Oak framing company TJ Crump Oakwrights, which specialises in bespoke homes, has installed one of the most advanced beam processing machines in the world as part of a £1m investment.
The Hundegger K2i is the first K2 produced by the German machinery supplier that incorporates three heads; two four-axis and one five-axis. Oakwrights’ existing K2 bought six years ago has one five-axis head.
“It is special to us. We wanted a machine that could cut and chamfer the tenons so that they slip more easily into the mortice. Previously we were doing this by hand,” said Oakwrights managing director Tim Crump.
“Other people in oak framing are mainly concerned with more modular buildings, such as garages, but all our buildings are bespoke and so we have all kinds of complicated work.
“Our order book is very healthy. Now we can respond to the peaks. We can have a huge load of oak come in and get it through to the manual operation more quickly.”
Throughput has also been improved. The two K2s and four-sided planer have been set up in a new purpose-built workshop and the framing operation previously at three locations has been consolidated on site. Two 80ft overhead cranes have also been installed.
The company, which employs 60 and has a turnover of £6m, is based in Hereford and produces 50-60 homes a year, from cottages to manor houses.
