TOOLMAKER
CST president Tim Weaver reviews a work order in the diamond tooling
section of the shop. The QM eco is the company’s most recent purchase
and features five CNC-controlled axes.
A CST technician
reviews the settings
on a QWD 750 wire
erosion machine.
The wire allows
for the machine
to work its way
through much more
intricate profiles
than the other
diamond tooling
machines.
and insert tooling for the woodworking industry. While the
company was successful, particularly with insert tooling,
there was no way to escape the effect of the downturn in the
economy. “When furniture started disappearing around here,
we realized we needed to look at other markets,” Weaver says.
While the move into PCD tooling was risky, Weaver considers the move a necessary one. “The biggest reason that I got
into diamond tooling is because in the past five or six years
all the casegood and furniture companies shut down around
here and became warehouses and went to China. The larger
cabinetry companies, the larger flooring companies, even
the larger furniture companies all use diamond. So if you’re
going to be a player in the future in the big game, you’ll be in
diamond tooling.”
It was while looking at other markets that Weaver made
the decision to move into PCD tooling. In the past two years,
CST has added four Vollmer PCD tooling machines to its
complement of machinery: a QWD 750 wire machine, two QW
machines and, most recently, a QM eco wheel erosion machine.
New capabilities
The addition of the Vollmer machines has helped set the
company apart from its competitors. “There are thousands of
small saw shops around the United States,” Weaver explains.
“But when you get into diamond tooling — and even insert
tooling — there’s not many shops doing it because it’s such a
big investment, in both machinery and manpower. I’ve got to
