Bell Frampton Joinery, Huntingdon

When Bell Frampton Joinery Ltd needed a panel saw it got round a shortage of space by buying a Striebig Control fully automatic vertical panel saw.

The Warboys, Huntingdon business was set up last September by director David Darlow, previously production director of a large joinery concern that had closed down. It specialises in making bespoke items such as bars, reception desks, seating and screens for the pub and leisure industries across southern England, as well as retail shopfitting equipment and items for house builders.

Housed in a 5,500 sq ft unit, it employs nine qualified joiners as well as an apprentice, who all came from the previous company.

“They were used to working with a beam saw but we simply didn’t have the room to put one in here,” said Mr Darlow. After deciding that a vertical panel saw was the answer to his problem, he spoke to four saw blade suppliers who each recommended Striebig. It was when he saw the Control at Woodmex that he realised it was exactly what he needed, although it cost well above the figure he had set aside. “It has to be the best equipped vertical panel saw within its price range and I don’t regret going over budget for it.”

Striebig Control the perfect choice for saving space

The Striebig Control cuts up all the sheet material used, mainly veneered and MDF panels, with the operator putting through 6mm thick sheets four or five at a time. Capable of cutting up to 80mm thick, it’s also used with 45mm thick pieces of solid ash used for bar tops.

It represents the cutting edge in vertical panel saw technology. Numerous technical features considered expensive optional extras in other saws are included as standard. They include a digital measuring system, accurate to 0.1 mm, and an adjustable precision display that can be set to an accuracy of 1.0, 0.5 or 0.1 mm, according to the thickness of the panels being sized.

Available to be wall-mounted or freestanding, it has a fully automatic roller locking function, an auxiliary stop section with its own tape measure, three additional auxiliary stops for repeat cuts and a small work piece support. Also fitted as standard is the TRK dust and chips extraction system that ensures dust levels are kept well below permitted European limits, and automatic moving backing support.

The Control offers almost every possible option for automatic sawing operations. With manual feeding of the saw unit eliminated, the operator’s job is made easier, giving him ample time to prepare the next sawing job. Ease of operation is provided by a PLC control system, with any operating errors displayed so that they can be corrected immediately. An infinitely variable feed speed can be adjusted to suit every kind of material. Sawing errors that may occur as a result of different feed speeds required when cutting ‘sensitive’ materials are therefore eliminated.

Numerous automatic procedures can be carried out by the press of a button including locking and releasing the beam saw, setting the horizontal cutting height, plunging and swivelling the motor, locking the support rollers during sawing and fine saw blade adjustment. The model bought by Bell Frampton Joinery from Striebig’s sole UK agent, TM Machinery Sales, of Leicester, was supplied with an optional scribing blade for preventing chipping out when cutting laminated panels.

Mr Darlow said he was impressed with the Control’s quality of build, its accuracy, the quality of the cut and the simplicity of the saw head that can tilt either way to 90 degrees. “It’s simply head and shoulders above anything else out there. The guys soon took to it and after just an hour’s tuition when it was installed they all felt perfectly happy using it.” He added that shortly before it was delivered they had to put through 200 600mm square lighting patrices on a small panel saw that was being used as a stopgap. “It took well over an hour to do the job and when we had a repeat order it took the Striebig just 15 minutes.”

Joiner Paul Shakespeare appreciated the lack of manual labour involved. “There’s hardly any manhandling needed. Once the sheet has been put on the saw’s frame it can be cut to any angle required without it having to moved around, which you had to do with the beam saw.” His colleague, Jason Duff, said the saw had so many useful features that made it easy to set up and operate. In particular, he liked the power feed, the digital readout, the length stop with its fine adjuster and the double bed, which lifted the work piece up to a sensible height.

Each Striebig saw is based on a single, fully welded sawing frame to give decades of reliable service whilst maintaining cutting precision. There are models available to suit every size of business and production requirement.