for agricultural and many other sectors
Pallets are widely used in agricultural environments, and it is inevitable that a fair number of these end up being damaged inadvertently. As pallets are typically not high-value items, repairs need to be done as quickly as possible by sawing off any damaged wood strips and replacing them.
To do this, a hand-held reciprocating saw is ideal. However, the saw blade needs to be able to cut through both wood and nails without having the blade clog up or the teeth blunted. To do this, First Cut, a leading South African manufacturer and distributor of cutting consumables to the local market for 60 years, designed a blade with a varied pitch tooth configuration, which clears both wood swarf and metal particles from the cut efficiently.
As the blade is used in a reciprocating hand-held power saw, it has been designed to be fairly rigid. To do this, First Cut developed a bi-metal blade, where the ‘body’ of the blade is of a softer material than the cutting edge, which is made of a hardened, high-speed steel (HSS), suited for high-speed cutting. The two types of steel are laser-welded together by the Swiss raw material supplier to form the blade blank.
“It was a question of finding the right combination of metals for use in the bi-metal, without it being prohibitively expensive,” says Ian McCrystal, CEO of First Cut.
Considering that the quality of the cut is not a major consideration, and that there is every likelihood that rough handling will break the blade long before it goes blunt, the quality of the blade has to be a sensible compromise, he explains.
However, as the blades work in a harsh and demanding environment, the pallet blades have been designed with rugged longevity in mind.
“In developing a blade such as this, we started with a prototype, and working with feedback from the customer, developed a blade that was fit-for-purpose. For example, if the customer told us that the blades were going blunt too quickly, then we would work on improving the hardness of the teeth,” he adds.
A key part of First Cut’s philosophy is never to turn away from a challenge. “It is our ingrained ‘can do’ attitude that sees us developing solutions such as these,” says McCrystal. All the company’s products are scrutinised regularly to see if further improvements can be made to them. In the case of this blade – which is manufactured in First Cut’s Cape Town blade manufacturing facility – a number of improvements have been made over the years to the original design.
Agriculture uses many varied types of First Cut blades. For example, every farmer has a hacksaw and conventional wood saw at least. Meat farmers and processors use a number of purpose-manufactured blades for their specialised applications. And then, for those farming timber, First Cut produces a range of specialised blades for cutting logs into planks.
First Cut’s pallet blade with a varied pitch tooth configuration
In addition, First Cut’s capital equipment is used by manufacturers of agricultural equipment, for any number of applications from manufacturing a plough to constructing an irrigation system. “A farm of any size will have a tool room where equipment is repaired. Here First Cut can supply tools from measuring equipment to band saws,” McCrystal continues.
“For anyone in farming who has questions concerning cutting equipment or techniques, at First Cut we are always pleased to be able to offer consultancy or advice,” he concludes.
About First Cut
With 60 years of industry experience, First Cut is a leading South African distributor of a range of cutting consumables and capital equipment.
Since producing its first band saw blade in 1960, First Cut has grown its offering substantially over the years, and is able to meet the needs of a vast range of industries through the supply of band saw blades, circular saw blades, hacksaw blades, and other cutting consumables.
First Cut’s merger Alexander and Poole in 2002, an exclusive agent for the Starrett range of cutting tools, was a significant milestone in the company’s history, as was its acquisition in 2002 of Band Sawing Services, which meant that the company could expand its services into capital equipment.
Since then, First Cut’s capital equipment division has grown exponentially, thanks to its partnerships with some of the best-known brands globally. The company’s capital equipment division specializes in metal cutting, sheet metal processing, structural (such as CNC bending and punching), and tube and pipe processing. First Cut has also invested substantially in its service programme enabling the company to provide repairs and maintenance services for a wide range of machines, from entry level band saws to state-of-the-art CNC controlled drilling and cutting lines.
Employing 240 people, First Cut is based in Benrose, Gauteng, has branches in Durban and Port Elizabeth and its factory is located in Cape Town
Quality is at the top of the agenda at First Cut and the company has achieved the ISO 9001:2008 certification and adheres to strict quality and safety regulations.
The post First Cut’s pallet blade: ‘nailing’ the cut with speed and productivity- appeared first on African Petrochemicals.