Turning low quality logs into usable pallet stock has become a valuable skill for any pallet company seeking an edge in this competitive lumber market. It all starts with having the right equipment that will run efficiently and allow you to process material that you might otherwise not be able to use.
The combination of high quality circular blades from Sharp Tool and the vast line of equipment from Pendu Manufacturing Inc. create a strong supplier base for mutual customers. This can especially be seen on the latest collaboration between the two suppliers as Pendu has developed a new complete scragg mill system. Pendu states that no other saw manufacturer in the country has all the pieces needed to put together a complete scragg mill system that goes from the log through stacked cut stock.
This system is designed to efficiently produce cut stock so that a pallet company can be more self-sufficient when it comes to sourcing lumber. It also allows a pallet operation to be able to use smaller, less desirable logs that lowers overall costs.
Pendu’s complete scragg system includes a 1300 chop saw, a 6800 scragg mill, a 2800 slitter saw, a 1800 slab recovery, two multiple saw trimmers, a M8300 double bay gang saw, and a 6700R notcher. Each of these machines has been designed using Sharp Tool cutting tools. Sharp’s blades are designed and manufactured for longevity and toughness to not break down. A complete scragg mill has to be the most challenging system in the forest products industry.
This system also includes a debarker and several Pendu stackers. When completed, this new scragg mill system will process lumber from a raw log to finished pallet cut stock. Sharp Tool’s saw blades will help this system operate at speeds of 30,000-40,000 bd. ft. per day.
Sharp Tool developed the scragg blades for Pendu years ago. The previous supplier built its blades with 24 teeth. Given the feed rate and rpm, Sharp brought the tooth count down to 18 teeth and added some clearance. This has allowed the blade to generate a decent size chip while minimizing the heat generated when cutting green lumber.
The reason that Sharp Tool and Pendu work so well together is that Pendu’s equipment often requires custom saw blades that are unique to the customer’s application explains Mike Morette, sales manager for Sharp Tool.
Pendu’s line of saws is used in as versatile of an assortment of wooden products as that of any circle saw manufacturer. This provides Sharp Tool an opportunity to design and build custom saw blades based on the customer’s specific operation/application. Pendu’s saws and Sharp’s blades are used in a wide variety of speeds, feed rates and types of material. This has given Sharp the opportunity to create many different types of custom saw blades over the years. If you have a specialty saw requirement, Sharp Tool likely has a blade design that will work for you.
In addition to its wide spectrum of saw blades, Sharp Tool also sells a great deal of carbide products, especially carbide saw tips. “We got into selling carbide products in the 1980’s because we couldn’t find the sizes and grades we needed in a timely manner,” said Paul Morette, president and owner of Sharp Tool. “Having our own reliable factory allows us to critique and modify grades based on certain applications,” added Paul.
The grade of carbide Sharp Tool uses for its pallet blades is uniquely designed for the pallet industry. It’s extremely durable and allows customers to run for extended periods of time without breaking, while staying sharp.
Sharp Tool has also developed a unique cost effective pallet recycling saw blade made with its unique ST15 Nail Cutting Carbide.
Another saw that Sharp Tool developed was a 8"x6 tooth, thin kerf moveable arbor gang saw for cutting deck boards. On this multiple cut gang saw, Sharp reduced the kerf to 0.120" which increased the customer’s yield and minimized the saw expense.
The Sharp Tool Philosophy
Sharp Tool began as a supplier of circle saw blades in the Northeastern and Mid Atlantic regions of the United States. It has expanded its scope across the nation with its advertising in the Pallet Enterprise as well as promotion to a large portion of the pallet industry.
Walter Morette, Paul Morette’s father, started Sharp Tool in 1959 as a circular saw blade manufacturing and service center. Walter is now 92 years old. His philosophy is simple, “Provide quality products and treat customers the way you would like to be treated. After that, everything will fall in line.” That’s what the people at Sharp Tool continue striving to accomplish today.
Paul purchased the company from his father in 1982 and led the company to develop and manufacture its own line of circular saw blades and knives. His son Mike Morette graduated from college and is now with the company as a sales manager. Mike explained “We put a lot of emphasis on our team here to put the customer first. I think we’ve developed a reputation over the years as being easy to work with. We’ve try to make ordering saw blades from us as pain free as possible for the customer.”
The company continues to focus on servicing pallet shops, lumber mills, furniture mfg., etc. This breath of wood products applications gives Sharp Tool the opportunity to see a multitude of operations and build an understanding of what is required in lumber and furniture grade saw blades. “Developing a full understanding of what it takes to make carbide circular saws run in different environments within the wood industry played a critical role in developing our own saw brand” explained Paul.
Building a pallet saw blade that works isn’t as simple as people might think. The quality of the steel body, type of silver, and grade of carbide all play pivotal roles in creating a quality saw blade.
Automation Improvement, Lowers Costs
The type of machinery used to manufacture blades is imperative to creating a good blade. Over the past five years, Sharp Tool has invested a tremendous amount in robotic brazers and robotic grinders to provide a blade that is not only of excellent quality, but cost efficient for customers. Sharp Tool purchased two Walter Grinders with robotic loaders in 2006 and has since added another. Paul said, “The sharpness that this machine delivers is usually reserved for the secondary market.”
The Walter Grinders are equipped with fire suppression systems that allow them to run 24 hours a day unattended. Investing in automated equipment that can operate around the clock, seven days a week is one way Sharp Tool has been able to increase efficiency. The company has seen a lot of strob saw blades of low quality come onto the market from overseas suppliers. This new automated equipment has allowed Sharp to compete with these suppliers.
Within the last year, Sharp Tool has added two automatic saw brazers to its automated blade production machinery. All of Sharp Tool’s automated blade brazers have automated loaders on them. These high speed systems provide Sharp with the capability to manufacture circular blades around the clock. Sharp can now make high quality strob blades efficiently. When it is not economical to setup one of their automated tipping machines for a particular blade or order, Sharp Tool still does manual tipping the same way it has been done for years.
Sharp is also in the process of implementing new software that will help it understand its production and costs. Sharp has been fortunate to put together a team that takes pride in building saw blades. Many of its staff members have over 20 years of experience. The manufacturing portion of the company has a combined total of over 200 years of experience.
Sharp Tool and Pendu Make a Strong Team
Many machinery manufacturers form cooperative relationships so they can take advantage of established products and services that are available. They believe it can be important to focus on their main business and do it well. For decades Pendu has worked closely with Sharp Tool as its key supplier of circular saw blades and carbides for its wide spectrum of pallet and lumber saws and resaws. Having developed a strong chemistry, the renowned Sharp Tool is constantly working with Pendu’s engineers, designing saws to maximize their customers’ production.
Located in the heart of Lancaster County in New Holland, Penn., Pendu designs and builds high-quality machinery for the pallet, sawmill, and other lumber processing industries. Pendu has a long history, but the company’s current mission and vision really began in 1993 when it was purchased by Marlin Hurst. Pendu’s line of machinery represents one of the biggest varieties of machinery types of any machinery manufacturer in the industry. To build high-quality machinery that will perform up to expectations, Pendu needs the best saw blades possible.
Pendu currently exclusively uses Sharp Tool circular saw blades for its machinery, including scragg mills, gang saws, notchers, chop saws, high-speed trim saws, notchers, edgers, slab saws and more. Pendu can offer a single machine that will fit into a current sawing line, or it can design an entire custom system that will fit perfectly into your available space to create the most efficient productivity possible.
Not only are Sharp Tool saw blades an important part of the quality and efficiency of Pendu’s machinery, they are also cost-effective and help to keep their prices down. Sharp Tool has also been able to create custom saw blades for specially designed machines unique to Pendu. This flexibility is extremely important when Pendu needs to modify a design for a customer or build something new.
After getting through the recent economic downturn, Pendu began to thrive and started hiring new employees. Over the past couple of years, the company has nearly doubled in size. Among its staff, Pendu currently has five engineers and a programmer that work with customers to custom design machines and entire systems that meet their exact needs.
Pendu strives to design and build the best machinery possible while producing cost-effective equipment. Pendu uses Sharp Tool saw blades on every new piece of equipment that utilizes circular saw blades. The reason is that Sharp Tool blades are high-quality, competitively priced, and have the capability to run at high speeds.
