Clutch/brake maximizes portable sawmill efficiencyClutch/brake maximizes portable sawmill efficiency

Kansas City, MO -Until now, portable sawmill users have had to manually engage and disengage the rotating band saw. But TimberKing Inc.'s new portable sawmill, the 1600, uses a clutch/brake from Ogura Industrial Corp. (Somerset, NJ) to start and stop the rotating band saw remotely.

The four-pole clutch/brake doubles the flux, there by increasing torque by approximately 30%. And, upon cutting power to the clutch/brake, the brake slows to meet pre-set stop time requirements.

In what the company de-scribes as a first for sawmills in this price niche-$11,000 to $12,000-the new mill also uses hydraulic controls for log loading, saw head feed, and raising and lowering the blade head. Now an operator can remain behind the mill, and control all functions from a control panel with the three hydraulic controls and the clutch/brake switch behind the mill. A 20- hp Kohler motor runs the whole mill.

Remote control over blade engagement and disengagement also "minimizes the stress on the blade band," says Will Johnson, president of TimberKing. The blade, a thin band with sharp cutting teeth on one side, rotates on two pulleys, putting it under great stress.

"By making sure the blade only moves when it's cutting wood, you get longer blade life. You waste less time changing the blade, and save money. It's a better way of doing things," Johnson says. Users of portable sawmills include people who want to do a large personal project, such as building a house, or who run a small custom wood cutting business.

For more information about clutches and brakes from Ogura Industrial Corp.: Enter 536

For more information about motors from Kohler: Enter 537