Cup-cutting machines

Cup-cutting machine - equipment for rounded logs or profiled beams. It is intended for the manufacture of fasteners on lumber in the form of a semicircle or rectangle. Such "cups" are necessary for the reliable connection of logs to each other when erecting a wall or other building structure.

When building a log house, it is important to provide for a reliable connection of the beams in the corners. For this, various locking joints are provided in the building material.

The disadvantages of this mounting method include:

• excessive time and energy costs;
• the need for repeated adjustment of the grooves;
• unaesthetic type of connection;
• risks of oversight, due to which the fastening loses its reliability.

The use of special equipment avoids these problems. Cup cutters for sawing interlocks in logs or timber contribute to an increase in the number of units of processed lumber over a certain period of time. Machine tools are often bought for production or subsidiary plots. The advantages of their use include high precision of cutting, which ensures a strong fixation of the beams, reduction of rejects, and obtaining aesthetic grooves.

The specificity of the functioning of different types of cup-cutting machines is different. For example, to cut out a bowl on a hand-held unit, you need to attach the guides to the bar and install the cutter (working body). The required values ​​of the depth and width of the future fastening are set on the frame with the help of limiters. The slotted cutter for wood can move along and across the log. After setting the required parameters, the sawn timber is washed down.

Cup cutters for timber or logs are manual (mobile) or stationary. Mobile machines include machines in which the cutter is fixed to the processed timber using screw mechanisms. In this case, the position of the spindle is adjusted manually - for this, handwheels are provided on the unit. If it is necessary to select a new connection, the machine is rearranged, the parameters are set anew.

Most often, hand models are purchased for cutting bowls on a construction site. At the same time, the installation can be used both for washing down the bowls from scratch, and for making adjustments to existing connections (with an admitted marriage to ensure full perpendicularity of the structure being erected).

In addition, it can be simply laid on the bed and secured with clamps. There are also advanced and productive types of numerically controlled cup cutters on the market. They include:

• lumber processing program;
• device for entering operating parameters;
• device for controlling equipment.

These units have a fully automated feed of the workpiece.

Cup-cutting machines are produced by many domestic manufacturers. The machines differ in technical characteristics, design features and functionality.

• SPB-2. Compact equipment with the possibility of two-sided processing of the workpiece. The diameter of the cutters is 122-137 mm, the power of the electric motor is 2x77 kW, the maximum depth of the processed profile is 30 mm. Unit dimensions - 9000х1100х1200 mm, weight - 1200 kg.

• Cup cutter SZU. A machine designed to create cup-shaped groove joints in a bar with a diameter of up to 320 mm at an angle of 45-135 ° to the workpiece axis. Equipped with a height-adjustable table for lumber arrangement. The rotational speed of the cutter of the unit is 4000 rpm, the feed speed is 0.3 m / min. The time for cutting 1 compound is approximately 1 minute. Machine dimensions - 1.5x1.5x1.5 m, weight - 600 kg.
• "Hornet". A manual machine, with the help of which in the timber, locks with a depth of 74 mm are created with an arrangement at an angle of 45-135 °. The power of the equipment is 2.3 kW, dimensions - 650x450x400 mm.

Popular models of cup cutters include machine tools MCHS-B and MCHS-2B, VKR-7 and VKR-15, ChB-240 and others.

For small construction works, experts recommend giving preference manual cup-cutting machines. They are small in size, simple in design and low in weight, which makes them convenient to use directly on construction sites. Mobile devices are easy to use and have a clear operating principle. They can replace professional industrial equipment, which is difficult to deliver to the construction site or it is impractical to buy only to correct the marriage obtained from cutting bowls with an improvised tool.

For large logging complexes, it is recommended to choose massive machines with a set of additional options and CNC.

Regardless of the type of equipment, the following criteria must be considered:

• drive power - the more it is, the more productive the tool is;
• the possibility of tilting the axis of rotation of the nozzle;
• the maximum permissible dimensions of workpieces that can be processed on the machine (diameter and length of a bar or log);
• speed indicators of the cutter feed;
• availability of CNC for stationary equipment.

It is also important to pay attention to additional functions. For example, the ability of the unit to work with a tandem cutter is considered an important option.

Cup-cutting machines can be additionally equipped with trimming units, pneumatic clamps, measuring tools, a sharpening system with a diamond cup. The quality and convenience of work, as well as productivity, will depend on the number of options provided.

When working with any milling machine, it is important to follow the manufacturer's instructions for use. Before starting work you need:

• change into a special suit, use personal protective equipment (glasses, masks, respirators);
• check serviceability equipment at idle speed, turning on and off the levers, correct functioning of the blockers.

It is forbidden to take measurements of lumber when it is being processed on the machine, do not lean on the equipment... To avoid electric shock, the machine must be grounded. All work must be done in a well-ventilated area. The use of power tools in damp workshops is not allowed.

For the cup cutter to function smoothly, it is important to make scheduled and unscheduled repairs and lubrication of moving mechanisms on time. To do this, you need to inspect the machine every month, clean it of various contaminants, and carry out preventive adjustments.