About TKT Engineering

History

Thin Kerf Technologies (TKT) was founded in 1987 by Dave Roper, formerly a machine designer for Letson Burpee, Kockums and Can Car. His speciality was design of thin kerf edgers and retrofitting collared saws with guided splined-arbor saws.

One of the first products TKT was the edger alignment jig. From his work designing and installing edgers, Dave knew that accurate alignment of the guides was critical to accurate sawing. Other products such as the Tooth Inspector were also developed. TKT was also a distributor for Key Knife.

Bruce Lehmann joined TKT in 1994 after completing a masters and PhD in mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia Wood Sawing Laboratory. His thesis topics were computer models of guided circular saws and the cutting accuracy of bandsaws. He also worked on washboarding. Bruce did machine alignment, Key Knife installations, developed new products and software

In 1996 TKT won a design award for the BoardRunner, a portable device for measuring the thickness profile of lumber. TKT also developed the computer programs SawSel and BandSel for designing saws.

Dave Roper, and other partner, Terry Howard, retired in 2002. At this point Bruce became manager of Cal Saw Canada (California Saw & Knife Works), and TKT products were sold through Cal Saw. However, in 2004, Bruce restarted TKT under the name TKT Engineering Inc.