DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF TIGER GRASS POLLEN REMOVER CON WOOD WORKING MACHINE
The potential of tiger grass production in the Province of Romblon, Philippines was seen as a good alternative source of income along with the main source such as farming and fishing. Two municipalities were identified as major producers of tiger grass where production are extensive and commercialized because it is easy to grow and a potential source of income. Fetalvero(2011) mentioned that tiger grass production can generate estimated revenue of Php1M to Php2M depending on the prevailing market prices. However, if these raw materials were to be processed into soft brooms, an estimated 241,890 brooms can be produced creating annual revenue ranging from Php3.6M to Php7.3M. Figures may be higher if their primitive farming and traditional marketing practices could be improved. The machine is composed of four major components, the pollen remover assembly, the power unit, the machine frame or support, and the wood lathe assembly. The machine was also equipped with pollen catcher for safety and health purposes. During the test conducted to determine the performance of the machine, it was revealed that there is no significant difference in using the 5 inch pulley and the 7 inch pulley using the different nylon length. It was also revealed in the study that the time consumed in making a handle depends on the skill of the operator and the size of the raw wood to be used. To determine the viability of the machine, a different approach of economic analysis was conducted and all approaches showed that an investment for the tiger grass pollen remover con wood working machine is profitable.