F & D Lift Interiors, Maldon

F & D Lift Interiors Ltd is, as its name might suggest, a company that specialises in the refurbishment of lift interiors.

The growing business was set up by partners Feargus Darcy and Derek Parris, who have extensive experience of the lift industry, in 2004. Providing a national service, the company refurbishes lifts of all sizes used in offices, hospitals, social housing, flats and the high-end private housing sector in London.

Based in Maldon, Essex, the company’s highly skilled team of carpenters, joiners and fitters work on a wide range of lifts, which can range in capacity from four-person domestic models up to large 26-person hospital lifts.

The lift interiors are refurbished in a variety of different finishes as specified by lift companies. This can range from MDF with various facings to stainless steel, Formica, glass, and in the case of a recent contract carried out at a wealthy foreign businessman’s West End, London home, top quality leather.

Striebig Compact saw for efficient sizing

Maintaining an efficient sizing capability is essential to the business’s smooth running, which is why it has bought a Striebig Compact vertical panel saw. Shortly after the business started the partners purchased a second-hand German vertical panel saw, which over the years had become increasingly unreliable.

“Every time it broke down, interrupting our work flow, we had a problem obtaining spare parts which had to be sent over from Germany,” said Derek Parris. “All in all, it was not a very satisfactory situation.”

After deciding to replace it they looked at possible alternatives and bought the Swiss-made Compact 4164 from Striebig’s sole UK agent, T.M. Machinery Sales.

The versatile Compact is used to size 8 x 4 sheets of MDF, laminates, white faced hardboard and Perspex sheets, ranging in thickness from 3 to 25mm, which are used as wall and ceiling panels inside lifts.

“We bought a Striebig because of the saw’s well-known reputation for quality and reliability,” said Derek Parris. “We had come across the saws when we worked at other companies and knew that B & Q specified them for their stores.

The Compact 4164 is the smallest model in the nine-strong entry level series with a cutting range of 3100 x 1644mm (10 ft x 5 ft) and a maximum depth of cut of 60mm.

A space saving all-rounder that brings Striebig quality within the reach of the smallest business, it has a powerful 3.9kW motor and exceptionally efficient integral TRK dust extraction that far surpasses current European health and safety legislation.

Features include automatic moving backing support, and the option of a scoring saw for laminates. It’s based on a single, fully welded sawing frame to give decades of reliable service whilst maintaining cutting precision.

A wide range of Striebig accessories enable users to further extend the functionality and performance of the machine and to adapt it to meet individual requirements.

“We are very pleased with the saw,” said Derek Parris. “Making a vertical cut used to be really hard going, but is no problem for the Striebig. Another big advantage is the automatically yielding panel support frame that prevents it from being damaged by the saw blade, something we did not have before.”

Obtaining spare parts will be much easier in future as T.M. Machinery stocks the most frequently used parts at its Leicester site and supplies them on a next-day basis.

The Compact is used for all the new panel cutting work, where its accuracy and guaranteed smooth finish has made the work of F & D’s on-site fitters much easier. The older saw has been kept on for the ‘rough’ work of cutting up old MDF panels removed from lifts prior to their refurbishment.

For use with the Striebig T.M. Machinery has supplied an ALKO AAS 2000 dust extractor. In this economical twin bag raw-air system, the impellor fan is located between the saw and the filter. Via the impellor, the extractor sucks in dust and chippings with the filter capturing the dust and releasing the clean air.