Knife slicing of wood across the grain

Summary This paper investigates a method for slicing thick pieces of wood across the grain using a sharp steel knife, and it demonstrates the effectiveness of the knife slicing process at an experimental level. In order to highlight the key parameters facilitating or hindering the thick slicing process, several factors affecting the cutting forces and the cut surface quality have been studied; the blade geometry, the effect of friction, the cutting speed, the boundary load constraints and the wood moisture content. The results indicate that a large proportion of the cutting force may be related to the wedging action of the blade in the wood. Therefore, significant reductions in the cutting energy can be achieved by optimising the blade shape. A simple homogeneous strain model has been developed which quantifies the cutting forces in terms of the blade angle and the blade surface friction. The results from this theoretical model are compared with the experimental findings and discussed in relation to methods for improving the cutting technique.This work was funded by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology. This support is gratefully acknowledged