Restoration joinery benefits from Striebig saw

A Striebig vertical panel saw has brought increased accuracy to panel sizing at a busy joinery that specialises in restoration work.

Turland Joinery of Tewkesbury, set up in 1992 by Ian Turland and Christine Hamblin, employs 12 staff including eight highly skilled joiners.

It has an enviable reputation for producing top quality bespoke joinery work for country houses and other historic buildings, mainly in the Cotswolds but as far afield as London, Wales and Cornwall.Among the items it’s regularly asked to make for wealthy homeowners are reproduction wooden doors, windows, staircases, including intricate curved versions, mouldings, garden seats and porches.

It’s currently making Poplar wall panelling for a 15th century mansion as well as interior doors and screens, all of which have to match up exactly with the originals. It will soon begin wooden restoration work inside Tewkesbury Abbey, which was built by the Normans.

Commissions are received from builders and architects and although most of them are for old buildings some modern work is also carried out. This has included making all the windows, doors, stairs and mouldings for the new Visitor Centre at Tewskesbury Abbey and the reception desk at Cheltenham Police Station.

Turland’s joiners, many of whom were trained at the company, are normally given an entire job to work on from start to finish, which adds to their job satisfaction.

Striebig Compact improves accuracy

Its Striebig Compact 4164 saw, which has a maximum cutting size of 3100 x 1644mm, is used to cut all the sheet materials ranging from MDF to veneered boards. It is the only non-traditional item of equipment in the workshop.

With a cutting depth of 60mm it has no problem in sizing 45mm thick panelled doors which are made in-house from hardwoods such as Oak or from softwoods.

To improve its effectiveness still further it was supplied with an optional digital measuring system which is accurate to 0.1 mm.

Designed for use with smaller panels, the new-look, space-saving Compact range sets new standards for ease of use together with exceptional degrees of versatility. It is based on a single, fully welded sawing frame to give decades of reliable service whilst maintaining cutting precision.

As well as incorporating an impressive array of technical improvements the range has recently been extended with the introduction of a larger model with a maximum cutting size of 4600 x 2200mm.

The combination of a totally re-designed control panel, saw head housing and saw head operating mechanism means the Compact is now far more user-friendly.

In particular, the addition of medium and small work piece supports extending along the full length of the machine makes it much easier to saw small pieces.

In a major improvement to the Compact’s environmental features, an additional TRK dust extraction point has been fitted within the horizontal cutting area. The highly efficient integral dust and chips extraction system ensures that dust levels are kept well below permitted European limits.

These advanced features come as standard in all three models in the Compact Series, which can be wall-mounted or freestanding.

Other accessories include a scoring unit recommended when sawing coated boards, an angle-cutting unit, a grooving accessory for composite panels and a strip-cutting gauge, either 400 or 600mm long, to rip cut thin pieces from the tops of panels.

All the joiners at Turland appreciate the saw’s accuracy, speed and ease of set up, its smooth action and quietness when in use.

Said Andy Bennett: “I particularly like the digital measuring system which is totally accurate and the way we are able to cut small strips without difficulty because of the work piece supports. We all use it and it’s proved a great asset.”

Compact models are suitable for cutting practically all materials, including plaster board, plastics and aluminium panels.

They are available from Striebig’s exclusive UK agent, TM Machinery Sales Ltd of Leicester.