12
NOVEMBER 2013 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
CRAFTSMANSHIP MEETS
MASS PRODUCTION
Peter Dyer, of Dempsey Dyer, tells PRO Installer 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.
What’s most impressive
about Dempsey Dyer is
their attention to detail.
Despite producing timber
products in mass volumes,
Dempsey Dyer still offers
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:
At the other end of the
scale is Pontefract based
Dempsey Dyer. Established
in 1977, Dempsey Dyer
produce around one hundred timber windows and
doors per week (aside from
their Deceuninck uPVC and
‘timber look’ products) from
their 24,000 sq ft manufacturing facility and supplies
all over the UK and Ireland.
“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
The material
‘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’
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.
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 de-
gree 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.
The finishing
process
All our products are finished in a separate room
away from the main factory,
stopping any dust or dirt
getting into the paintwork.
First a base coat is applied
by hand. 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.
Once this base coat is dry
we sand the frame down
by hand, another opportunity for one of our skilled
craftsman to inspect for
faults. Two more coats of
paint are then applied before it is left to rest in the
drying area.
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.
For more information call
01977 649641 or visit
www.dempseydyer.co.uk