Metalshop walkway idea

Metal Shop
#1

More details on idea of possible metalshop floor usage that I mentioned in a previous cheaper expansion layout idea thread where there could be a walkway going through the middle of metalshop to connect the two workshops, I think this is compatible with the previous final floorplan layout except that it puts some sheet metal equipment next to blacksmithing in the interim. Something to consider for after we have CO and begin using the new suite.

There would be lots of work to implement this including electrical buildout. I think the dust collection system and requirements in woodshop make it impractical to quickly build a walkway through there, a lot of the metalshop tools can easily be moved individually with minimal or no power requirements or dust concerns (like the slip roller, english wheel, shear, tubing benders)

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  • Add 250-300 sq ft of floorspace in new workshop, blacksmithing and sheet metal tools (brake, slip roller, shear, english wheel, tubing bender) would all go into this new floorspace
  • Creates two welding areas in the back of metalshop
  • Material storage, both scrap and committee usage would be along the entire wall but only 2 feet deep, some shallow cantilever material racks could store very long material
  • A common 4’x8’ work table in the middle, likely with a vice or two mounted on it
  • There would be a 10’ wide walkway past the end of cnc plasma to make it easy to both load material and service the cnc plasma
  • Would have to be additional welding curtains around plasma
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#2

This doesn’t work;

as has been stated before to you, the plasma needs about ~18-20 feet of linear clearance; you seem to be missing most of the machine in that footprint, not even just the pull out drawer but the multiple feet of static ventilation ducting that sits behind it. Additionally I’m not sure you have accurate tool footprints for a lot of other things either. Stop by the meeting and see what we actually have to deal with and what’s still inbound. Next one is this Saturday.

We are not mixing scrap and committee storage; we already have a problem with material theft and not going to make it worse.Additionally 2 feet deep is not enough for all of it, we have trouble with the current depth on that wall just with committee needs and now you’re suggesting we add the scrap with it?

This is one of the primary reasons the expansion plan calls for the walkway to be on the woodshop side; our work tables are used for heavy grinding by the non-welders. On top of the UV exposure, noise, and everything else. Metal shop was left as a full, isolated room for a lot of reasons.

you again don’t have the right footprint, this would need to be corrected. You don’t even have the crash cart nor plasma unit factored into this footprint.

which cannot include tools; we explicitly have two different toolboxes because we do not want people going in and out of the welding areas for the more basic metal shop tools.

Using this for scale of your drawing, here is what is additionally immediately visible as inaccurate measurements;

  • powder coating oven
  • plasma
  • bandsaw
  • vapor hone
  • our various tool cabinets and how they fit

Please, leave metal shop to the people running it, or at the least learn about the equipment for proposals like these.

Some other notes before I jog off:

  • would need to run new three phase for the powder oven in that location
  • would need to run new power for the work table
  • would need more spacing around the vapor hone to factor in the door opening and water collection
  • you need to account for space for the water buffalo
  • there is no PPE space by the entries in your drawings, an absolute no-no

Regards,
-Jim

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#3

IMO doing something like this seems like the only way metalshop could take advantage of more floorspace, I doubt the Marlow expansion final layout will ever actually be implemented.

#4

the walkway needs to come from woodshop, otherwise there simply isn’t enough space. Putting the walkway through metal would actually cause an overall reduction in floor space, even with blacksmithing and the sheet metal tools out.

Additionally that’s a lot of dangerous foot traffic considering the shop was supposed to stay isolated.

#5

Not to mention, the committee already has trouble getting people to wear protective eyewear when they are INTENTIONALLY in the space. Fat chance people would do so “passing through”. Until, of course, that metal shard puts their eye out. Or their retinas are irreparably damaged by the laser.

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#6

Or some hot metal fuses a polyester shirt to the passerby’s skin.

For some perspective I attached some rough measurement photos just on where the proposed walkway would end and how much room it would leave for other things.

Assuming a 10’ walkway and the current spacing for the committee metal (which, as was mentioned, is actually currently too small), it would mean there isn’t even room to put a work table and plasma in that orientation even if the plasma fit like that, since 10’ in from where the walkway edge would be bumps right up against the welding curtain. (Let alone what an8’ work table, or even a 6 footer plus the 6’ of clearance the plasma needs in the shorted dimension. And we still don’t even have the plasma torch, crash cart, nor a lot of other things on this diagram.

This is so out of whack proportionally and practically that it baffles me people complain when I tell them to learn about the goings on or show up before trying to keep sending proposals or tell us how to run the shop.

Where the walkway would end in the proposed 10’ (13-14’ from the end of the shop wall):

IMG_20190403_213810
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10’ between the walkway edge and the welding curtain (23-24’ total from the end of the shop wall):

IMG_20190403_213839
IMG_20190403_213839.jpg3024×4032 3.61 MB

This would be a massive reduction in shop space and cause significant safety concerns without spacing around the equipment nor passerbys

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#7

Thanks for the feedback, I agree this was a bad idea

A random picture of a much less capable metalshop from december 2016 that was part of thought process initially:

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#8

yeah panoramas are great for everything except getting a sense of scale.

Stop by sometime and take a peek at the current situation. We actually have a committee meeting and work day this Saturday at noon.

Cheers,
-Jim

#9

Yeah, I looked at that and was like WOW, we used to have so much room! Then I realized it was all a trick of the lens. (unless the walls have moved on us lol)

#10

A walkway through metal shop idea…again. I truly don’t know if this is a troll, but the title of the post should make it clear that it is either that, or a very bad idea.

#11

Probably better to move woodshop directly into the entire north east workshop(an 8,500 sq ft woodshop vs current ~1,400), use previous woodshop area as project storage, and all other large committees (auto, machine shop, fired arts, metalshop, blacksmithing, laser) stay in current locations. That avoids multi step years long expensive coordinated moves, obviously moving just one committee would be much cheaper than building out and moving every committee. (In general I’m advocating throwing the existing plan in the garbage and determining a faster approach that wont take years to implement, a hard ‘plexit’)

#12

… and rename it Dallas Woodshop Space. :roll_eyes:

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