We talk to Mark Jeffcote, Assistant Workshop Manager at NBJ London Ltd, about how a second Striebig Control vertical panel saw is continuing to benefit their business.
Q: Who is NBJ London Ltd and what do you do?
A: We are a long-standing joinery manufacturer specialising in high-end, bespoke joinery, cabinetry and metalwork. We work with architects and designers to complete specialist joinery contracts worth upwards of £4m. Projects have included the refurbishment of acoustic stage panelling in the Barbican Centre Concert Hall, the design and manufacturing of cabinetry for the Magdalen College Library and a custom-built staircase in London’s Oceanic House.
Q: Why were you in the market for a vertical panel saw?
A: We were already running a Striebig Control vertical panel saw alongside a table saw. Both had their advantages but the Striebig was the go-to saw for cutting large sheet material up to 10×4 and up to 38mm thick.
Unlike a table saw, which requires the operator to physically move the material around the saw during the cutting process, the material on a Striebig panel saw remains stationary whilst the cutting head moves. This reduces the amount of handling required, the room needed to perform the operation and the chance of error. It made light work of cutting MDF and Plywood and was rarely not in use.
Following the completion of our newly extended 12,000 sqft workshop, machinery shop and spray shop, and the continual growth of our team, we were ending up with a queue forming to use the machine. To improve our workflow and to increase the overall efficiency of our machine shop, investing in another Control seemed like a logical option.
Q: Why did you choose a second Striebig Control model?
A: Whilst Striebig saws aren’t the cheapest brand on the market, we believe they offer the
best value for money in terms of build quality. Our existing Striebig Control was proving very reliable and, thanks to its user-friendly features, it was helping us maintain a consistency high level of accuracy when cutting panels to size.
The easy set-up of this machine was also a big advantage. Thanks to standard features like its digital measuring system, you simply input the size you want the panel to be and the saw works out the rest. There’s no need for rulers (which only read in millimetres and not 0.1 or 0.5mm like the saw’s digital measuring device) and, thanks to the saw’s colour-coded touch-screen computer, laser positioning system and adjustable feed speed, the operator can simply follow the saw’s instructions to achieve the perfect cut.
Q: Does your new Striebig Control include any new features?
A: We opted for the optional automatic length stop (EPS – Electronic Positioning System). This means the stop move into position and re-sets itself without any manual intervention. For us, this takes another manual task away from the operator and speeds up the cutting cycle.
The saw also features an upgraded extraction system. The integrated TRK extraction system is noticeably better, making the cutting process cleaner and quieter.
Q: What tasks have been made easier thanks to the Striebig?
A: A lot of our heritage work includes the design and restoration of internal and external doors. We tend to make each door a couple of millimetres bigger and trim them down to make them perfectly square before they are sanded. This trimming process simply can’t be done on a table saw due to the size and weight of the door. Weighing up to 90kg, it would be a three-man operation to manoeuvre a door onto the table saw. The sheer weight of the door could result in the material slipping or the saw blade wobbling, effecting the accuracy and finish of the cut.
This is where the design of the Striebig comes into its own. Thanks to the independent movement of the saw head, the Control only requires two-men to place the door onto the machine before the saw gets to work. The result is a clean, precise cut every time.
Q: How easy is the Striebig Control to use?
A: It’s really easy to operate. The automated features have reduced the skill-level needed to use the machine effectively, clearly highlighting the cutting path. We have 20 members of staff that regularly use the two Controls and they are all proficient users. When it was first installed, TM Machinery’s engineers gave us some training on the machine, talked us though some key do’s and do not’s and gave us advice on how to look after the machine and the blade. You certainly don’t need a lot of experience operating woodworking machinery to be able to use it well.
Q: How have you found TM Machinery to work with?
A: We have bought multiple machines from TM Machinery and we go back to them because they know their stuff. We want to invest in machinery that will stand the test of time and work well for us. Striebig’s vertical panel saws offer us reliability, consistency and longevity and with TM’s experts behind us, we know we can count on them if we need help or advice.
For more information please call +44 (0)116 271 7155 or email sales@tmservices.co.uk.
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