Dealing with Rubbish

Since the fire ban, we have had a problem getting rid of the shed’s offcuts and waste. In future, when a sessions draws to a close, the material in the small bins around the shop is to be sorted. Clean timber goes to a rubbish bin outside the main access door. General waste to a bin next to where the brooms are kept and sawdust is to be placed in a marked bin in the wood turning annex. The sawdust will eventually be composted by the garden group, the general waste will go to the shed’s wheelie bin and the timber will be given to any member willing to take firewood. We need to get this right. Ahhhh!

Laguna Table Saw

Members sometimes complain that the Laguna table saw mechanism is hard to operate. That is, the raise, lower and tilt functions. The issue is that dust builds up inside the cabinet because the extraction mechanism is inefficient. The answer is to make sure that the sawdust in the cabinet is completely removed regularly. This is not easily achieved by blowing air around. It is better to get a piece of timber and scrape under the cabinet. Give it a try please.

Gouge Sharpening

We have been in the habit of sharpening every wood turning gouge every week. This is time consuming and unnecessary. In future, blunt tools are to be placed in the rack under the notice board. These will be sharpened by either Doug or Ian and returned to the sharp racks. Anyone wanting a lesson on use of the Robert Sorby sharpening system should see Ian.

Circular Saw Blade Sharpening

The new circular saw blade sharpening system works well for most blades. We will sharpen private blades for a donation to defray the cost of replacing the diamond sharpening disc. A couple of dollars is all that we need. See Ian or Tony.

Wood Stocks

Most members, but not all, are playing the game when it comes to donation/paying for wood stocks. This is an important issue as every 18 months or so we ask the shed management committee to fund a bulk stock buy of around $700.00 . We plan to acquire new hoop pine boards in early 2021 so that they have time to air dry before the current pine stocks are depleted. The committee needs to see that we generate sufficient income to justify the outlay. We are probably in front at the moment but treasurer, Stewart, will no doubt be checking.

Safety

There have been very few safety issues lately although we could do better with personal protection which is recommended but not obligatory.

We certainly need to sit up and take notice about the need for face shield wearing and caution in the wood turning area, as a local woodwork group had a very serious, related, accident in their premises recently.

Guard removal is an area for caution. There are circumstances where operations with guard removed is necessary, however, in this shop, it is the obligation of the member using the equipment to return it to guarded condition before moving away from the machine. If in doubt about the validity of what you plan to do, ASK the leader of the day.

As we go through this hot period remember to drink plenty of water. Also remember hygiene issues that surround Covid-19. The problem is suppressed but not entirely gone.