As we use the woodshop, we often come across things that make us think, “Wouldn’t it be nice if…” Or maybe we’ve seen maintenance items that need attention. (If you do see maintenance that needs to be done, please don’t hesitate to bring that to my attention right then and there.) This thread is meant to be kind of a collaborative workspace where we can post ideas for improvement or just stuff that would be cool. It’s not meant as a list of things that will be done, though hopefully we can accomplish some of them. If you have ideas or comments on somebody else’s ideas, let’s list them here. To keep this thread from getting derailed, let’s start another thread specific to the idea to discuss it. Let’s keep it constructive, but that doesn’t mean we can’t point out the downsides of something. And let’s remember that this is a community space, meaning that just because something would be helpful to you, that doesn’t mean that everybody else will agree.
I’ll start:
Dust collector automation - I would like to set up the dust collector so that it turns on automatically when a tool that uses it is turned on. (James has already started to look at how to accomplish this, though his idea differs a bit from mine.)
Fix electrical cords - I know that at one time there were a few cords that were missing ground prongs. To the best of my knowledge, that’s still the case. I see this as a safety issue and intend to fix this immediately
Storage / labeling - the shelves are currently a bit of a mess. I know that labeling does not automatically mean that tools or supplies will get put away, but I hope that if we can do a better job of “a place for everything and everything in its place” maybe it will help all of us spend less time guessing where it might have been put.
Hose reel reorientation - this is something that I have been meaning to do, but clearly hasn’t been a priority. The way the hose reel is currently mounted makes it difficult to wind up the hose. Rotating it 90 degrees so it’s facing toward the shop will let us put a handle on it so that the hose can be easily wound back up.
Clean air filters - we have air filtration in each of the woodshops. This is not the shop vacs or the dust collector, but the rectangular Jet boxes mounted to the ceiling. I know that the one above the shopbot was cleaned a few months ago, but it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a few years.
Add dust collection to the Shop Bot - In a perfect world every machine that produces dust would have some sort of dust collection that grabs 100% of that dust so it never gets into the air. Effective dust collection has always been difficult to accomplish on the Shop Bot. It gets in the way and ultimately gets removed. I believe that some is better than none. Let’s get a dust collector attached to the shop bot so that at least some of the fine dust that currently gets thrown into the air gets grabbed at the source. Even if it doesn’t catch it all, the less that makes it into the air, the less the air filters have to scrub.
Make a list of consumables - maybe this exists somewhere already, but I haven’t seen it. Basically, what I would like to do is make a list of consumables, especially things like blades, and set a quantity to keep on hand for use so that we aren’t having to scramble to get one at the last minute. An example of this being an issue is the Saw Stop brake cartridge. Without one on hand, we have to run to the store when it is needed. I believe we have been getting them from the Big Tool Store, which is fine, but if they are closed, then we are stuck until Monday. With my travel schedule, I might not be able to get there when they are open for days and ordering will typically take at least 2 days via Amazon.
Update tool list on the wiki - over the years we have added tools and some have disappeared. I don’t know what the current status is, so I’d like to update the list and the wiki.
Downdraft table - we have a sanding pad and a dust extractor, but maybe a good addition to the space would be a downdraft table to help keep more dust from getting into the air.
Woodshop machinery toolkit - this would be a set of tools gathered specifically for performing routine maintenance on the machines in the space. Things like the correct Torx bit for carbide inserts, wrenches for changing blades, etc.
Replace spoilboard on Shop Bot - it’s raining today, so it’s a bad day to move MDF, but the existing spoilboard is starting to look pretty used up.
Flatten the assembly table that is not flat - this may not be doable without additional bracing under the table since I think it’ll take a good 3/8", maybe more, to get the table flat. Maybe we can mill away just one end and add a piece of MDF to make up the difference. Looking for ideas to make this table more useful again.
Magnetic switches for machines with moving parts - some of the machinery already will not turn back on if power is removed and then reapplied, but I don’t think this applies to everything.
Paint window latches to make it easier to see if they are latched - one common problem across the whole of MakeICT is windows left open or unlatched. While this won’t help in cases where nobody even looked, making the latches easier to see should make the process of checking faster and easier.
Reduce openable windows to two - in addition to making it easier to see if windows are latched, I would like to seal all but two windows in each space. This will make it even easier to tell if all are closed and latched. It also makes it easier to add some sort of warning if they aren’t.
Add visual or audible indicator to alert that windows are open - I am thinking a light or a buzzer to let the last person out, and thus the person who hopefully turns off all the lights, know that there’s a window not latched. This would likely require a different system for latching, like a deadbolt of some sort.
