Oxford-based reclaimed timber furniture manufacturers, Splinters, bought an Elcometer P600 timber metal detector from Elcometer after suffering a succession of costly setbacks when saw blades struck metal in the timber they were using. The fIrm, which has been in existence for 15 years, makes furniture, kitchens and fire surrounds from reclaimed wood. Mr Philip Crowther said:

"Before we came across Elcometer, we had tried other metal detectors but none of them were as deep-seeking as the P600. They could cope with metal near the surface but nothing deeper down than that. - Also, the P600 will pick up minute pieces of metal like the ends of nails. We had a lot of trouble before, not just on our own equipment. We sometimes contracted out sawing or planing. Not only did we have to pay them for their blades if they broke or were damaged but we were paying for their lost working time at the rate of £30 an hour. Sometimes they would insist that we went over to check the wood before they would continue"

But Splinters have not encountered such problems since they acquired the Imp. If checking is done correctly and systematically then they have found the Imp 100% accurate and would recommend it to anybody working with wood that is likely to contain metal. It is not only old nails etc that they have found in the reclaimed timber they have purchased.

"We had a load of timber from the old British Leyland Cowley works recently, including some roofing timbers which were 8"x 4". When we came to check those over with the Imp we found a bullet in one of the beams. I know they made munitions there during the War, but there was no sign of an entry point. It could be that it had been shot into the tree and the tree had grown round it. But the Imp found it."

Although they work wholly indoors, staff at Splinters also appreciate the Elcometer P600's ability to cope with temperature changes and other environmental factors. Mr Crowther concluded:

"Basically, we just couldn't do our job without the Elcometer P600."

Splinters