Clearview Midlands November 2013 - Issue 144 | Page 56

CLEARVIEW EXCLUSIVE

timbernews

Craftsmanship meets mass production
Peter Dyer, of Dempsey Dyer, tells Clearview more about the company’s
timber manufacturing process and their ‘Durability by Design’ concept.
According to industry data specialists,
Insight Data, there’s 2,217 timber
fabricators in the UK, which is more than
the total number of aluminium and uPVC
fabricators put together. Of this 2,217, most
are small joinery companies producing
only a handful of windows per week and
supplying customers in their local area.
At the other end of the scale is Pontefract
based Dempsey Dyer. Established in 1977,
Dempsey Dyer produce around 150 timber
windows and doors per week (aside from their
Deceuninck uPVC and ‘timber look’ products)
from their 64,000 sq ft manufacturing facility
and supplies all over the UK and Ireland.
What’s most impressive about Dempsey
Dyer is their attention to detail. Despite
producing timber products in mass volumes,
Dempsey Dyer still offer the hand-made
quality you would normally associate with
a small local joiner. So how does Dempsey
Dyer achieve this balance of artistry and high
volumes? Peter Dyer explains:
Peter Dyer

Note the 7
degree slope.
This stops
moisture
penetrating the
external seals
and rotting
the wood.

The material

The finishing process

“The quality of our work can be traced
back to the material. We only use high
quality timber species such as Accoya, Sapele,
European Oak and European Redwood, all of
which is sustainably sourced.
When the material is delivered, the first
thing we do is check for defects and cut away
any damaged timber. We don’t use pre-profiled
timber; we create all our shapes ourselves with
our in-house developed tools. Not only does
this put us in greater control of the look of
our products, pre-profiled timber has a greater
chance of becoming damaged, meaning we
can reduce waste and improve quality.
Once the profile has been shaped and cut to
size by specialist machinery, we assemble each
frame by hand. The deep joints ensure a longer
lasting frame and each product is then checked
by eye to make sure it meets our meticulously
high standards.

All our products are finished in a separate
room away from the main factory, stopping
any dust or dirt getting into the paint work.
First a base coat is applied by an automated
tracking system.
Once this base coat is dry we de nib with
180 grit sandpaper by hand – another
opportunity for one of our skilled craftsman
to inspect for faults. Two more coats of paint
are then applied, this time by hand, before
it is left to rest in the drying area. Nothing
produces an attractive high gloss finish better
than spraying by hand and it also means we
can cover all the hard to reach areas.
When the frame is dry the glass panes are
mounted, beads are pinned into place and
hardware is applied. The pins are so small
they’re barely visible to the eye so they don’t
detract from the look. Finally the product
is wrapped in protective film and ready for
delivery or collection.
You can see this entire process in our timber
manufacturing video on the Dempsey Dyer
website www.dempseydyer.co.uk/videos. This
video acts as a great sales tool for our trade
customers, as it means they can show their
customers the high level of craftsmanship that
will be going into their new windows, door or
conservatory.

Durability by Design

At Dempsey Dyer we pride ourselves on
manufacturing products that stand the test of
time – a concept we call Durability by Design.
An example of this is the 7 degree slope we
build into all our frames. The slope stops
moisture penetrating the external seals and
rotting the wood.
Once the frame has been assembled we apply
sealant to the end grain– which is the most
absorbent part. This sealant prevents water
damage but at the same time allows the wood
to breathe.

56

NOV 2013

For more information call 01977 649641 or
visit www.dempseydyer.co.uk

To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com