Gary Tuddenham explains how a new Biesse Rover A CFT is helping Parabola Workshops keep pace with demanding high end commissions for the superyacht industry
Making show-stopping, one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture for the owners of luxury yachts may sound like a dream job to any furniture maker who’s never done it, but the work is exceptionally demanding, time critical and every commission is a prototype.
It’s a very specialised, niche sector, served by a rarefied group of detail-conscious craftsmen. It demands out-of-the-box thinking from a wide gamut of different disciplines ranging from veneer laying to metalwork – and much of what they do is covert.
Parabola Workshops, owned by Gary Tuddenham, has been catering for the demands of the superyacht sector since 2013. Although his workshop is small and much of the work involved is carried out by hand, out of necessity it is equipped with highly flexible machinery, including a seven axis robot milling cell and an all-singing-all-dancing Biesse Rover A, which was delivered last March.
“We do everything here,” Gary explained. “We don’t subcontract anything out because we have to keep tight control of every aspect. We only ever make one-offs and they can be very complex. There are only two of us, so we tend to get the more specialised pieces to make, like dining tables, bars, or special panelling for staircases or around the bed head in the owner’s suite.
“The Biesse machine takes all of the complicated jigs and all the donkey work out of the process. When we’re doing the handwork, it’s all finishing. We need to spend time on the veneering, making sure that’s perfect. Before we bought the Biesse, we were routing MDF templates to make curved panels, then trimming and laminating. It’s really time consuming work, but the machine does all of it in a tenth of the time.”
Gary Tuddenham - Owner
Parabola’s new Rover A is a five-axis machine with a semi-automatic Setup Assist worktable, a nine-position drilling unit, a 25-position combined tool-changer that includes 13 tools in a revolving unit, automatic tool measuring for tools of up to 130mm in diameter and, critically, a 10ft x 5ft matrix table with modular Convertible Flat Tables and pop-up stops ensure accurate positioning. The CFTs enable Gary to create the bed size he needs for each job, set two very different jobs up at once and switch seamlessly from one to the other. It’s even equipped with an automatic offcut removal system; a belt conveyor that transports sawdust and chips to a pull-out drawer for easy disposal.
Gary confirms this is the third Biesse machining centre he’s bought in the last 11 years and he’s delighted with it. When the new Rover A with the Convertible Flat Table became available, we decided to change up. Our new Rover A is set up so it’s half pod and rail and half CFT. I was a bit sceptical at the start; I didn't think it would be that good, but it’s totally changed the way we do things.
“There was a lot of set up time on the flatbed to jig things up, put pods on, put clamps on. With a pod and rail system, it’s so easy and quick. Because I’ve got both options, I can be making a complicated five axis piece on the pods, then change over instantly to nesting on the CFT. There’s no setup time. It’s immediate. Before, I could have lost half an hour swapping over between the two.”
Gary freely admits Biesse’s five-year Total Care warranty and maintenance programme was a big factor in his decision to buy his third machine from Biesse but it wasn’t the only one: “I just like the Biesse machines,” he says. “I’ve looked at others but I’m always drawn back to Biesse. I like how they work and how they go about doing things as a company. I suppose I’ve got used to Biesse – and you do get looked after well. The service is brilliant.