John Deere introduced FD55 Disc Saw Felling Head

FD55 Disc Saw Felling Head (DSFH)

The highly anticipated John Deere FD55 Disc Saw Felling Head (DSFH) is now available, delivering the versatility and durability loggers need to harvest various tree diameters. Available to order immediately, the FD55 felling head is compatible with the 643K and 843K John Deere Wheeled Feller Bunchers and is ideal for full-tree timber operations, from thinning to final harvests and everything in between.

FD55 Disc Saw Felling Head

The FD55 felling head is sure to boost productivity with its improved visibility to the cutting zone, high accumulation capacity, and ability to cut trees up to 23 inches in diameter. In addition, its tall horn structure design allows for more control and added stability while harvesting larger trees. “We listened and learned from loggers who frequently handle various tree diameters in the development of the FD55 disc saw,” said Neil Harber, product marketing manager at John Deere Construction & Forestry Division. “We’re confident our customers will appreciate the higher productivity rates, increased uptime and lower daily operational costs with this new versatile head.”

Engineered with extensive customer input, the FD55 delivers superior accumulation capacity through its innovative pocket design that allows for the collection of more trees due to more usable space. The pocket area is an industry leading .63 m

The History of the Lathe – Woodworking and Metalworking Lathes

Woodworking Lathe

History of the Lathe

The history of the lathe machine for woodworking can be traced back several thousand years. The earliest woodworking lathes date back to around 1300 BC when the ancient Egyptians first used a two person lathe. It was operated by one person turning the wood piece with a rope, while the second person used a sharp tool to carve into the woods surface.

These simple machines are widely believed to be the first machine tools created. This simple design was later improved upon by the ancient Romans who replaced the rope with a bow to improve the turning process.

Later, during the middle ages, a foot pedal was introduced and hand operation was replaced. This style of machine is known as a spring pole and was commonly used until the early 20th century. This was a major advantage to the wood craftsman because he could now use both hands to hold and guide tools.

The first continuously revolving mechanical lathe on record was depicted in a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci, C. 1480. A treadle lathe with a crankshaft and a large wooden flywheel is shown in his sketch. It was likely that the creation of such a fascinating machine caught da Vinci