Operational Research in the Wood Turning Industry

The wood turning industry considers operational research (at the plant level) the single most important venture that can be undertaken in the name of research. The aim is to eliminate economic waste, to save dollars and produce better products. An example cited by the author is a study of drying of squares conducted in his plant. He found that the “hot box” method was responsible for much spoilage–loss due to fuzzing, splitting, and porous-ended handles. A modern kiln, a trained foreman, and revised drying methods produced 10 to 12 percent less waste and an annual savings of $25,000. Some operational research projects deemed necessary by the wood turning industry are: 1) study of optimum machine speed for every process, 2) establishment of accurate actual spoilage ratios and their reasons, 3) establishment of exact costs of labor per unit of production, and 4) study of normal ranges of tolerance for every machine and whether the machines consistently operate at these tolerances. Past research has resulted in : 1) abolishment of handforge treatment of tools in favor of modern heat treating methods, 2) palletization of squares to permit unit handling, and 3) improvements in design and quality of machine tools by virtue of increased speeds, closer tolerances, and much less down time.

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