Valuable time saver

STUART Groves Furniture of High Wycombe has been making bespoke furniture and “anything anybody wants in wood” for the past 20 years or more. Recently, owner Stuart Groves invested in a refurbished gluesetter purchased from Alan Lamont.

Stuart’s relationship with Alan goes back five years, when his existing gluesetter was in need of repair. He went first of all to the company he had purchased it from, but was told that it was no longer trading as the owner had died. Following up on a personal recommendation, he contacted Alan Lamont, and this was the beginning of a long-term business relationship.

Alan had repaired the previous gluesetter on several occasions, and Stuart says: “He is the chap I always turn to for advice on them. I trust him to give me impartial advice. The glue welder I had before was not one he had supplied, but he gave me honest advice regarding it.” So when the time came that Alan advised Stuart that parts for his existing gluesetter were no longer readily available, and that it might cost more to repair in the future than it was actually worth, Stuart was more than happy for Alan to bring down some refurbished gluesetters from Scotland for him to have a look at. From these, he selected one to purchase.

Stuart says, “Alan is not a chap to give a hard sell. If I had chosen to carry on with the old one, he would have continued to do the repairs. And from those he brought with him to the demonstration, I could have had a cheaper machine if I had wished.”

The gluesetter is a valuable time saver in Stuart’s workshop. “It is quick to set the glue off and it’s simple to operate. It does a good job. You don’t have to wait for ages for the glue to go off and stack cramped pieces all around the workshop: you can just cramp it, zap it, lift it up and put it in a stack.”  It is known in the workshop as ‘Frank’ after Frank Zappa …

Stuart says that it is used for a wide variety of projects: “Anywhere we need to set off glue quickly: cramping up joints, lippings and doors, etc, so we can reuse the cramps. In fact, we are just getting an air cramp to really take advantage of it.”

Asked if he would recommend the product, Stuart replied, “Yes, and I would recommend Alan as well. He is such a good chap: you can ring him any time for advice and he will do his best to help you. He will put himself out to come down and demonstrate the machine. You are still under no obligation (apart from a moral obligation, as he has come down all the way from Scotland!). He is knowledgeable and, if you have a problem, he will do his damnedest to sort it out.”

This article first appeared in the June/July 2013 issue of Panel, Wood & Solid Surface.