As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, and this is certainly very sound advice to follow in the case of your woodwork machinery. When it comes to woodwork, machine maintenance can possibly be one of the most overlooked areas of the business, yet it can also be one of the most important ones, so it is worth making sure that you establish a routine as soon as you can.
Once you have a routine in place for your maintenance you may find that most of it can be done in a short period of time and with a minimum of disruption to the flow of production. After all, preventative maintenance is far better than the potential costly alternative of a machine that requires some considerable work; of course, if this leads to machine downtime then there can also be a loss of revenue.
Repairing your Machinery
Even with a good program of scheduled maintenance it is likely that at some point some of your machinery, no matter how well you look after it, will develop a fault that needs repairing. Unless you have an onsite maintenance team, who are able to source the appropriate parts then you may need to contact an external expert for some assistance.
For older machinery, it can sometimes be difficult to find replacement spare parts but a good company that specialises in refurbishing machines, like Calderbrook Woodwork Machinery, will have the experience and the skills required to manufacture the appropriate components and then refurbish your woodworking machinery to a very high standard, allowing you to get on with the job at hand.
Keep Things Clean
A natural issue that is caused by wood working machinery is of course the production of wood dust; it can get everywhere!
And whilst on the face of it, keeping machinery clean in a dusty environment could seem rather difficult it is incredibly important and necessary task. Wood dust can get into all the small spaces and adds to the wear and tear of your machinery. Wood dust is also a fire hazard and can have detrimental health effects if constantly breathed in. One of the best ways to keep on top of the dust produced is to use a dust collection system. It should be remembered that no matter how good the system you use is, even the best system will not pick up all the dust so you will need to consider alternative methods.
Check your machines regularly and use a brush, compressed air blower or a Vacuum to remove the excess dust. Avoid pushing dust further into your machinery as this could cause damage to the bearings and other small components.
Scheduled Maintenance
Formulate a maintenance schedule for your machinery. Whilst some machinery may give you prompts when it requires maintenance it is especially important to make sure that regular maintenance is carried out on those machines that do not.
Having a proper schedule will ensure that you don’t overlook a machine. The frequency of the maintenance you need to schedule will depend on how much use a machine gets; the more it is used the more likely something is to go wrong.
If you are unsure how often to carry out maintenance on your machinery then check with the manufacturer, or a company that specialises in woodworking machinery maintenance. Maintain your woodwork machinery and see how much of an improvement it can make to your business.