February 25, 2019
Brampton Woodworks is an English carpentry workshop that specializes in building wooden footbridges and footpath signs. They have worked on interesting projects such as the Hadrian's Wall Footpath, a 84 mile coast-to-coast path that follows Hadrian’s famous wall and winds through the Roman settlements and forts along the way.
Brampton Woodworks also supplied the signs and bridges for the Cumbria Coastal Way, a 182-mile-long footpath that passes by scenery such as the red sandstone cliffs of St. Bees Head. Thanks to the countless wooden signs and footbridges, travelers are able to explore the idyllic English countryside.
Recently, the number of orders from local authorities was increasing and they needed to purchase a new sawmill which would increase capacity and boost productivity. After thorough research they settled on the new Wood-Mizer LX450. “We found that the LX450 offered us larger capacity, we can put larger saw logs on,” says Robert Jeffrey, owner of Brampton Woodworks.
Launched in 2017, the LX450 offers wider cutting capacity than Wood-Mizer’s traditional narrowband sawmill range. It also features a rigid xFRAME mast that travels on twin steel bars and holds the sturdy sawmill head.
“We like the idea of the twin rail, we like the idea of the stability of the head,” Robert says.
Robert noticed that since implementing the LX450 their production costs have decreased. “We do less sharpening and less setting. The purchase cost for blades aren't that different to what we were paying before, but I think the fact that they last longer makes them similarity priced to the previous saw or even cheaper,” Robert mentions.
The LX450 also improves their timber recovery.
“We used to oversaw five to six millimeters to make sure that we could take two to three millimeters off on the planer and end up with our final dimension. Now we oversaw only two millimeters and we take one off on the planer. So that reduced both the time and the waste.”
Robert’s favorite features that he uses is the LX450’s electronic setworks. “We try to maximize every aspect of the log, to get every little bit. The setworks enables me to constantly change the cut programs and alter what I want to get out of that log.”
Robert is looking forward to expanding his business even more with his new equipment. He is also keen to recommend the LX450 sawmill to others. “If you’re machining larger logs, you can't fault it,” he says.
