Q: We have some cypress 4/4 lumber that the customer returned as being unsatisfactory after he has already put it into use. The surface is corrugated and very bumpy, but I know that it left here smooth as a pancake. Can you tell me what has happened? Also, in a few places, the grain where the grain is very flat has separated and you can lift up long slivers with your fingernail.
Q: I am in a tropical island and am sending you several
large sized table legs. You will notice that there are some
substantial splits, which seem to, more often and not, be at the
ends. We see these after we unload the furniture from the
container and put it in our warehouse here near the coast.
Sometimes, the splits are delayed until the pieces reach our
sales area. What is going on? Everyone is pointing
fingers.
Q: We wanted the strongest joint possible so we used epoxy, but the joints are failing. Any comments?
More content about Furniture ComponentsIf you don't staff your company with engineers - people educated to save you money and improve customer satisfaction - don't complain when competitors take your markets.
Applying Pareto's Law and its 80/20 logic can simplify your business and improve profitability.
The manufacturing exodus doesn't have to be happening.
More content about Furniture ManufacturingQ: I have read every Wood Doctor column you have written and have gained a lot of practical information. But here is a question I have not seen addressed before. As background, our fairly large company has really gone into JIT, just-in-time, manufacturing, which means in-process materials cannot sit around very long at all. Well, this has recently translated into machining our glued up panels (edge-glued on a clamp carrier) within 24 hours after they are glued, or sometimes less. Of course, you know what the problem is: sunken glue joints that are obvious after finishing. My suggestion of waiting three days after gluing, as we have always done, has not been well-received. I am hoping that you have some help for us.
Avian has reported that its lightweight board meets and exceeds the CARB 2 standards making it one of only a few suppliers of CARB 2 standard boards.
Think Light: Innovative Lightweight Panels was held recently in Kentwood, Mich., organized by Virginia Tech and sponsored by FDM, Stiles Machinery and others.
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