Cutting, as the most widely used machining process, is applied in both primary and secondary wood processing. Optimum cutting conditions that result in the high quality of the machined surface and low energy consumption are crucial for wood processing. The effects of the feed speed, cutting speed and average chip thickness on the energy consumption and surface temperature of a circular saw blade during the cutting process of two types of plywood with a thickness of h = 14 mm is described in this paper. In experimental measurements, two circular saw blades with cutting tungsten carbide inserts for wood were used as tools. One circular saw blade was standard, and was not surface treated (CSB1), and second circular saw blade (CSB2) differed by the powder coating surface and the length of the cutting edge. In the experiment, the energy consumption and the surface temperature of the circular saw blade was measured in order to find the optimal cutting conditions for the most energy-efficient cutting process. The results show that the cutting power and the surface temperature of the circular saw blade increased when the feed speed increased. The investigated values of the surface-treated circular saw blade were lower compared to the values of the standard circular saw blade. When comparing the lightweight plywood with the classic plywood, experimentally obtained cutting power values of the circular saw were made 19% lower on average by using the circular saw blade CSB1. When using the CSB2 circular saw blade, these values of the cutting power of the circular saw were 22% lower on average. The surface temperature of the circular saw blade is the highest on the outer edge (tooth root area 31.7 °C) and decreases towards the center of the circular saw blade. There must be a reasonable compromise between machine productivity and energy consumption.

Adhesive as a Factor Affecting the Properties of Laminated Wood

The paper is focused on the bending properties of beech plywood made from veneers with perforations. The modification of the plywood was done by the targeted perforations in veneers used. The perforations were rectangular in shape 5 × 30 mm. There was a gap of 10 mm between the perforations (in each direction) and the perforations in the individual rows were shifted by 10 mm relative to each other. Two structures of lightweight plywood were investigated: sheathed (lightweight type 1) with perforated inner layers sheathed with solid veneer and perforated (lightweight type 2) with perforations in each layer. Bending properties were evaluated by three-point bend testing. The results showed decreased bending strength (MOR) as well as decreased modulus of elasticity in bending (MOE) with reduction of weight. Bending strength (MOR) was reduced by 33 to 57% and modulus of elasticity (MOE) by 13 to 43% compared to standard (non-lightweight) plywood. Bendability of lightweight plywood expressed by the minimum bending radius (R_min) and the coefficient of bendability (k_oh) point to a slight decrease in bendability by 1 to 35% compared to standard (non-lightweight) plywood. The benefit of the proposed plywood lightweight constructions is weight reduction by 16.5 to 24.4%.