Joinery Workshop is fast becoming a go-to name in the joinery field. With demand increasing, the Kent-based joinery has recently expanded its workshop to 10,000 sq ft and invested in its first Striebig Compact vertical panel saw.
Striebig Compact Vertical Panel Saw
Joinery Workshop is fast becoming a go-to name in the joinery field. Sister company to construction firm, Bryen & Langley, the 26-strong team work on a wide range of joinery projects from high-end residential fit-outs to multi-million pound commercial contracts for well-known global brands. With demand increasing, the Kent-based joinery has recently expanded its workshop to 10,000 sq ft and invested in its first Striebig Compact vertical panel saw from Striebig’s exclusive UK distributor, TM Machinery.
“We needed a saw that could be relied upon,” begins Jason Elmore, Foreman at Joinery Workshop. “Our old vertical panel had a key part to play in our workshop but it was starting to make mistakes. Cuts were often four or five millimetres out and we were having to correct every cut manually. It was counterproductive. Staff were spending more time correcting mistakes than anything else.”
A Reliable Woodworking Saw
When it came to which make and model Joinery Workshop needed to replace the failing saw, the Striebig Compact’s size and spec was a clear winner. “From previous experience, I knew Striebigs were seriously reliable and, as long as you kept the saw blade sharp, you were guaranteed a precise cut every time,” says Jason. “I didn’t want to look at any other manufacturer and following discussions with TM Machinery, it was clear the Compact would fit into our workshop perfectly and offer us the flexibility we needed when working with large MDF sheets. It could also be delivered and installed by a specialist engineer within six weeks.”
The Compact’s no-nonsense features made a noticeable difference to Joinery Workshop’s production times almost immediately. “Everything about the saw has been made for simple operation,” says Jason. “The rollers on the Compact make handling big sheets easy and the digital readout has significantly reduced errors and set-up times. We no longer have to work with a tape measure to get accurate cuts and re-cuts. Instead, the digital readout makes every cut millimetre perfect and extremely time-efficient. If you want to take 0.5mm off a piece of material, you can do it with ease.”
The saw’s scoring head has also been a valuable addition for the growing joinery. “You can’t afford to get chip-outs when cutting veneers and Formica. With a scoring blade, you get clean, precious cuts on the material you put through. It was a must for us.”
Wall Saw used on MDF, Formica and Door Blanks
Initially acquired to work predominately with 18mm MDF, which is then veneered in-house, the team has found a number of unexpected uses for the saw since it was installed earlier this year. Jason explains, “Thanks to the Striebig’s accuracy and ability to work on a wide range of materials and thicknesses, we’re doing things on this saw that we would never have dreamed of doing on our old saw. We’ve found that we can save a lot of time and mess if we cut out access panels on the saw. Before, we would have to use a router, which was a messy job and required a high skill level. Now, we simply mark where we need to saw to cut and the saw does the rest. We’re also cutting thin materials like 6mm Formica and thick materials like 54mm door blanks on it, too. Basically, anything that we need to cut to size, regardless of its size or thickness, the Striebig is our go-to machine.
Efficient Woodworking Machinery
“Comparing our old saw with our new Compact is like comparing chalk and cheese,” admits Jason. “The Striebig is in a different league. Not only are we finding new ways to utilise the saw, we’re also seeing a huge reduction in the time it takes to complete jobs. This is a big advantage for us. Whilst each job requires a different cutting list, it used to take us between two and three days to get a job cut and moved into our workshop. Now, thanks to the saws ability to cut multiple panels accurately first time, it only takes half a day. This speed has impacted massively on our production times.”
The Compact is also considerably cleaner to use than its predecessor. “It features in-built extraction in the saw which makes the cutting area less dusty,” says Jason. “This is great news for the operator, who no longer needs to rely on masks or goggles when using the machine, and our veneer specialists, who no longer need to worry about trying to achieve a perfectly flat surface with dust particles in the air.
“We’ve also seen a reduction in material waste and the amount of handling required. We were having to cut everything twice which meant we would have to cut 10-20mm over what we needed to guarantee a cut we could use and move the panel from one machine to the next to complete the job. This process has now been eradicated.”
Jason adds, “The new vertical panel saw not only offers us the scope to take on more work in the future it also gives us the opportunity to increase quality throughout the manufacturing process. With more time on our side, we’re now able to offer quicker and more accurate lead times because we know we have a saw we can rely on time and again. It’s clear to me that you get what you pay for with a Striebig.”
For more information please call +44 (0)116 271 7155 or email sales@tmservices.co.uk.