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Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
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December 2024 #16305 Page #10
Wall Panel Technology, Part IX: More Panel Automation From American Suppliers By Joe Kannapell
H
andling studs and plates to build walls is easy, but handling oversized sheets of OSB and sheathed wall panels is not. Fortunately, two inventors in the Midwest have lightened the load.
Automated Sheathing Saw: Since he began his career at Monet DeSauw 30 years ago, David Ohnesorge has been tackling component plant automation. In 1995, he formed Production Conveyor Systems (PCS) and developed the Twin-Axis (X-Y) saw among other innovations. The introduction of this product was timely because many panel shops were transitioning from routing to piece-cutting sheathing around openings. As a result, sawyers had to deal with more complex and time-consuming cutting schedules, underscoring the need for automation. David recognized that sheathing cutting lists could be downloaded to a saw, as was being done increasingly with truss cutting lists. So, he adopted the basic mechanism of a table saw and added a crosscutting blade and a safety enclosure. At the same time, he virtually eliminated the risk of injury and provided for much-improved sawdust collection. After selling PCS to MiTek, David and his current business partner, Jeff Radich, later developed the plate marking saw that powered BMC’s and now BFS’s Ready-Frame technology. Later still, they leveraged that expertise to design the Hornet plate-marking saw which they also sold to MiTek. In 2022, David and Jeff teamed up with software pro Jason Gregory to form ROGworx Automation, introducing the SpeedWorx Automated Sheathing Saw in conjunction with Safety Speed Manufacturing. Like David’s X-Y saw, SpeedWorx downloads and optimizes cutting data, and now it supports Alpine and Eagle output in addition to MiTek’s. But unlike his X-Y saw, David adopted the vertical orientation of a conventional panel saw to expedite loading of OSB sheets, since he observed that sheathing must be carried vertically when taken from bunks of OSB to the saw. That also allows SpeedWorx to take advantage of gravity to better hold down panels, which increases the accuracy of cutting, while occupying a smaller footprint. Also unlike the X-Y saw, SpeedWorx moves the panel back and forth to enable faster cutting and better optimization. Adding to the advantages of an automated panel saw like SpeedWorx is the reduction in the square footage of sheathing consumed compared with the sheathing wasted from routed openings. That savings is compounded when considering the larger windows in today’s homes and the high cost of insulated sheathing.
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