For many years, all small workshops contained the classic machines – overhand planer, thicknesser, chisel mortiser, single end tenoner, vertical spindle moulder, and, in some cases, an overhead router and a stair trencher. These machines all relied heavily on the skills of dedicated wood machinists.
Then the revolution started, and along came the through-feed planer/moulder, and suddenly the small workshops could do all their planning in a quarter of the time, leaving the skilled workforce to perform the more complicated jobs.
Today, with a big decline in trained wood machinists and woodworkers in general, most companies find it very hard to recruit either skilled tradesman or youngsters to be trained. So often one hears of companies which have spent a number of years training staff, who then leave.
Many companies now find that the answer to this lack of skilled workers is the CNC machining centre.
For many years, Masterwood Spa has been recognised around the world as one of the leading suppliers of CNC machinery for the solid timber industry, starting with the Muti oscillating chisel mortisers, moving on to CNC drilling machines, and finally the all-round CNC machining centres.
The panel industry was always the big area for companies producing CNC machines – it was simple drilling and routering. However, Masterwood followed the solid timber industry – a far more difficult route due to the materials used, type of work involved, and for many companies everything made is different.
Masterwood soon developed dedicated machines like the Teknomat and Project Door that were ideal for door frame components plus solid core and composite doors, and this was closely followed by the DoorLine, a CNC machine that can cut all the hinges, with pilot holes, door lock, and handle holes, in less than 30 seconds. Coupled with handling equipment, this allowed small production lines for dedicated door set companies.
In the late 90s, Masterwood commissioned its first staircase software package, a DOS-based programme which allowed small customers to design and build a full winder stair in a couple of man hours.
Over 20 years later, the software packages have developed through Masterwood’s own UK-produced MasterStair to the current Masterwood Stair package, developed in partnership with StairBiz.
Today’s software allows nearly any design of stair to be developed in minutes. This includes stairs in more than one direction, open plan, cut string, curved strings, winders, and landings. Cutting sheets and drawings are produced along with rendered 3D views. Programmes are produced for every component, including strings, treads, newels and handrails.
Once on the CNC, every operation – even the draw bore holes – is machined, and a couple of hours of machining results in a full stair kit that goes together, and with no real bench work to make it fit, as with traditional methods.
Masterwood now has over 120 UK and Ireland customers using one of these stair packages, and there are even a few still using the original DOS-based package.
With more and more stairs being demanded by the industry, new developments have been made that will allow stair components to be automated with CNC and handling equipment to allow higher production with less labour costs.
The biggest changes for the bespoke joinery industry is that as PCs have become more powerful, better software has been developed. This is an important area for the solid timber market, and to this extent, Masterwood has continued to develop software with its own company and preferred partners to allow the same sort of system developed for stairs to be applied to windows, timber frame doors, traditional box windows, furniture, roofs, conservatories, decorative panels and carvings.
“As a fully-qualified wood machinist I know how time consuming it was to make one-off jobs in the workshop, especially stairs. With the continuous development of CNC machines and software it means that any workshop can still provide the complicated and impressive work that their clients demand,” says Masterwood GB director Dave Kennard.
“Masterwood has many customers in the UK and Ireland producing one-off bespoke joinery, some of it is shown in the pictures here. Over the coming years we hope to see even more of this work as the machines and software become a vital part of any small workshop.”
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