Condensed Consolidating Statements of Earnings and Comprehensive Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2017	Nov. 30, 2016
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 288,955	$ 265,793
Cost of products sold	188,044	172,726
Gross profit	100,911	93,067
Selling, administrative and engineering expenses	74,478	68,602
Amortization of intangible assets	5,131	5,262
Restructuring Charges	6,629	2,948
Director & officer transition charges	0	7,784
Operating profit	14,673	8,471
Financing costs, net	7,514	7,132
Intercompany Expense (Income) Net	0	0
Other Nonoperating (Income) Expense	(329)	628
Intercompany Dividends		0
Earnings before income tax expense (benefit)	6,830	1,967
Income tax expense (benefit)	1,604	(2,998)
Income tax (benefit) expense	5,226	4,965
Net earnings (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	0	0
Net earnings	5,226	4,965
Comprehensive income (loss)	8,251	(21,157)
Reportable Legal Entities | Parent
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	35,710	31,729
Cost of products sold	6,963	7,094
Gross profit	28,747	24,635
Selling, administrative and engineering expenses	19,715	17,967
Amortization of intangible assets	318	318
Restructuring Charges	5,356	355
Director & officer transition charges		7,784
Operating profit	3,358	(1,789)
Financing costs, net	7,623	7,326
Intercompany Expense (Income) Net	(4,877)	(5,068)
Other Nonoperating (Income) Expense	50	(2,085)
Intercompany Dividends		0
Earnings before income tax expense (benefit)	662	(6,132)
Income tax expense (benefit)	(285)	(2,714)
Income tax (benefit) expense	947	(3,418)
Net earnings (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	4,279	8,383
Net earnings	5,226	4,965
Comprehensive income (loss)	8,251	(21,157)
Reportable Legal Entities | Guarantors
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	87,834	84,276
Cost of products sold	64,574	61,416
Gross profit	23,260	22,860
Selling, administrative and engineering expenses	18,448	16,636
Amortization of intangible assets	2,861	3,076
Restructuring Charges	169	723
Director & officer transition charges		0
Operating profit	1,782	2,425
Financing costs, net	21	0
Intercompany Expense (Income) Net	5,484	(1,086)
Other Nonoperating (Income) Expense	(45)	70
Intercompany Dividends		(55,143)
Earnings before income tax expense (benefit)	(3,768)	58,724
Income tax expense (benefit)	437	(30)
Income tax (benefit) expense	(4,205)	58,754
Net earnings (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	8,793	5,625
Net earnings	4,588	64,379
Comprehensive income (loss)	4,588	46,292
Reportable Legal Entities | Non-Guarantors
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	165,411	149,788
Cost of products sold	116,507	104,216
Gross profit	48,904	45,572
Selling, administrative and engineering expenses	36,315	33,999
Amortization of intangible assets	1,952	1,868
Restructuring Charges	1,104	1,870
Director & officer transition charges		0
Operating profit	9,533	7,835
Financing costs, net	(130)	(194)
Intercompany Expense (Income) Net	(607)	6,154
Other Nonoperating (Income) Expense	(334)	2,643
Intercompany Dividends		0
Earnings before income tax expense (benefit)	9,936	4,518
Income tax expense (benefit)	1,452	(254)
Income tax (benefit) expense	8,484	4,772
Net earnings (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	(46)	3,130
Net earnings	8,438	7,902
Comprehensive income (loss)	11,566	631
Eliminations
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	0	0
Cost of products sold	0	0
Gross profit	0	0
Selling, administrative and engineering expenses	0	0
Amortization of intangible assets	0	0
Restructuring Charges	0	0
Director & officer transition charges		0
Operating profit	0	0
Financing costs, net	0	0
Intercompany Expense (Income) Net	0	0
Other Nonoperating (Income) Expense	0	0
Intercompany Dividends		55,143
Earnings before income tax expense (benefit)	0	(55,143)
Income tax expense (benefit)	0	0
Income tax (benefit) expense	0	(55,143)
Net earnings (loss) before equity in earnings (loss) of subsidiaries	(13,026)	(17,138)
Net earnings	(13,026)	(72,281)
Comprehensive income (loss)	$ (16,154)	$ (46,923)