KÜBLER, GERMANY: New round wood sorting and transport carriage (RSTW) for long wood

Automated optimisation
New RSTW carriage for long logs features many practical details

The team at Holzwerk Kübler are proud of their company's consistent focus on construction timber, which has brought them decades of success. The company's gratifying order situation is the result of ongoing development work – in 2017, the focus was on the log yard. Having previously had good experiences with Baljer & Zembrod, they turned to the experts once again.

At the Kübler timber plant in Haiterbach, Germany, efficiency begins in the log yard. With the new round wood sorting and transport carriage from Baljer & Zembrod, the process of grading and sorting 27,000 m3 per year of spruce, fir and Douglas fir long logs more closely resembles a ballet than a game of rough and tumble with heavy equipment. Quietly and precisely, the carriage and crane glide along the rails and actively support the operator. With flowing movements, the crane grips a long log and pulls it onto the working surface (tumbling arm). A clean cut with the integrated crosscut saw marks the beginning of the procedure – regardless of whether the processing starts from the top end or log end. The blade glides through the wood like butter thanks to the increased cutting speed (from 11 to 16m/sec).

The measuring device is folded down, moves up again, ‘and then it only takes a single press of a button and the machine automatically handles the optimisation process in accordance with the specifications – section by section and with immediate labelling,’ explains Managing Director Jörg Kübler enthusiastically. ‘Despite all the hustle and bustle in the operator's cab, there is always time to prepare for the next job or monitor the bigger picture.’ For example, the operator can eliminate several extra trips by simultaneously collecting a number of log sections, all of which need to be brought directly to the saw feeding system without intermediate storage, and placing them all on the attached auxiliary carriage before depositing them at the required spot at the appropriate time.

Convincing details
Among other things, the new drive pump, which drives each wheel individually via four closed hydraulic circuits, ensures smooth driving. Peak pressures are thus avoided and the total pressure is halved to 150 bar. In combination with the lack of slip due to the soft differential lock, this also results in an increased service life.

Since June 2017, the investment in Haiterbach has ensured increased productivity. ‘Instead of twelve, the machine can now reach its target in about ten hours,’ remarks Kübler. ‘We carry out test series with some of our customers in order to quantify the effect precisely,’ adds Baljer & Zembrod Managing Director Peter Schaeidt. The next optimisation step was also discussed at an on-site meeting: the counter-rollers on the carriage will be fitted with a suspension system so that they always rest against the steel beam of the rail, even if the rail has been worn down unevenly. ‘We are always thankful for such constructive customers who share their ideas and wishes with us and are involved in their implementation,’ explains Schaeidt.

About Holzwerk Kübler
Internet: www.holzwerk-kuebler.de
Established: 1850 (as a sawmill), 1968 (at the present location)
Location: Haiterbach, Germany
Cutting capacity: 27,000 m3 of spruce, fir and Douglas fir from the local region
Managing Directors: Georg & Jörg Kübler
Employees: 30 (total in the timber mill and joinery centre)
Special feature: Founding member of the Solid Wood (MH) manufacturers' initiative
Product range: Quality-monitored, dried solid structural timber of the MH brand (MH-Plus and MH-Fix) as well as sawn timber, planed goods and sawmill by-products
Customer base: Carpentry and timber construction companies from the local region and beyond