Automotive Meeting & Chair Election (2019-10-30)

Automotive
#1

Automotive meeting is scheduled for Oct 30th @ noon. It will be the required Chair election as well.

Tom (@TLAR) is stepping down; I’ve decided I apparently hate myself and like a challenge. If elected, first orders of business getting more involved:

  • get an RFID on the lift (we have almost everything to be able to get it setup; the more egregious offences in automotive recently are heavy lift users)
  • evaluate and deal with some of the equipment that has been left in auto for one reason or another (like the piston head grinder; last I heard it doesn’t even work and it was brought by a member. I’d like to confirm both and see what to do with it)
  • find a monthly time to make meetings more regularly scheduled
  • Put some markings on the floor around the machine shop egress that goes into automotive marking the fire zone to mitigate cart obstructions (we’ve been called out by the FM for this, I’d like to not get on their bad side)

Things I’d like to see discussed:

  • Something to help those grandfathered before auto 101 was required understand some of the more important shop rules. There is no signage for the biggies, and some are not obvious (like the egress blocking rules, pulling into the bays completely, etc). I’d suggest either more signage, or we can make a little crash-course video/online training (<30min, just the important stuff) that people can peruse on their own time.
  • Discuss a potential sponsorship for the commonly replaced items (10mm sockets don’t exist we totally never loose sockets). I’d talked with Summit at one point and I was asked to go in at a time to meet with one of the higher ups in this area. I think it’s something worth pursuing.

Cheers,
-Jim

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#2

I’d like to thank Tom for doing an awesome job!
And toss my support behind the electee. Automotive existing is a huge part of why I joined Makerspace (even though I never seem to be able to get in there and DO anything!) and I want to do whatever little I can* to make it successful! :+1:
* that might be moral support only

6 Likes
#3

I’d like to add my hat to the moral support only ring.

7 Likes
#4

Thanks Tom for heading up Automotive all these years (many many months?). Jim has done an excellent job chairing Metal Shop, and has my vote for Automotive.

3 Likes
#5

You have my VOTE!!!
The “piston head grinder” is actually an old valve refacing tool but is missing key components - feel free to do as you wish with it.
For those that are curious - here is a link to how a similar machine would have been used.


The other contraption(on the left) is a bandsaw blade welder - that tool is a project for another committee.
4 Likes
#6

Meeting concluded; the minutes are on the wiki here: https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Automotive_Committee_Meeting_20191030

and produced below for convenience:

Time, location

2019-10-30 12:00 Dallas Makerspace

Attendees

  • Jim Hartnett
  • Chuck Graff
  • Allen Wan
  • Jason Ottwell
  • Thomas Stilwell
  • Don Parker
  • Jack Willamson

Formal Votes

  • Jim Hartnett voted for Chair, with option for confidence vote in one month (due to odd meeting time) - Unanimous
  • Allocate up to $1500 for repair of the lift hydraulic bushings by a professional service tech - Unanimous

Items Discussed

  • There is no official Automotive 101 curriculum, despite being required. Those attempting to teach it previously met with resistance by certain individuals. We all agreed to make a new curriculum in a G Suite Team Drive for both collaboration and ensuring everyone always has the latest copy.
  • Before putting an RFID on the lift, we are going to implement a process to smoothly handle the potential volume of users that are not properly categorized in Active Directory, yet have the lift training.
  • Agreed to move the sockets back to a raw bin system. Jim Hartnett volunteered to donate bins and begin process.
  • Discussed various signage changes and improvements
  • Discussed expansion briefly; documentation on what was provided to expansion committee prior to discussion was unknown. Further discussion will take place once those on the committee can determine what has been done, what needs to be done, etc.

Meeting adjourned

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