Comparison of three processing methods for laminated bamboo timber production

Abstract

Three processing techniques, split-squaring (SS), V-grooving (VG), and split-edging (SE), were evaluated and compared in terms of their processing time and recovery. Semantan bamboo (Gigantochloa scortechinii Gamble) was used as a raw material and the results showed that the VG-method required the longest processing time (32.1 min), followed by the SS-method (18.2 min), and the SE-method (17.9 min). However, the VG-method showed the highest recovery (82.0%) compared to the SS-method and SE-method, 31.0 and 49.4%, respectively. When both processing time and recovery factors were combined with the same weighing factor, the highest value was recorded with the VG-method (49.1), while the SE-method had values of 31.1 and the SS-method 12.8. The results suggest that the VG-method is the best option. However, the V-grooving machine is still a prototype and therefore the SE-method could be an alternative option until the improved V-grooving machine is available.