Experimental Verification of a Highly Simplified, Preliminary Machinability Test for Wood-Based Boards in the Case of Drilling

Abstract

In contrast to metalworking there are no standardized or (at least) generally accepted, relative machinability tests for innovative or less known wood-based panels. The most reliable testing procedures are based on the use of a specialized, accurate system for measuring cutting forces and on conducting all tests in conditions that are similar to real industrial conditions (machine tool, cutting parameters etc.). However, the need for a more simplified testing procedure has often been voiced—not all scientists specializing in wood-based materials development have a machine tool comparable to one that can be found in a real furniture factory and piezoelectric force sensors at their unlimited disposal. To meet this need, the highly simplified, preliminary machinability test for wood-based boards in the case of drilling was developed and tried. The results of experimental research suggest that the simplified way of testing of relative machinability of wood-based boards (i.e., testing based on the photoelectric measurement of the time needed to make a 10 mm deep hole under constant feed force) can be a useful substitute of standard machinability testing procedure (based on accurate cutting forces measurements carried out in the standard industrial conditions). When verifying the simplified testing procedure, samples from each of the three basic groups of wood-based materials of substantially different internal structures (fiberboard, particleboard, and veneer boards) were tested. The relationship between significantly reliable and highly simplified machinability indexes turned out to be at a satisfactory level (R2 = 0.97 for particleboards and R2 = 0.95 for fiberboards or boards made of veneer or solid wood). The use of a simplified procedure can be especially pragmatic in case of any preliminary testing of innovative wood-based boards during the material development work.