Expertise and experience are essential requirements for providing a quality service – as Woodtech Machinery demonstrated recently when it responded to a request from fencing and garden products manufacturer Job Earnshaw & Bros Ltd.

The customer wanted to improve the performance of its manually operated Holtec packsaw to reduce operator effort, and initially asked for a quote for it to be fitted with a semi-automatic hydraulic system to provide a more powerful cutting motion. This upgrade would have cost around £6,000 – but Woodtech Machinery, which specialises in cross-cutting technology and represents Holtec in the UK and Ireland, proposed an alternative solution which met the requirements but cost just a few hundred pounds.

Established in 1860, originally as a sawmiller and timber merchant, Job Earnshaw & Bros is now managed by the fifth generation of the founding family. In 1990 the company opened its first fencing outlet and six years later expanded to its present 13-acre site in Midgley near Wakefield, which includes a softwood mill. The company has another operation near Scunthorpe, where it runs a hardwood mill that supplies sawn and machined timber for trade customers – such as oak beams for restoration projects, ash cricket bat blanks and sycamore for the furniture industry.

Both sites have extensive retail areas for fencing and garden products. As well as fencing, benches and pergolas, Job Earnshaw & Bros specialises in the manufacture of gates – from large field gates and decorative gates for driveways to small garden gates.

The mill at Midgley produces mainly fencing materials, both for the company’s own retail needs as well as for supply to trade customers.

“Until recently we employed our own fencing erectors in addition to the 75-strong retail and sawmill workforce,” said director John Earnshaw. “However, earlier this year the directors reviewed the business strategy and decided to concentrate on the core strengths of manufacture and retail. Today fence erection enquiries are passed onto contractors, who subsequently purchase their materials from us.”

The Holtec packsaw at Midgley was originally installed at a third mill that Job Earnshaw & Bros set up to make packs of fencing rails. It was purchased to eliminate the tedious manual end-trimming of boards, which had to be done piece by piece, and proved a highly successful investment. When this mill was closed the saw was taken to Midgley, where it fitted in well with the site’s rail and post operation.

However, the performance was not as good as expected and it was difficult to identify why.

Tracking changes

“It was taking longer to cut packs and we couldn’t really find out why,” said Mr Earnshaw. “The size of packs we were cutting might have been larger than the packs of rails for which we originally specified the saw – it’s difficult to track such changes, but the pack sizes at Midgley have been developed to offer optimum stack height for our on-site treatment plant.

“We made sure the chain was being sharpened correctly and we replaced the bar and realigned the guide frame. All of this resulted in only marginal improvements, so we called in Woodtech to discuss adding a hydraulic system to the saw. We thought this would deliver a more powerful cutting motion and give us higher throughput without increasing the manual effort.”

Upgrading the manual packsaw would involve fitting the machine with a hydraulic system – including a motor, pump, various valves and controls, and a ram to operate the manual lever that is used to raise and lower the chain bar.

After stripping down the machine, inspecting the lubrication system and wear parts, and checking that the alignment was square, Woodtech Machinery’s technical director Bob Pawley explained that the total cost of parts and labour for the requested upgrade would be around £6,000.

“However, from the operator’s description of the problem he was having I didn’t think this would be necessary,” said Mr Pawley.

“We know from experience that if we change a hydraulic model of a Holtec packsaw from chrome chainsaw blades to TCT blades, we have to increase the hydraulic pressure. I therefore suggested that Job Earnshaw & Bros Ltd did the opposite and switch to chrome.”

Chrome blades are less expensive than TCT blades and have a shorter life – but they do seem to cut through the wood more easily. And the change made all the difference.

“The saw cuts faster, with less manual effort required, and it produces a better finish,” said John Earnshaw. “The operator had to be retrained to sharpen the chrome blades because the tooth pattern is different to the pattern on TCT blades, but it’s been well worth it.

“With Woodtech Machinery’s help we’ve solved the problem we were having for just a few hundred pounds, compared with several thousand for the hydraulic upgrade.”

“We are well set up with sawmilling, joinery and timber treatment facilities,” said Mr Earnshaw, “and we intend to expand by continuing to provide quality fencing and garden products to both retail and trade customers.”

It’s difficult to measure the value of expertise and experience – but saving a customer more than £5,000 is a good place to start.