Amazing Tools #5: 1 man, 1 door, 1 minute and 37 seconds

It looks rather interesting, but it won’t fit in my shop. I think I’ll pass.

-- Working at Woodworking http://www.VillageLaneFurniture.com

it would take me 45 years to pay for it !
it’s taken me 45 years to get just to look at it .
pretty soon they will come out with one that dose’nt need anyone to run it .
and there wont be anyone to buy the product ,
as we’ll all be working at mcdonalds !

-- david ,new mexico ,allheart

they have an “automated door machine out there, that planes, rips, cuts, and profiles” in one shot….....even feeds itself with rough sawn lumber. Dont bring your cheque book, bring your banker!

-- http://www.furnituremann.ca/

Gary if this appeals to you try Las Vegas next month !!

That ain’t woodworking at all, that is McManufacturing McCabinets. Yuck!

-- Jojo, shopless in Kyoto · http://twitter.com/kagushokunin

as David Pye would say…
that is the workmanship of certainly
not the workmanship of risk

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

I definitely hit a nerve with this post! I want to say that the post was not an endorsement. I do like cool, fast machines, but hate what they do to people in the trade. It’s kind of like how I love ebony, but hate how it’s being depleted faster than current supply can handle.

Still, if I had to make 1000 identical doors suddenly, I’d wish I had this beast :)

-- Gary, Los Angeles, video game animator

jlsmith – Wow, just this short blurb has me ready to pick up his book. Thanks for pointing me towards some good learning today. Pye sounds like quite a mind.

-- Gary, Los Angeles, video game animator

Gary – I think there is a good chance you will find Pye’s writings more interesting than the wiki blurb. I don’t agree with all of his thinking but he was an interesting guy.

-- criticism: the art of analyzing and evaluating the quality of a artistic work...

fantastic for production.. for woodworking, kinda takes the fun out of it! :)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

nice but no fun. It almost seems like a semi-cnc. I think it is. look at that arch, there is no template to follow.

-- Woodshop supplies at bulk discounts. www.getneds.com

getneds, if you look down under the table top you will see the template for the arch.
I used to have an older model “Unique” machine. Sold it, more cost effective to outsource doors these days.

This is exactly why production can never match custom – they are in such a hurry to crank out thousands of identical parts, they have no time to do it right. And a lot of the guys who run the machines know how to run the machine, but don’t know squat about woodworking. Case in point: this guy’s final pass on the panel was on the end grain. Which explains why, even in high-end stock cabinets, you frequently see chip out in the corner of the panel profile.

Almost every stock cabinet door is run through a wide belt sander after it is glued up, leaving cross-grain scratches on the rails. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stock cabinet door where anyone bothered to do any grain matching or make sure they had alternating grain orientation. Lots of times the better side of the piece is facing in.

I’m thinking about putting this video on my website. “Here’s how they will build your doors” and then “here’s how I will build your doors” showing the careful steps I take with every piece. Suddenly my price difference doesn’t seem so bad!

-- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --

peter, that’s a great selling point i think! awesome idea….as for the machine, anyone know the sticker on a puppy like that? i’m imagining somewhere in the 6 figures?

Peter a great idea. make yourself different.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Woodworking or button pushing. This is the reason I got out.

-- if the hand is not working it is not a pure hand

i like it can it fit in a single garage lol …..

just one question were is the fun in that

Andy

-- cut it saw it scrap it

I prefer dedicated machines. That way I can have several people machining parts at the same time, coming to the assembly table quicker. The 1 minute 37 seconds is misleading. what about cut out, outside profile, sanding, etc.

Gary—Thanks for sharing. I’ve seen this machine, and it’s great for a cabinet shop doing ther own doors. Of course it’s not practical for most guys here, but it’s always fun to see cool stuff.

Peter O——You have a very valid point, but———Not all production shops build crap. We constantly loose jobs because someone else will do it faster and cut a dollar a door off the price. We use a DMC Fine Sand—-Wide, feed through Orbital to take out the cross grain scratches. We hand sand profiles, etc, and basically don’t make any extra money because the market will not pay it

Sorry for the rant, but this business has become extemely frustrating the last few years. It’s never fast or cheap enough, and obviously not good enough.

-- Kent Shepherd * The goal is-----More Tools!