jt wrote on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 08:10:46 -0500:

>> Are you sure? That doesn't seem right. Were that true a
>> loaf of Wonder bread would cost like $500. I don't think
>> they'd actually sharpen those band saw blades, band saw
>> blades for wood and metal cutting are never sharpened, the
>> labor cost would make it prohibitive. When they become dull
>> they simply put in a new blade and toss the old blade in the
>> trash. But a loaf of bread would need a separate blade for
>> each slice and even though those blades are not worth the
>> cost of sharpening they're still too costly to throw away
>> like 24 blades every hour.... and Wonder must have hundreds
>> of bread slicing machines.

> I work in a machine shop, and we get many machinist oriented
> publications. I recall an article from one of them many years
> back. The Wonderbread slicing bands do have a serration, but
> nothing like a bread knife serration. It is wider dimples
> with no hooks, if I recall. These things travel very fast,
> and have something like a 5-7 degree angle point, sharper than
> even a restaurant kitchen knife. At that sharp an angle, even
> soft bread causes the point crest to wear quickly. Add to
> that the rollers to take it through odd angles to get back to
> the top and the guides to keep each band in line, and those
> guides actually to more damage to the crests than the bread
> actually does. But the depth of damage is shallow so that
> resharpening these goes very quickly, and it thus quite cost
> effective. Of course, they have a automate machine that does
> the process. Hand resharpening would take much more time and
> cost a lot more.

I wonder if packaged sliced bread is not made as by a bread slicer in a
deli? The bread is held in a comb arrangement and there are vibrating
blades, one for each slice. If I ask for a rye loaf to be sliced,
that's how it's done.


--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not