Suggestion:
- Wait until after we actually get moved to proceed with this purchase
- Come up with a purchasing priority list for the next say two years.
- Start saving/sequestering funds for the the purchase of capital equipment.
For pieces of equipment where members want to donate towards its prucahs, we’ll need some formal way they they can actually donate money (so we know we actually have it) but it is held in trust until a certain date, if the goal isn’t met by a certain date is returned to the donors. They/we can of course will re-pledge for a new date, For practical reasons there will probably need to be a minimum donation size of $100. The total of what the committee has sequestered and approved plus what is in trust is what is available to bid.
IMO, we should have criteria for what is desired: Not “Oh wow … look at this one!”. I would recommend that there be a “Bid Team” of three, five, whatever, selected by the committee, for say one year terms or the term of the fund, that will be empowered to bid on behalf of the Machine Shop Committee. Should it be 2 out 3 or all 3 must agree? Don’t know, but committee can decide. All members are free to hunt for and propose machines. But when it is time bid or buy we need to be able to act with confidence we have the funds.
But it needs to be done with funds actually available to be paid, not weekly ad hoc bidding sessions of “pledges” not actual cash. This is very doable, but our current approach I think is raising false hopes, until we have at lest $8+K available we really can’t even think we’ll be competitive. $12K-$14K is a more realistic number for something that isn’t a piece of junk.
Have a fund available may also provide us an opportunity to purchase a machine from a company that wants to upgrade. Bonus: we’ll get ti see the machine running, they can take a lower price because there’s no commission plus a lower price because they want to donate. If we have funds, we can actually send out inquiries to businesses that we are interested.
I’ll wholeheartedly support this effort to get a CNC lathe or other piece of equipment, even though it is probably well known I don’t think CNC lathe is a good fit for DMS based on my manufacturing experience. But I’m just one vote, but more than willing to donate, but if we are going to do it, let’s have a real plan and method to do this.