This is a vote for a project - a yes vote is in favor of installing the industrial spindle and disc sanders acquired last year, currently residing in the dungeon. A no vote is in favor of disposing or selling of this equipment.
Discussion on this project can be found here Slack
I vote we install the industrial machines and sell the grizzly so we don’t have to keep replacing it’s terrible plastic gears and spindle threads that gall
I vote yes! ABSOLUTELY yes.
vote yes
I vote No.
Having reliable equipment is essential. We have had to replace parts repeatedly on the existing spindle sander.
I vote yes
I vote yes.
I vote yes to have them installed.
I vote no
I vote yes on the replacement spindle and disk sanders.
The spindle sander is apparently a PITA to dismantle & fix, and when the plastic gear that drives wears out, it is frequently down for months because nobody wants to volunteer to fix it.
Searching slack, I can find numerous posts:
For example:
Replacing this frequently broken machine with something more robust seems like a good idea.
I vote no. Not because I think the sander we have is any good, it’s sucks.
I don’t feel like Hive13 should go casually into owning equipment who’s electrical installation alone costs $1500 in professional services.
Hive13’s lease will expire in approx. 10 years and we will either need to renew at likely a substantially higher rate or we will have to move. Most areas of Hive13 can be shoved into cardboard boxes, thrown in a truck and unpacked somewhere within extension cord distance of a wall outlet.
The wood shop is growing into an area that will require thousands or 10’s of thousands of dollars to relocate.
Spending $1500 on installation of a single device in 2025 WILL damn future HIve13 into spending twice that much in 2035. Disregarding or downplaying this this is not excellent.
We are spending many $10’s of thousands to build out the Hive into the “dungeon”. We have already spent well over $30,000 improving the current space we are in over the last 5 years. The HVAC alone was over $10,000.
Even if we decide not to use these specific tools, the woodshop is the perfect candidate for tools that have higher power usages. Investing in re-usable infrastructure for the next 10 years we will be in the space at $1,500 seems like a bargain.
Unless we stop acquiring tools and just stagnate, the cost of moving in the future seems like a poor argument. Especially when it is at minimum 10 years in the future.
The Hive currently has $147,000 sitting in the bank ( https://finance.hive13.org/ ). Not using the money members have paid to improve the space in sensible ways feels wrong.
The cost of moving this one tool at some future point will be dwarfed by the overall expenses we will have if that does happen.
Implying that we would still have these specific tools in 10 years also supports the argument that these tools will last those 10 years. I don’t think you can say the same thing about our current spindle sander.
Where would we find a box for the new dust collector? Why didn’t we get one to make it easier for they guys that picked it up for us the first time?
It seems like many of us want working tools that do these tasks. And when asked for anyone to provide options of similar level of function and reliability, for ANY cost or power requirements, the response was crickets. Throwing 1% of current cash at the problem to have two usable tools seems like a simple solution.
Industrial disc and spindle sanders, while stationary, can cause serious injuries quickly. They have no guard and no quick stop. My papaw, a skilled and safety-conscious luthier, lost his right index, middle, and ring fingers due to a kickback from an industrial spindle sander. As G mentioned, since certain members have left, I haven’t heard of any issues with our current sanders. I voted no because the risk of injury outweighs the benefits of having the industrial spindle and disc sander.
I vote yes
Quick questions:
This vote is to allocate the $1500 needed to fully & properly install the larger sander, correct?
Is is the sander functional/verified to be working? (I think @Kmcleod used it at his work?)
I vote NO.
The motors are the same power as the grizzly (one HP), and they have the same (but better, because metal instead of plastic and better fitting) guards as the grizzly machine. Given that, there truly is no good-faith argument to be made they are not equally safe. They use 3-phase power, but are not more powerful.
They worked when taken out of service to be donated to Hive13.
The electrical install cost of $1500 was a WORST CASE estimate from an electrician (that I got just because I don’t consider myself qualified to install 480v 3-phase). I’ve since been told that we have most of the cable and breakers and such on hand, so actual expense will be vastly less, nearly zero if one of our members versed in 3-phase panels and plugs volunteers. All of our machines would have scary electrical costs if we took this same approach.
I vote NO.