Dixon Timber Products, Furniture

Installing a second Striebig vertical panel saw has led to greater efficiency at Dixon Timber Products, a leading manufacturer of high quality, bespoke panel-based furniture for the institutional and health care markets.

Its new Striebig Evolution 6224 replaced an elderly Holz-Her saw. The decision to purchase a second Striebig was made because of the consistent accuracy and reliability delivered by the first Evolution, bought in 2005.

Both saws are used to cut MFC, MDF, solid grade laminates and solid surfaces up to 20 mm thick, and up to 38 mm thick chipboard panels used for worktops, with diamond saw blades used to reduce sharpening costs.

Dixon Timber Products’ managing director John Dixon said “The Holz-Her was getting less and less accurate and we often had to size a component twice before we were satisfied with it. We were also restricted on what materials we could size on it. Being able to cut everything on either saw has given us far more flexibility.”

The advantages of two Striebig panel saws

He said there were advantages of having two of the same models side-by-side. “User familiarity is very important so it’s easy to switch operators between the saws to provide cover for sickness and holidays.

“We have improved our sizing efficiency as the saws are ideal for handling lots of small jobs. Because all our output is made-to-measure, the Evolution allows for a quick change-round when several jobs are going through on the same day, which is quite often.”

He said he was happy to buy another Evolution “as the first has been totally reliable with a consistently high quality of cut.”

An angle cutter supplied with the first Striebig is now used with both saws. This optional unit, easily attached to the left or right of any vertical cutting point, is adjustable to 1/10th of a degree. It can be locked into place and is for use with panels up to 42 mm thick, producing angle cuts which are totally clean and accurate.

The Evolution 6224 is the largest model in the series with a maximum cutting area of 5,300 mm x 2,240 mm and a maximum cutting depth of 80mm.

It represents the cutting edge in vertical panel saw technology. Features considered expensive optional extras in other saws are included as standard, such as 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 carried out by the press of a button include 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.

Dixon Timber Products was formed to supply the medical furniture market. It’s now one of the main players in the highly competitive sector, manufacturing and installing a wide range of panel-based products at hospitals and primary care centres throughout the UK and abroad.

Around 80 per cent of its output goes into the medical sector, with the remainder specified by schools, universities, hotels, retail outlets, factories, offices and prisons.

Among recent contracts have been installations for hospitals as far apart as Brighton, Elgin, Plymouth and Stornaway, furniture for one of the oldest hospices in London and fittings for a gold mining laboratory in Senegal.

With nearly 80 per cent of orders made up of repeat business, the Doncaster company’s turnover increased by 25 per cent last year and its order book remains remarkably healthy.

Both Striebig saws, together with Al-Ko mobile extraction units, were supplied by Striebig’s exclusive UK agent, T.M. Machinery Sales, of Leicester.