Laser offcuts organisation

[Tony Short]

With the much appreciated assistance of Ian on the bandsaw, I have been sorting out the wood/plastic offcuts in the small laser room.

I ran out of time this evening to finish the job, but will be back Friday afternoon to complete the task. Apologies for the slightly disorganisation, which I have attempted to minimise before leaving tonight.

T

[Tony Short]

I have done a lot more organisation over the weekend. The offcuts are now sorted into material/thickness/size and in a temporary storage configuration.

I would request that people don't chuck waste in the boxes. I found this addition on Sunday that is obviously waste!

I am thinking that if people think its too difficult to decide what is usable and what is not, we may have to have a separate bin for 'recycling' that can be processed and returned to the offcuts accordingly.

T

[Tony Short]

     

Just a quick photo update of where things currently stand.

Offcuts are in a temporary configuration where they previously lived, albeit organised into bins. Small wooden offcuts are currently hanging out on the bench next to the 3d printer.

Personal stores of material are now all under the 3d printer bench, please have a look to see whether it needs to be kept there as some packages seem to be mostly waste material.

The paid for materials are where they have always been, minus any personal caches.

T

On Friday, 29 July 2016 01:08:49 UTC+1, Tony Short wrote:

[Richard Ibbotson]

Thanks, Tony

 

Solid progress, but room still seems rather cluttered. Did we get the room layout wrong ? The idea was that is should be used for machining tasks, but it seems people prefer or need to use it for a larger proportion of their workflow. When we add people working and the people passing through it seems the layout might be improved, but not sure how.

 

Could the wooden offcuts go in one of the bottom pedestal drawers or we make some better under counter storage ?

 

Maybe personal material might be better stored in other upstairs or downstairs rooms, or off-site. Maybe even the the stock does not need to be in that room ?

Richard

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[Alex Gibson]

Thanks for doing the tidying of stock and offcuts Tony.

 

I need to use the laser cutter today and will sort through my own ‘stash’ but I believe it’s all needed.

 

Bit worried to see that my biggest stock sheet, which was 100% out of the way in dead space above the now moved cupboard, is now sticking right where anyone using the 3D printer would put their feet…!  But I can deal with it today.

 

As you mention Richard, people do often use the room for more of the workflow – this works well at quiet times and much less well when there is contention. 

 

As ‘room monitor’ I will have a look today and see what can be done to improve workflow.

 

Question – do we already have some sort of shared filestore?  So, I could do some prep work on a PC in the main room, save the file, then pick it up from the laser cutter or 3D printer PC, and cut it?  I know this can be achieved with a memory stick, but having a network storage area would be nice. 

 

Alex

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[Ryan .]

So good Tony, Thanks all others as well. 

As for shared storage, too many ways to do it. Whoever gets there first, pick any single one method, make it work, document it, done. No discussion required lol beware bikeshedding! :) 

Awesome, keep being awesome

R

[Tony Short]

Increasingly the main room is full so the small room needs to be more hot desk friendly. Plus there are some jobs that need a specific space that is not catered for by the main room. 

Personally I would like to see a big plan chest somewhere which could double up as a taller working surface. Just need to find one that's not ridiculously expensive!

The current status of stuff is temporary, just trying to clean up and get an idea of quantities of stuff so storage can be better planned.

T

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[The Original Gavin]

+1 great work Tony.

I think it would be great if we could sort some better storage under the worktops so that the pedestal and off-cut bins are tucked underneath them rather than taking up floor space. It gets crowded in there on a Weds, and I'd bet during Matt's training sessions too, and as things stand it is a bit of a trip hazard.

I also think we need to think again about personal storage. Last time I looked, the spare space under the 3d printer worktop was rammed with personal stock. This would surely be more safely stashed in, say, the upstairs cupboard or offsite if its use is not imminent- save any of it getting damaged / accidentally used.

[Alex Gibson]

The current method, already documented elsewhere:

 

Pay-for stock is under the Shapeoko, now beautifully organised, thanks Tony J  This should all be priced up so people can just dive in and use it without feeling they have to ask someone.

 

LARGE usable Offcuts go in the containers under the mural.  These MUST BE CUT DOWN by the person putting them in the bins – too often what started off as big sheets get put there which do have usable offcuts worth keeping – but are mostly fiddly bits below the threshold to keep.  I am a hoarder, but if you personally don’t want to take a moment to cut it down to usable pieces and sort it, bin it, don’t use the offcut containers as an alternative bin. It encourages the ‘throw-away’ crowd to see the whole lot as rubbish and bin it.

 

SMALL usable offcuts are in the linbins – this could be improved a  lot. 

ALL offcuts are free to use – just pay for your laser time.

 

PERSONAL stock is under the 3D printer desk and must be in a NAMED container and NOT sticking out.

 

---

 

This has been mostly working for some time, Tony’s sorting of the stock can only help, and PLEASE we need people to treat offcuts as a valuable resource only.

 

I think we need a bigger bin for the room, to help discourage stuff being chucked in the offcuts which shouldn’t be.  Ryan are you happy to fund a bin if I get one? 

 

Finally, anyone have any requests for new laser cutter or 3d printer stock?

 

I don’t see many requests for stock, and I do see more personal stashes appearing – we can buy more for less collectively, I know Tony is working on a materials system, and I’ve proposed systems before – but the basics are to let me/Scott know what you want and by when, and we sort out a group buy.  Is this something people are keen on, or unsure about?  

 

Cheers

[Ryan .]

I meant data storage eg Dropbox.

[The Original Gavin]

I think the info (in Alex's post) could be usefully printed out and put on the wall in the small machine rm. Else there's a risk that new members will be unaware that there are some basic ground rules in place.

Re: the large offcut bin, pedestal and personal storage, in my opinion - and this is only a suggestion - it would be much better if the amount of personal storage in there was limited to allow the pedestal, and if possible, the large offcut bin, to go under the worktop.

More generally, I wonder if a note about personal storage needs to be put on the new members page. Before Xmas we hit a bit of a crisis in the main room where well-intentioned clutter grew to the point where it made the room uncleanable. Similarly there has been a clear out downstairs to make room for new kit.

I don't think we ought to go down the route of having an admin-heavy storage request system, but do think we need to be alive to the fact that we have 70-odd members sharing the space in a small industrial unit. Adherence to some basic, agreed ground rules could make the place run better in a 'just turn-up and use' kind of way.

[Ian Petrie]

I would suggest that the sewing machine upstairs could be disposed of. We have four machines downstairs that can cover a wide range of materials from voile to leather.

[Alex Gibson]

Hmmm…

 

I need to repair some clothes.  Is that not the only sewing machine suitable for the job?  In either case could someone handy with clothes repair give me a little crash course please?

 

Thanks

Alex

 

From: reading-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:reading-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ian Petrie
Sent: 02 August 2016 18:07
To: Reading Hackspace
Subject: [RDG-Hack] Re: Laser offcuts organisation

 

I would suggest that the sewing machine upstairs could be disposed of. We have four machines downstairs that can cover a wide range of materials from voile to leather.

--

[Alex Gibson]

Thinking along the same lines, I already have a set of notices printed to put up today :)

They fall below the bar Tony has set for signage - but can be used as v0.1

Cheers
Alex

-----Original Message-----
From: reading-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:reading-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of The Original Gavin
Sent: 02 August 2016 17:53
To: Reading Hackspace
Subject: RE: [RDG-Hack] Re: Laser offcuts organisation

[Alex Gibson]

Tony – this is the text content of the note I’m putting up. Could we collaborate on a sign for each area?

 

LASER STOCK USER GUIDE

 

Pay-for stock is sorted under the Shapeoko,

Pieces should be individually priced up

You can dive in and use it – don’t feel you have to ask someone –just put the marked price in the honesty jar.

 

LARGE usable offcuts go in the containers under the mural.   Size guide is on the wall above the small laser.

These MUST BE CUT DOWN by the person putting them in the bins – too often what started off as big sheets get put there which do have usable offcuts worth keeping

HOARDERS - if you personally don’t want to take a moment to cut it down to usable pieces and sort it, bin it, don’t use the offcut containers as an alternative bin. It encourages the ‘throw-away’ crowd to see the whole lot as rubbish and bin it.

CHUCKERS – Please give fair warning and consider that others value scraps as useful material.

 

SMALL usable offcuts go in the linbins –

ALL offcuts are free to use – just pay for your laser time.

 

PERSONAL stock is under the 3D printer desk and must be in a NAMED container and NOT sticking out.  Don’t use this unless you have asked the owner.

 

 

 

From: Alex Gibson [mailto:al...@alexgibson.net]
Sent: 02 August 2016 17:02
To: 'reading-...@googlegroups.com'
Subject: RE: [RDG-Hack] Re: Laser offcuts organisation

 

The current method, already documented elsewhere:

 

Pay-for stock is under the Shapeoko, now beautifully organised, thanks Tony J  This should all be priced up so people can just dive in and use it without feeling they have to ask someone.

 

LARGE usable Offcuts go in the containers under the mural.  These MUST BE CUT DOWN by the person putting them in the bins – too often what started off as big sheets get put there which do have usable offcuts worth keeping – but are mostly fiddly bits below the threshold to keep.  I am a hoarder, but if you personally don’t want to take a moment to cut it down to usable pieces and sort it, bin it, don’t use the offcut containers as an alternative bin. It encourages the ‘throw-away’ crowd to see the whole lot as rubbish and bin it.

 

SMALL usable offcuts are in the linbins – this could be improved a  lot. 

ALL offcuts are free to use – just pay for your laser time.

 

PERSONAL stock is under the 3D printer desk and must be in a NAMED container and NOT sticking out.

 

---

 

This has been mostly working for some time, Tony’s sorting of the stock can only help, and PLEASE we need people to treat offcuts as a valuable resource only.

 

I think we need a bigger bin for the room, to help discourage stuff being chucked in the offcuts which shouldn’t be.  Ryan are you happy to fund a bin if I get one? 

 

Finally, anyone have any requests for new laser cutter or 3d printer stock?

 

I don’t see many requests for stock, and I do see more personal stashes appearing – we can buy more for less collectively, I know Tony is working on a materials system, and I’ve proposed systems before – but the basics are to let me/Scott know what you want and by when, and we sort out a group buy.  Is this something people are keen on, or unsure about?  

 

Cheers

Alex

 

 

From: reading-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:reading-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ryan .

Sent: 02 August 2016 16:09
To: reading-...@googlegroups.com

     

[Ian Petrie]

Both Ziggy and the Singer downstairs will do the same job.

[Matthew Daubney]

Having used the singer, it is a lovely machine.

[Stuart Ward]

Do you mean the Repair Cafe one?

That is fairly transportable, and that is an important part of why it
was bought by the Repair Cafe. We could put it in a more useful location?

The one in the wood cabinet I agree should be got rid of...

Stuart

[Tara Martel]

Hmmm…

 

I need to repair some clothes.  Is that not the only sewing machine suitable for the job?  In either case could someone handy with clothes repair give me a little crash course please?

 

Thanks

Alex

No, any of my machines can be used for fabric. Just let me know what you want to do and we'll get together and I'll do a quick workshop...

[Norro]

Use dropbox/onedrive/google drive. This is a solved problem.