Lamello Invisi Fixing kit

[orangetlh]

Hey everyone,
had a rep in today from a company selling the new lamello Invisi system. Have any of you seen it yet? Was astonishing. Basically its a bolt and nut that you sink into either piece to be jointed. The bolt is on a spring so pushes into the nut. Then you get a big magnet on a drill, hold it near the fixing and the magnetic force does the bolt up inside of your piece of wood or worktop or whatever so you see no fixing, and you can take it apart by reversing the drill. Obviously thats a very basic description. It must be a new product in the UK as its not on lamello UK's website yet, although it is on this one

http://www.lamello.com/english/f_start_e2.htm

 

[Scrit]

Thety were showig it at Woodmex 2 years back, although they don't seem to have had much take-up. Possibly a bit priicey

Scrit

 

[tim]

It was in F&C or maybe FWW a year or so ago. Looked fascinating and potentially very useful for shopfitting and hidden fixings but I don't remember a price.

What did the rep say?

Cheers

Tim

 

[Jake]

I had to check the date.

 

[Anonymous]

I had to check the date.

Me too, but it is a few days yet :wink:

 

[orangetlh]

sorry im obvioulsy behind the times here :roll: well i thought it was good anyway. list price was about £450 for the unit and the jigs, then about £28 for 10 normal fixings.

 

[RogerS]

Mmm...so when the wood twists/shifts/winds with humidity/drying out/central heating/whatever and you want to undo it and you can't actually get at the screw...relying solely on the magnetic force to override the additional stresses ....can't see it working myself. :-k

 

[tim]

sorry im obvioulsy behind the times here

I think that Bean and Tony were wondering if its an April Fool.

Cheers

Tim

 

[Jake]

I think that Bean and Tony were wondering if its an April Fool.

Bean was as well?

I love that mind reading, Tim!

 

[Nick Laguna UK]

Hi Orangetlh, I also thought it was very impressive and innovative - agreed. It won't be on the Lamello Uk site, as although we are Lamello agents, the invis system is sold through a seperate company in the UK - They can dedicate the time to this product, good to hear you had someone to show it to you in the flesh - as you have seen, this needs to be demonstrated, and it is aimed at a very specific segment of the market.

Roger, it does work exceptionally well, but it's not really designed for cabinetmaking (Maybe for indecisive cabinetmakers?? I don't know) ). More for shopfitters / temporary stand designers where concealed / easily dismantled joints are priority. As far as I know there has been no issues of 'wood twist' affecting it's performance - From what I have been told, sales have been good around Europe.

Cheers all

Nick - Jet Tools and Machinery Ltd

(In a hotel room overlooking Co.Durham - whay eye man!)

 

[tim]

Bean was as well?

I love that mind reading, Tim!

Long day #-o (homer) (hammer)

Cheers

Tim

 

[orangetlh]

hi Jetman, yes i think it is one of those things that needs to be demonstrated. As the rep said to me its not one of those things you will need all the time, but as ever there will always be a certain job that it would be ideal for. One of the demonstrations that we were shown was for a handrail joint, with a biscuit to stop the joint twisting and just one invis fixing the joint was completely solid. Also fantastic for quick knock up of carcases with end panels as the fixing is very very strong if you use a glue in fixing.

As for timber movement Roger i spose any kind of temporary fixing is going to be prone to stresses of timber movement. A few biscuits in the joint should stop any twist. The chances are you aren't going to need something like this to join solid pieces of timber, rather MFC or mdf or any sheet material, which i can say that it works extremely well and doesn't leave you with any surface fixings. Also the magnet works on a clutch system so it will exert more torque to undo the bolt than to do it up so any stresses built up shouldn't effect the undoing of the bolt.