The Elcon Advance vertical panel saw has taken the weight out of processing large panels for North East-based Restylers. Specialising in kitchen and bedroom refurbishments, owner-operator Bill Knott manufactures replacement doors, wardrobes and bespoke interior projects.
Bill found handling and sawing jumbo sheets on his own taxing using his old traditional wall saw. Something had to change, and he found the solution with the Elcon Advance from sole UK & Ireland distributor, Daltons Wadkin.
With most vertical panel saws, boards are cut from the top working down. Horizontal strips are first sawn prior to rotating the head and crosscutting each strip to finished component size. This method requires the operator to use their trailing hand or wedges to support the strip while being cut to prevent it pressing back onto the blade. Not such a problem with smaller sheet sizes, but when working large panels, the weight and height can be awkward for a single operator to handle. This was the key challenge Bill faced on a daily basis.
The Elcon Advance system turns the cutting process on its head. Two or more high-capacity clamps secure the board from the top taking its entire weight, thus allowing the operator to saw the material starting from the bottom. Strips are cut and remain seated on the base of the machine. Each strip can be immediately crosscut to finished dimensions with no double handling of material or additional operators to assist. The remainder of the board stays securely held by the panel clamps waiting for the next strip to be cut.
“It’s made it a lot easier, and a lot quicker,” comments Bill. “When you get to being an old fella’ like me, you want to make everything as easy as possible!”
As with all Elcon panel saws, the Advance provides operators with a safe, accurate and reliable cutting solution. Featuring a 300mm diameter blade, pneumatic saw plunge and double cut scoring, the Elcon Advance has been designed for heavy duty, large capacity cutting of material up to 80mm thick. The Advance can be configured with a range of additional options for processing wood-based panels, composites, plastics, non-ferrous metals and more.
Watch the YouTube interview with Bill Knott here: https://youtu.be/6VUMDpDJJJg
For more information on the Elcon range of vertical panel saws, contact Daltons Wadkin on 0115 9865201, email [email protected] or visit www.daltonswadkin.com
