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Track Design of Woodworking Rip-Saw Chain

Wei-long Chen, Cheng-chi Chang, Chen-yu Tsai, Fang-lin Chao
Department of Industrial Design, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan

Abstract—Rip saws are used for first stock preparation. The sawing speed of a rip saw is important from the viewpoint of increasing production rate. A buffing wheel and track can be designed for holding the log stably to ensure that the circular saw performs a complete cut. The chain pieces are pulled rapidly by adjacent pieces, engendering shaking and reducing the effectiveness of cutting. Digital data transfer to SimDesigner for kinetic simulation can help predict pitfalls. By changing the distance between the end-to-end rails and the clearance of the chain in the model, one can predict possible collisions. In this study, we propose an improved rip-saw track design by adjusting the simulation parameters. The results indicated that the slope of the track induced a backward pull on the chain by the other pieces when sliding down, causing the timber in the process to move upward. Computer-aided engineering helped improve the efficiency and design parameters of the track. 

Index Terms—track design, rip saw, feeding chain, simulation, woodworking, cutting

Cite: Wei-long Chen, Cheng-chi Chang, Chen-yu Tsai, Fang-lin Chao, "Track Design of Woodworking Rip-Saw Chain" International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 719-724, September 2019. DOI: 10.18178/ijmerr.8.5.719-724