Sawing frozen wood with narrow kerf saws: Energy and quality effects

Cutting resistance when sawing with narrow kerf saws can be influenced by the moisture content and temperature of the wood and the feed speed. In this study, experiments were conducted using a sash gang saw in order to investigate the frozen wood cutting process. A set of experimental samples of Scots pine were frozen in a climatic chamber before testing. Cuttings were performed on the frozen and room-temperature wood pieces. Cutting power during sawing was determined as well as the obtained surface roughness and thickness variation. Values obtained from this study of the specific cutting resistance when using narrow kerf saws were greater than the reference data found in the literature. A decrease in the dimensional accuracy of sawn lamella was observed for frozen wood. On the contrary, sawn surfaces were smoother compared to the non-frozen wood samples.