Shop

But a shop in dark, it’s really quite dangerous. -Ozzy Ozbourne on safety.

This goes for every machine in the shop:

1. Only operate machines you know how to use.
2. Operate them in ways that you understand.
3. Stay at the machine until it comes to a stop.
4. Understand that if you don’t clean up after yourself: you’re a bad person.

Table Saw

We have a SawStop® 10” Contractor Saw. This table saw is useful for cutting acrylic, and thin wood. If you switch the blade to cut metal make sure you bypass the emergency brake. Metal and some “wet” or green wood can be conductive enough to set off the saw’s brak cartridge. This an expensive mistake that can be avoided.

Materials

Thin wood and acrylic. Upon bypassing the brake cartridge and changing the blade: Thin metal sheets.

Usage

1. Put on safety goggle and ear protection, secure any loose hair, sleeves, jackets, or ties. Do not put on gloves.
2. Flip the red switch on the front panel to the on position. This will cause a green light to start blinking.
3. Wait till the green light is solid then line up your material and proceed cutting!

If the red light flashs or the saw stops un expectedly don’t worry it’s probably not your fault! Just consult the manual and an Instructor for help. It’s better to deal with a pontential issue then to let something sit and have it be a problem later.

Known problems

• If the blade doesn’t start reset the braker on the back of the control panel.

Important notes

Make use of the tools on the table. Try to provide one path for your material to go (forward into and through the blade). Push material through with a firm hand. The blade is spinning towards you and you don’t what the blade to catch on the material and throw it backwards into you.

Here’s the manual.

Drill Press

It’s like a hand drill but it’s much more powerful and accurate. A powerful card in any wood working shop, It can be used for doweling, boring, sanding, and even making square holes! We mostly use it to put holes in metal, wood, and acrylic. It is imperitive to make sure you secure everything you cut. If the drill catches of your material your hands aren’t going to be stronger to the drill.

Materials

Thin wood, acrylic, and metal. Make sure that the bit you’re using is right for the material you’re cutting.

Usage

1. Put on safety goggles and ear protection, secure any loose hair, sleeves, jackets, or ties. Do not put on gloves.
2. Load whatever bit you’re using into the chuck. Make sure that the bit is not at an angle but pointing straight out of the drill. Tighten the chuck onto the bit with the chuck key located on the top right side of the drill press.
3. Clamp your material to the base of the drill press and use the levers to position the drill to cut down through the hole in the base holder. Tightly secure any moving parts.
4. Drill! If you’re using a large bit go very slow. The drill press is more then capable of breaking arylic and or catching on your material and spinning it in a deadly circle.

Known problems

• If the chuck of the drill falls out consult this video to re-install it (Jump to 3 minutes in).

Important notes

Here’s the manual.

There is an attach on the front left side of the drill press for controlling hole depth. Use it!

Make sure you have the drill press spinning before you adjust the speed.

Grinder

The grinder is used to grind down metal fast.

Materials

Only metal.

Usage

1. Put on safety goggles and ear protection, secure any loose hair, sleeves, jackets, or ties. Do not put on gloves.
2. Check that the metal rest is 3mm from the wheel.
3. Spin the wheel a few times to check that the wheel isn’t wobbling.
4. Clamp the grinder to the table. It may seem like it’s heavy enough to not move around but unfortunately it has help from the gyroscopic force.
5. Stand to the side of the wheel and spin it up.
6. Rest your material against the metal rest and grind it!

Known problems

• Nothing yet.

Important notes

Here’s the manual.

Laser Cutter

The laser cutter is an incredibly useful tool for precisely cutting wood and acrylic. The laser itself is in the back left side of the laser cutter pointing toward the front. It is bounced by a mirror on the left side of the x axis towards a mirror in the head which redirects towards your material. Anything that you can laser cut should be laser cut.

Materials

Thin wood and acrylic.

Usage

1. Make a new drawing with the sheet dimensions 600mm x 300mm.
2. Lay all the parts you want to laser cut flat onto it and save it as an Adobe Illustrator file
3. Delete any extra text or hole crosshairs.

Known problems

• Before your auto-z the laser table, check the sevros underneath the table! Sometimes students brush pieces of acrylic off and the land in the piles of grease on top of those servos. This can prevent the laser from auto-z-ing, hurt the servos, and make an awful noise.

Important notes

Here’s the service manual.

If you have trouble understanding a procedure head to youtube. There are plenty of tutorial videos.