Bill Cleyndert & Company, Furniture Maker, London

Bill Cleyndert & Company Ltd  have purchased a Striebig Control vertical panel saw to cope with the extra volume of work that two sliding table saws could no longer handle.

Bill Cleyndert & Company Ltd consists of a passionately motivated team of highly skilled craftsmen and professionals all sharing the same vision and commitment to producing furniture and joinery of the highest quality.

By marrying traditional skills and modern technology, the company has established itself as one of the UK’s most reputable bespoke manufacturers to discerning customers.

It operates at the top end of the domestic market, serving the interior design and architectural sector, with the majority of its high net worth customers living in London’s West End. It also works internationally and is currently involved in an extensive project in Kuwait.

Since being set up by Bill Cleyndert in 1999 the business has experienced continual growth. It had an annual turnover of £4 million last year and employs 50 staff at its well-equipped Fakenham, Norfolk factory.

“We are totally dependent on the top end of the market remaining healthy,” said Mr Cleyndert. “Luckily, despite the state of the economy we are very busy right now. Our order books are looking good and we are currently talking about projects for 2010.”

All processes, including the application of special lacquered finishes and metal effects, are carried out in-house, with £500,000 recently invested in a finishing area comprising of a polishing shop and three spray booths.

Striebig Control copes with extra work

The latest equipment purchase is a Striebig Control vertical panel saw, bought to cope with the extra volume of work that two sliding table saws could no longer handle. It’s used to size wood based panels such as MDF, including veneered versions, plywood and block board.

“We opted for a vertical panel saw because we needed to make the best use of the factory space, and chose a Striebig as it is easy to use, highly accurate and superbly engineered,” said Mr Cleyndert. “We researched the vertical panel saw market and soon discovered that Striebig was considered to be the market leader.”

Operating to an accuracy of 1/10 mm and with a maximum cut size of 4300 x 2240mm and a cutting depth of 80mm, the Control represents the state-of-the-art in vertical panel saw technology.

Its sophisticated design allows it to be operated via an ergonomic control panel, leaving time for the next batch of work to be prepared. Much of the cutting operation is automated; the saw head is power fed, and the feed speed is controlled to ensure the quality of the cut is maintained.

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.

Numerous automatic procedures are 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.

Various accessories are available to make the saws even more productive A unique option is four-side trimming, which enables the bottom trim cut to be carried out automatically without having to lift or turn the panel.

Cabinet maker Niall McCallum said the Striebig has made his job much easier. “It’s very simple to set up and then the machine does the rest. Also, I can now load the biggest of panels on to the saw’s bed by myself.”

The Control, together with an Al-Ko mobile extraction unit, was supplied and installed by Striebig’s exclusive UK agents, T.M. Machinery Sales Ltd.

“To help get the very best out of our team of craftsmen I believe in keeping up with the latest technology and investing in top quality equipment” said Mr Cleyndert. “That’s why Striebig was my first choice.”