Handling 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 cross-cutting 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.
Automated Panel Stacking: Drew Fredrickson grew up in the component business, working for his dad Terry and his uncle Clyde at their plant, Truss-Pro’s Inc., which began operation in 1978. Having little capital, Clyde and Terry could only afford used machinery, and Clyde put his auto mechanics background to work fixing and rebuilding it. Thus began a long and fruitful period of improvising and inventing, which, in large part, enabled the success of the component plant.
Drew focused on improving wall panel operations and initially addressed the repetitive and labor-intensive task of nailing together the parts of subcomponents. Initially, he worked with used subcomponent assemblers from PCS and Triad but found they lacked the power and the speed that was required to apply highly dense nailing patterns, especially with wide dimension lumber and multi-ply members. Over a period of ten years, through eight versions and with the help of Clyde, Drew developed the highly successful and versatile Terminailer offered by Wood Tech Systems.
Throughout this period, Drew was concerned with the difficulty and the potential risk involved in stacking panels. Initially the plant employed a used PCS Smart Crane which included a large overhead structure and a separate stacking station that occupied a large footprint. As with the Terminailer, Drew began experimenting and arrived at the novel idea of stacking panels from the bottom up, or as Drew recounted recently, “like placing a playing card on the bottom of a deck of cards.” In 2018, Drew installed the first iteration in Truss Pro’s Rogers, MN plant, and in 2020, he installed a greatly improved version in their Britton, SD plant. The ProStack mechanism looks deceptively uncomplicated, but only because it was refined through the process of stacking thousands of linear feet of panels, including heavy 2x8 walls, and panels with overhanging sheathing. The actual operation involves arranging a full layer on the ProStack Infeed Conveyor, including layers composed of short panels or dunnage to facilitate forklift handling. Then the new layer is conveyed directly beneath the existing stack, and the yellow horizontal supporting plates are retracted, allowing the existing stack to rest directly on top of the new layer. And finally, the entire stack is raised, and the supporting plates are moved inward beneath the new layer.
The Result – faster and safer cutting and stacking made possible by the dedication of individual entrepreneurs, building upon their depth of experience with legacy technology. Even though Drew Fredrickson operated independently and 700 miles from David Ohnesorge, he greatly benefitted from working with David’s PCS inventions. And, of course, David had gained over twenty years of diverse machinery experience between his Twin-Axis saw and his SpeedWorx innovations. Both, though, had the persistence to continually adapt their inventions to the increasing complexities of the wall panel product. What innovations will come next? We’ll have to see what 2025 brings.
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