BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS, INVESTMENTS AND REDEEMABLE NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS (Details 1) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended					0 Months Ended				3 Months Ended
	Mar. 03, 2012	Feb. 26, 2011	Dec. 03, 2011	Mar. 03, 2012 Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]	Dec. 03, 2011 Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]	Dec. 30, 2011 PDDA [Member]	Dec. 30, 2011 PDDA [Member] Customer Relationships [Member] years	Dec. 30, 2011 PDDA [Member] Noncompete Agreements [Member] years	Dec. 29, 2010 TransWeb [Member]	Mar. 03, 2012 TransWeb [Member]	Feb. 26, 2011 TransWeb [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Acquisition, Effective Date of Acquisition						12/30/2011			12/29/2010
Business Acquisition, Percentage of Voting Interests Acquired									100.00%
Business Acquisition, Name of Acquired Entity						PDDA Filtration, Inc.			TransWeb LLC
Business Acquisition, Description of Acquired Entity						privately-held provider of filtration solutions			a privately-owned manufacturer of media used in a variety of end-use applications, including respirators and heating, ventilation and air conditioning ("HVAC") filters
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price						$ 530
Business Combination, Reason for Business Combination						PDDA specializes in liquid process filtration products, serving customers in diverse industries including chemical processing, food and beverage, oil and gas, power generation, water, wine and biofuel production			to expand the Company’s technology capabilities in the area of media development and to enhance the product offerings of the Company's filtration operating companies
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Current Assets, Inventory						80
Net sales	257,264	245,720								2,906	2,375
Operating profit	34,312	31,291								276	334
Business Acquisition, Base Purchase Price Excluding Cash Acquired									30,017
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Withheld									17,000
TransWeb contingent earn-out, included in Other long-term liabilities	1,186		1,123	1,186	1,123				1,018
TransWeb contingent earn-out, Contingent Consideration, Accounting Treatment									The contingent liability for the earn-out payment will continue to be accounted for and measured at fair value until the contingency is settled
TransWeb contingent earn-out, Contingent Consideration, Settlement Date									Nov. 30, 2016
TransWeb contingent earn-out, Fair Value, Other Liabilities, Valuation Discount Rate									11.90%
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Amount							400	50
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Asset, Weighted Average Useful Life							5	3
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Current Liabilities						$ (200)