Joined-up working in the wood yard Jointed: Sue Taylor, a director of AA Taylor, and joiner machinist Kevin Judge who is trained to use both innovative and traditional methods of carpentry at the company's Brighton workshops.
A timber company is going against the grain to market a new concept in wood jointing. Brighton-based AA Taylor has been using an innovative mitre-jointing processing machine to speed up manufacturing alongside traditional carpentry at the company's timber mill and joinery near London Road station. The machine secures pieces of wood together using metal chevrons and glue - a much faster and cheaper process than hand-worked joinery methods. Director Sue Taylor said: "The system joins timber without any external evidence of the nature of the bond. The wood is held firm by internal metal chevrons which are driven into the centre of the wood, by a pressure of 140 pounds per square inch, to act as a brace. "Extra bonding comes from hot melt glue which is also forced into the joint before the bond is sealed. The system eliminates unnecessary end grain exposure, resulting to a longer-lasting product."It comes with a computer package to help control operations.
	Mrs Taylor said: "We can look at how to allocate each job by inputting the details into the computer. The application gives information on the specification of the task in hand, moulds needed and costs for the job. "It can even work how many hours are needed to manufacture a given piece." AA Taylor is one of 40 joinery manufacturers around the country to have adopted the mitre system.Mrs Taylor said: "The investment has been well worth the effort. I am sure many architects, builders and people in the domestic market will move towards using this technology when they realise its benefits. "We can turn around an order from initial request to finished painted product within three days, which is considerably quicker than can be achieved doing all the work in our joinery."We can also train semi-skilled workers to operate the machinery with precision, which offers us more opportunity for employment." The company has found the system effective for creating doors, windows and conservatories.	Mrs Taylor said: "It's a versatile system, the results of which can be used in conservation areas. "We have used it for several jobs approved by the city council although isn't suitable for somelisted buildings where the work has to be reproduced to match existing specifications. "This system has opened up a whole new range of business but we will also continue to offer highly-skilled hand- crafted joinery from our workshops. We have no intention of turning our backs on the traditional skills we have used since we opened 80 years ago."We are just making sure we keep an eye on the future." AA Taylor, founded by Arthur Albert Taylor in 1921, celebrates its 80th anniversary this month. Mrs Taylor runs the family business with her husband, Andy, grandson of the company founder.

Reproduced with kind permission of The Argus
Extract orginally printed 9^th October 2001.
Words by Alix Macfarlane. Picture by Andy Lowe.

FAMILY AFFAIR:Bryan Sheppard, left, Sue, second left, and Andy Taylor, right and their workforce who are celebrating 80 years in business
A family-owned joinery firm is celebrating 80 years in business. AA Taylor was founded by Albert Arthur Taylor in a workshop in Porthall Road, Brighton, in November 1921 and has expanded from a one-man operation to a team of ten. The firm was later run by Albert's son, Denis, who was responsible for its modernisation with the introduction of updated machinery. The company is now housed in a former stables block in Shaftesbury Place,	near London Road station, and run by Denis' son Andrew and his wife Sue. Projects the firm has worked on include supplying bedheads for the summer palace of the Sultan of Oman and fitting out the Royal Pavilion shop, the box office at the Dome and Donatello Restaurant and providing new windows at Newhaven Fort. Mr Taylor said the firm had worked in most of the biggest building in the Brighton area. For 42 years, it had been the workplace of machinist Bryan Sheppard.	Other members of staff with long-service records were David Peach, 30 years, and Alf Williams, who is due to retire next year after 26 years. Mrs Taylor said: "To stay ahead we have had to keep up with technology, even in a traditional business like this. "We still rely heavily on traditional skills and tools but have recently installed a system called mitre master, which enables the speedy, high-performance and top-quality manufacture of fully-finished windows, doors and conservatories.	"We have a spray paint system which uses a micro-porous water-based paint or stain. "We work closely with builders, architects, local authorities and building-owners to iron out problems before they occur." Working with large quantities of wood puts an obligation on firms to adopt environmentally-sound policies. Mrs Taylor said: "Our policy is to source all the timber we use from importers who operate a sustainable, managed forest programme in the country of origin. "Plastic is used a lot these days for	windows and doors but timber from managed forests is much less harmful to the environment. "Plastic causes pollution in its manufacture and its disposal and it doesn't last as long as wood. "We like to promote the view of Mark Strutt, of Greenpeace, who said timber's environmental performance was far superior to plastic. "The company has done well over the past 80 years and we are all looking forward to celebrating our centenary."

Reproduced with kind permission of The Argus
Extract orginally printed 20^th November 2001.
Words by Keith Winsper. Picture by Jim Holden.

Timber windows get Greenpeace backing
Greenpeace is urging architects and specifiers to use timber windows rather than PVCu. Speaking at the Windows for the Future conference in London last week Mark Strutt of Greenpeace said that timber's environmental performance was 'far superior' to plastic. The conference, hosted by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), attracted more than 100 people - including architects, specifiers and window manufacturers. Dozens more were on the waiting list. Mr Strutt, who leads Greenpeace's campaign against toxics, said: `In the long term the use of timber is going to develop, with forest certification schemes having the backing of environmental groups and the public.' He said massive marketing by the PVCu industry had helped it comer the market whereas timber's advantages were largely understated.	Greenpeace's message to architects and specifiers at the Windows for the Future conference
	And he reported increasing opposition in Europe to PVCu use because of its toxic ingredients. Mr Strutt praised the BWF for using the environmental issue to promote its accreditation scheme members. BWF director Kevin Cubbage said the conference had reminded the industry of the need to focus on quality and performance. He said: `I have no doubt that timber windows will increase	their market share. But we have to make sure that increase is accompanied by improved quality' • A recent DETR report says timber windows are more environmentally friendly than timber ones and the European Parliament is calling for plastic to be disposed of separately from other waste because of its potential environmental hazards.

Reproduced with kind permission of 'TTJ'     Extract originally printed 5^th May 2001.

© AA Taylor Limited 2002