shaving and sawdust losses and the possibilities to convert the shavings to a shape more suitable for industrial use are discussed.

In certain part of the production the limitations of human capability in the system man-machine seems to be reached and thus a further development of the industry calls for an intensified study of this relation.

The possibilities of using laser, high-energy water jets and vibrating knives have been studied but the methods are far from ready to give practical application for both technical and financial reasons. Slicing and gluing seem at present to hold greater promises for the future.