TTJ AWARDS | TROPHIES
Writing the book on TTJ trophies
Stunning timber and latest wood processing machinery come together to create another TTJ Awards trophy triumph. Mike Jeffree reports
Each year we think that our TTJ Awards trophy designer and maker Duncan Smith, UK showroom manager for world renowned wood processing machinery producer SCM, has surpassed himself. Then he does it again with another stunning creation, making absolutely optimal use of the timber he’s presented with – and to date this has included oak, cherry and maple, plus Accoya modified timber. This year Duncan has hit the heights once more using beautiful American black walnut and English sycamore, generously donated by English Woodlands Timber (see adjoining article). Combining his woodworking skills with three state-of-the-art machines from SCM, he has created trophies in the form, appropriately enough, of TTJ magazine. “It’s done to a B5 scale, 250mm long, by 175mm wide and 44mm thick,” said Duncan. “The black walnut is used for the engraved covers and the binder, and the sycamore forms the pages and also the base, which is in the form of a cookbook stand. It’s been quite demanding in both design and making, but the contrasting colours of the rich dark walnut and the pale sycamore, leant the wood perfectly to the job.”
He added that, while the design is quite intricate, the timber also rose to the occasion technically as well as aesthetically. “The American walnut is absolutely the best,
it looks great, machines really well and gives a lovely finish,” said Duncan. “The sycamore also worked up very well and cut cleanly – and it’s nice to use a home-grown species for the trophy for the first time to show it off and highlight its potential. The two species are a perfect match; they complement each other very nicely.” Specifying the timber, Duncan asked English
Woodlands Timber to supply boards 1200mm long, by 115mm wide and an inch thick.
“The sections of walnut were then planed down to 100mm wide by 22mm thick so I could laminate them face to face,” said Duncan. “They then required planing again so I could laminate these pieces side by side. Each book is made up of four pieces of walnut and the middle of the laminated wood was then carved out to insert the laminated sycamore pages.” He acknowledged that getting the detail of the design just right was not without its challenges. The ‘covers’ of the trophies are engraved with a wreath coloured in gold, the TTJ logo in red, and the title of the individual award category. The binder is also engraved with the words Timber Trades Journal. The name of the winner is added on a metal plaque. “It was a process getting the depth of the
engraving just right,” said Duncan. “The colour was over sprayed on the wreath and logo and then the timber had to be brought back to take the overspray off. I had to make sure I’d left enough on the depth of the text and the emblem to be able to do this so as not to lose the effect of the text. That was quite intricate. Also, the cutting out of the laminated walnut for the physical insertion of the sycamore pages was quite demanding.”
The machine used to plane the timber down
was SCM’s renowned Superset NT automatic through-feed six head moulder. This machine’s set-up system allows operators to change tools and make adjustments in a few seconds, making set-up time up to 20 times faster than competing technology. SCM says it also offers 10 possible configurations thanks to its two right vertical and two top horizontal spindles and the flexibility of using with or without a universal spindle. For the sanding, an SCM DMC Eurosystem
was used, described by SCM as having “the perfect combination of aggressive roller and sensitive EPICS electronic sectional pads”.
This wide belt sander can be set up in a large number of configurations, from the most versatile and flexible to highly specialised. SCM adds that the design was inspired by lean production principles and that technically it can take on rival technology of a supposedly higher specification, while appealing to a wider market. “For the trophies, the DMC Eurosystem
was used to calibrate the timber down and to pad sand to give it a nice fine finish,” said Duncan.
The engraving of letters and the wreath was done on an SCM Morbidelli M100 5-axis high speed, high precision pod and rail CNC. The company says this gives exceptional finishing thanks to its new direct drive JQX (Just Quality eXtreme) 5-axis electrospindle. It also offers reduced maintenance, due to its
RO.AX (Rotoaxial spindle technology) drilling bits, with a maintenance cycle of over 1000 hours.
“It also gives a 60% time saving on drilling
cycles with the new drill-bits designed to guarantee effectiveness on all types of material,” says SCM . “And the 14-position FAST tool changer allows tool changes in less than 15 seconds.”
This Morbidelli is also operated with SCM’s new Maestro Lab software, which includes features for 3D modelling, creating toolpaths, generating instructions (G-code), and simulating the machining process on a virtual 3D model of the machine before production. “This is our latest generation CAD CAM package with a range of new capabilities and including a great display where you can visualise exactly what the machine is going to do before you hit the start button,” said Duncan, one of whose roles is to provide customer training on their new SCM machines, including of course, the software.
6 | TTJ | Awards Supplement 2025
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