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Committing Harakiri as a Manufacturer

I have wanted to write this article for awhile. You see, nothing boils my blood faster than encountering living proof of Darwin’s theory of natural selection, especially when that living proof is a customer service rep on the other end of the phone. This …
I have wanted to write this article for awhile. You see, nothing boils my blood faster than encountering living proof of Darwin’s theory of natural selection, especially when that … https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2016/09/committing-harakiri-manufacturer/

How to Ruin a Sawmill in One Easy Step

If you’ve read this blog for awhile, you know that my most impassioned posts are often a direct result of me receiving a sawguide sample in the mail. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of dismal sawguides and I keep thinking I’ve seen the worst, but then I k…
If you’ve read this blog for awhile, you know that my most impassioned posts are often a direct result of me receiving a sawguide sample in the mail. Over the years, I’ve seen a lo… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2016/09/how-ruin-sawmill-one-easy-step/

Perished by Poor Decisions

I drove by a sawmill the other day. It closed within the last few years. I decided that I needed a break to stretch my legs so I pulled over. I stood there, looking at the empty shell of the mill that had once been a vibrant hub of activity. This made me …
I drove by a sawmill the other day. It closed within the last few years. I decided that I needed a break to stretch my legs so I pulled over. I stood there, looking at the empty sh… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2016/07/perished-poor-decisions/

Stop Blaming the Lube: A Sawmill Case Study

I had a very interesting discussion this past week with a customer about Lube Systems and how they’re always the first thing to be blamed for any breakdown. It seems that with any failure in a mill the easiest thing to blame is not having enough lube, but…
I had a very interesting discussion this past week with a customer about Lube Systems and how they’re always the first thing to be blamed for any breakdown. It seems that with any … https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2016/05/stop-blaming-lube-sawmill-case-study/

The Art of a Sawguide: How it Affects Your Bottom Line

I love going to Europe. Visiting all the historic buildings, encountering timeless works of art… it’s such an inspiring place. I am particularly fascinated by what inspiration is behind many of these historical works of art.
I love going to Europe. Visiting all the historic buildings, encountering timeless works of art… it’s such an inspiring place. I am particularly fascinated by what inspiration is b… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2016/04/art-sawguide-how-it-affects-your-bottom-line/

The Scary Impact of Inaccurate Sawguides to Your Bottom Line

This subject has been on my mind for a long time, stemming from my interactions with new clients. They always wonder why they are experiencing sawing problems. After looking at the problem from a few different perspectives, they still couldn’t figure out …
This subject has been on my mind for a long time, stemming from my interactions with new clients. They always wonder why they are experiencing sawing problems. After looking at th… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2016/03/scary-impact-inaccurate-sawguides-your-bottom-line/

Spacers Are Killing Your Lumber Recovery

I just received a package containing a sawguide sample from our newest customer, and I had to write this article right away. They were having issues maintaining clearance between their babbitt pad and saw blade. In other words, they had no gap control! As…
I just received a package containing a sawguide sample from our newest customer, and I had to write this article right away. They were having issues maintaining clearance between t… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2016/02/spacers-are-killing-your-lumber-recovery/

Are Cheap Saws Killing Your Sawmill?

Gap control is the one of the most critical items to control in a sawmill. It determines how accurate your cuts are, and the quality of your lumber. Having gap control means maintaining that perfect 0.0015” gap between the saw blade and the babbitt pad of…
Gap control is the one of the most critical items to control in a sawmill. It determines how accurate your cuts are, and the quality of your lumber. Having gap control means mainta… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2015/11/are-cheap-saws-killing-your-sawmill/

How to Outsell Your Cheaper Competition… The Right Way!

“Sorry, your price was higher than your competition, so we purchased from them instead!” This statement is heard by salespeople all over the world every day. They often don’t understand why they lost the order because their product is superior to the comp…
“Sorry, your price was higher than your competition, so we purchased from them instead!” This statement is heard by salespeople all over the world every day. They often don’t under… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2015/08/how-outsell-your-cheaper-competition-right-way/

Why Are You Buying Cheap Crap For Your Company? You’re Killing Your Profit

Remember the Yugo? It was a popular car in the 1980s, imported from the former Yugoslavia. It was really cheap too, selling for about $3,900. I guess many of you will not recognize the name Yugo because it was manufactured so long ago, but as you can tell…
Remember the Yugo? It was a popular car in the 1980s, imported from the former Yugoslavia. It was really cheap too, selling for about $3,900. I guess many of you will not recogniz… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2015/08/test/

Stop Being So Cheap! You're Bleeding Your Company Dry

I saved some money yesterday, but today I am bleeding money all over the floor. I got a great deal on a piece of equipment awhile back, but today I am hemorrhaging money because of that great deal. I went for something that I was told was “just as good…
I saved some money yesterday, but today I am bleeding money all over the floor. I got a great deal on a piece of equipment awhile back, but today I am hemorrhaging money becaus… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2015/03/stop-being-so-cheap-youre-bleeding-your-company-dry/

Are Inaccurate Sawguides Increasing Your Power Consumption?

Have you ever driven behind a car that’s going fast and their brake lights keep flashing? I have and I always wonder what the heck is going on. It is scary! I didn’t know what they were doing. I eventually figured out that these drivers are actually drivi…
Have you ever driven behind a car that’s going fast and their brake lights keep flashing? I have and I always wonder what the heck is going on. It is scary! I didn’t know what the… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2014/06/are-inaccurate-sawguides-increasing-your-power-consumption/

How Tolerant is Too Tolerant…When it Comes to Saw Accuracy?

We’re pleased to feature this week’s guest blogger, Ron Vandermeulen. Ron is an independent expert with over 34 years of saw manufacturing experience. So, let's talk saw accuracy. I am not referring to saw cutting accuracy, but rather the tolerance an…
We’re pleased to feature this week’s guest blogger, Ron Vandermeulen. Ron is an independent expert with over 34 years of saw manufacturing experience. So, let's talk saw accura… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2014/02/how-tolerant-too-tolerantwhen-it-comes-saw-accuracy/

A Deeper Look into Why the Accuracy of a Sawguide is Important – 'Gap Control'

Why is the accuracy of a saw guide so important? If you look deeper into its importance, what it actually comes down to is 'Gap Control'! You are probably wondering what this is. The gap that I'm referring to is between the babbitt pad and the saw blade.
Why is the accuracy of a saw guide so important? If you look deeper into its importance, what it actually comes down to is 'Gap Control'! You are probably wondering what this is. T… https://sawguidesdirect.com/blog/2013/11/deeper-look-why-accuracy-sawguide-important-gap-control/