How To…

There are three key factors that ensure the effectiveness of a cutting tool used in the machining processes.

Cutting Birch Plywood and Other Layered, Engineered Wood panels Cutting Birch Plywood can be a daunting task if using the wrong tools. The nature of this material makes it imperative that chips are drawn out of the cut quickly to reduce heat and rapid tool wear. In the schematic below, a few polycrystalline diamond tool…read more

Cutting Particle Board with Melamine Surface Melamine is one of the most commonly used abrasive surface materials in cabinet construction. Without the proper cutting tool, cutting one or two panels might be the limit before the router bit is dull. Reason for this is the high aluminum oxide content which makes the layers of resin…read more

Cutting HPL and Phenolic Panels High pressure laminates (HPL) and phenolic panels are becoming more popular due to durability and performance properties including chemical, fire and wear resistance.  Furniture, floors, cabinetry and countertops are just a few of the products that utilize HPL and phenolic materials in modern designs. Cutting composites can be challenging and the characteristics…read more

Cutting Particleboard with Rough Cut Veneer or Stainless Steel Laminate When it comes to cutting tools for particleboard, there is no “one-size-fits-all” recommendation. When machining particleboard (an engineered wood product) it is imperative to make the correct tool choice if obtaining optimal tool life is desired. Tool wear rate will much depend on the composition…read more

Cutting MDF Veneer Covered & Gypsum Fiber Panels When it comes to cutting tools for MDF or Cement Fiber Board, there are numerous options and recommendations. When machining MDF (an engineered wood product) it is imperative to make the correct tool choice if obtaining optimal tool life is desired. Tool wear rate will much depend…read more

Examples of Machining Carbon Composites Workpiece : Carbon composite Cutting and machining carbon composites such as CFRP, CRP, CFRTP and other acronyms this composite goes by, has presented a challenge to conventional cutting tools. These materials, often used in products where structural integrity is important, are composite polymers made up of resins, plastics, graphite, silica,…read more

Cutting Solid Wood (Oak) Workpiece : Solid wood (oak) Machining solid wood can entail a wide variety of cutting applications. Sizing, profiling, grooving, slotting, boring, rebating, jointing and so much more. Having the right tool for the job is paramount, not only for performance and finish, but also for safety! Below are some examples of…read more

Taking the Guesswork out of Saw Blades – Selecting the Right Blade This article was featured in Cabinetmaker FDM (now Woodworkingnetwork) in Nov ’14.   Here is the original text in its entirety: With the plethora of saw blades available in the market today, it can be daunting for the user to choose the right blade…read more

What is the rpm for a specific tool diameter? This depends on the type of tool and whether it’s a straight cutter or a profile tool. Below is the typical range: *** How can one identify ER style collet size?The quickest way is to measure its overall length. Each ER style collet has a unique…read more

Cutting Lightweight/Honeycomb Panels Honeycomb panels are used in the aerospace, marine, transportation, automotive and wind energy industries due to their light weight, strength, rigidity and stability. A variety of material types are used in these panels including plastics, composites, aluminum and wood depending on the panels application and construction.  For composite panels, diamond tooling is preferable however the thickness of…read more

Keys to Cost Savings while Machining Solid Surface Material At GDP|GUHDO we strive to help our customers optimize cutting tool performance and cost – we recently contributed this article to the ISFA (International Surface Fabricators Association)  for the Q4 2014 issue of Countertop & Architectural Surfaces Magazine . Keys to Cost Savings while Machining Solid Surface Material While the…read more