[forestcall]

What would be the type of equipment and machines to create a mass production factory to produce wood bowls, cups, and eating cutlery? Any keywords to the equipment and machines would be very appreciated.


I live in a mostly Cedar + mixed forest mountain town in Japan. Logging is nearly dead and we have too many trees which creates landslides and all sorts of unhealthy side effects for the forest.


I am trying to create a presentation to the local Government to setup a small factory to help the town to create mass produced bowls and cups, etc. and thus stimulate the economy with jobs and export. Clearly the cost will be higher than doing this out of Burma or similar country. My guess is we will be in the middle market where the end-buyer wants to support buying Japanese made products.
Thanks!

[awerby]

Are you talking about the bent cedar cups that used to be made in Japan, or something more like Western coffee mugs? Bowls are commonly made from wood; in America we use them for salads. Wooden spoons are sometimes used for cooking, so I suppose you could try making them. I'd say make a few of these things by hand, and see what people thought they'd pay for them before starting a factory to produce them in quantity. Here's a video showing how to make a cedar bowl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-n__Xi43rc

But offhand, I'd say making something else with your wood might make more sense. Pencils are traditionally made from cedar - what about chopsticks (O-hashi)? Just providing the right dimensions and grades of cedar lumber for traditional Japanese crafts would be a lot easier than trying to create a new product and market it; it seems that the right materials are in high demand: Kitayama Maruta: Japanese cedar logs | Wood & Bamboo Work | Kyoto | JTCO: Japanese Traditional Culture Promotion & Development Organization

[ger21]

What would be the type of equipment and machines to create a mass production factory to produce wood bowls, cups, and eating cutlery?

Machines for mass production are generally custom made, or modified to perform specific tasks more quickly. All are variations on common tools, like saws, lathes, and shapers.

[forestcall]

I am on a mission to learn as much as possible. I'm assembling a list of companies that could create custom machines and related equipment. Currently I am totally open to any ideas on what to produce and I think the market will drive what we produce.
Currently I have been looking to package "sets", (example) which consists of 4 cups with handle and without, bowls, saucer dish, spoons/fork/chopsticks

Here is a simple example of what I am imagining which also appear to be mass produced.
https://www.pinterest.com/chetpeng/wooden-tableware/

When you see wood cups or bowls or spoons at the $1 store how do they make these?

[ger21]

For one, they're made in countries where the labor rate is very, very low.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K30E6GpO7h8