Resistance to anti-HER2-targeted therapy

The bench-grinder is virtually indispensable for the rapid grinding of cutting edges, moulding blanks, etc., and the various abrasive wheels are listed on p. 108.

115 1/2 in (12.5 mm) capacity five-speed table drill or drill press

116 8 in (203 mm) high-speed bench-grinder 135

118 Small bench drum sander SANDERS

The most useful sander for the cabinet-maker, if space permits, is the pad belt sander. This often includes a built-in sanding disc with table, and also a finishing table for sanding smaller objects. Pad sanders come in a variety of lengths and increase considerably in price with each extra foot. The belts are normally 6 in (152 mm) wide and can be made up to order to any length in a variety of grits and either cloth- or paper-backed. Adequate and separate dust collection is usually essential, since the fans that are built into many machines for this purpose are rarely adequate for full protection.

119 Small bench drum sander with angled table Also very useful is a drum sander for all those internal curves.

All machine sanders require garnet or aluminium oxide papers (see Abrasives, Chapter 7), and the grit used is generally some grades coarser than for equivalent work by hand methods, owing to the speed of the cut. An 80 grit aluminium oxide paper, for instance, will give a sufficiently fine finish on open-grained woods whereas hand-sanding might require 120 grit for a comparable scratch-free surface. It is possible to use four grits only: 80, 120, 180 and 240, with 180 adequate for most situations.

WOODTURNING LATHES

Most furniture-makers require turned components from time to time, from chair legs to turned drawer knobs, so it makes sense, if space permits, to undertake this within the workshop. The woodturning lathe can also be a useful source of income, and bowls and platters, often from the waste products of furniture-making, can keep apprentices and trainees gainfully employed between orders. It is preferable to purchase as heavy a machine as 136

17 6 in (152 mm) pad belt sander

120 A medium duty wood turning lathe by T.S.

Harrison & Sons

121 A short bed lathe primarily for bowl and handle making

one can afford, with a bed long enough to take dining or sidetable legs.

COMPUTER CONTROLLED MACHINERY

The CADCAM system

Computers have become well established aids to financial and stock control systems, but now they are being used to assist in the preparation of drawings and in the direct control of special types of machinery. Manufacturers who use CADCAM, or Computer Aided Design Computer-Aided Manufacture, are still relatively rare, but if computer hardware of this type continues to fall in price and increase in versatility the number of users is bound to increase. Although most large manufacturers are willing to invest in any type of technology which reduces costs and increases their production capacity, it is unlikely that the furniture industry will become totally automated while there is a growing demand for individual, craftsman-made pieces.

The electronic pencil

Computer-aided design systems are most useful where large numbers of similar drawings are used. Office and kitchen layouts, where identical items of furniture are laid out in different ways for different clients, are a good example of an area where CAD can save time and money. Outlines of the individual pieces can be stored in the computer's memory and then recalled and positioned on the display unit with ease. The designer can then move the images around on the screen until he is satisfied with the layout. The resulting screen image can then be passed to a micro-chip controlled drawing-board and turned into a high quality tracing, complete with any comments or measurements required. The electronic image of the completed drawing can be stored, recalled, and altered very easily.

More sophisticated systems are being developed where specially prepared working drawings fed into the computer can be shown on the display unit as composite images. These 137

122 A very minimal woodworking shop showing a normal progression of work. What could be added beyond the mortiser is the spindle moulder/shaper with tenoning facilities, or separate tenoner in the larger workshops

composites are a good 3-D likeness of the finished piece of furniture. Solid modelling systems like this are used to assist in the development of new designs at lower cost than traditional methods.

Working robots

Computers are now being used very effectively to control other machines directly, with only limited human supervision or intervention.

These machines are used for transporting work or raw materials, or for shaping, sanding or polishing the finished article. Efforts are currently being made to link the design and manufacturing stages electronically so that machines can make an article from an electronic

drawing sent by wire. This method will be used only for very simple components for some time, but the possibilities will no doubt increase. One of the most widespread and successful computer controlled machines in the furniture industry is the CNC router. CNC means Computer Numeric Control, and refers to the programming language used to control the machine's operations. This control language consists of strings of numbers which, rather like map reference numbers, tell the machine where it is and where it is heading next. Information on the task the tool is to perform is fed into the keyboard attached to the router as a series of code numbers. Some of the more common operations, such as circle cutting, are built into the machine memory. This simplifies the programmer's task considerably, but even so a complex set of operations may require a fault-free program of up to 1000 lines in length. This operating software is expensive to produce, and difficult to debug if problems arise. One of the areas in which the present generation of 138

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