Safety & Troubleshooting

Safety First: True Stories from the Shop Floor We’d like to share a couple of true stories from customers who quickly learned that “Safety First” is crucial. These are examples of near-misses that could happen to anyone. The Importance of Tool Maintenance Tool maintenance is a critical part of working with cutting tools, yet it’s…read more

HSK Calibration Arbor Within the CNC Machining universe the HSK calibration arbor goes by many different names including the spindle run-out arbor, calibration arbor, runout test bars, spindle taper test bar, test arbor and calibration tool.  These integral maintenance tools offer a quick and easy way to test your CNC machine for accuracy and alignment after…read more

Torque Wrench Insures Proper Tool Clamping Proper tool clamping is an essential component of the tool assembly and performance. Over-tightening the collet nut can lead to collet distortion, tool runout and breakage, while not tightening enough can lead to tool slippage or worse. The best solution to avoid either scenario is to use a torque…read more

Proper Use of Drill Bits on CNC Machining Centers The proper use of drill bits on CNC applications is important. Using 10mm shank drill bits (with flat set screw land on the shank)  in a standard collet/tool holder setup can lead to vibration.  This causes poor finish, oval holes and chipping.   When compared to spiral…read more

The Perceived Value of Tools The main difference between a quality saw and a less than perfect saw lies not in the outward appearance but rather in what’s below the surface. And with the ever increasing amount of different saw blades, the choices are aplenty and become more challenging. Top Quality tools offer a high…read more

Dust Plugs Prolong Spindle Life! The HSK Spindle Dust Plug (HSK63-F) is a filler piece that serves to protect the machine spindle during times the machine is exposed to the possibility of dust or debris entering the housing. During a horizontal drilling or sawing/grooving application, for instance, airborne dust can enter the spindle housing. During…read more

The Safety of Cutting Tools The North American woodworking industry is not regulated with standards and guidelines that insure the safety of cutting tools.  Cutting tools can be dangerous and, if used incorrectly, can inflict serious injury and even death!  Basic safety guidelines such as wearing eye protection, using saw guards, dust masks and other…read more

Is Your CNC Machine Burning Material or Bits? Have you ever experienced smoke or even worse burning during the routing process and wondered why this is happening? While friction is the cause of the problem, the root cause can be harder to identify. Feed rates, rotation speed, halts in momentum and a variety of other factors…read more

Cost Comparison – Inserts vs. Solid Carbide Bits We’ve had some interest around how the costs break down in our last post,  “Increase Productivity with Insert Compression Router Tooling”.  Here is an example using the same 6243 series (PN#6243.029.34 with insert#6243.295.00) two flute compression style insert router bit for comparison against a solid carbide two flute compression spiral (PN#6229.750.20M) to see how…read more

The Right Tooling for High Output Stair and Hand Rail Production Modern stair and hand rail production is an evolving process. Production methods of standard, straight stairways have their challenges but typically pose no production difficulties when using the right tooling. When producing specialized curved or winding staircases, more advanced machinery and tooling is required. With…read more