In this technical age, wood-machining has largely remained an art for a lack of scientific investigation in this field. An Analysis of the Wood-Cutting Process was prepared to provide a basic understanding of wood-cutting and in particular of parallel-grain wood-cutting. Norman C. Franz is an Associate Professor of Wood Technology in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan.

The wood-cutting process is defined in terms of the interactions between wood properties, cutting geometry, and the friction between the chip and the tool. In continuous observations, three basic types of chip were identified—each having generated a related quality of surface. In the analysis of the mechanics of chip formation, the book describes the determination of machining efficiency and surface quality; by demonstrated calculations of optimum cutting angles for given wood properties, an equation is derived for the control of surface quality in wood-cutting.