Anyone have a portable saw mill at their local school?

[MarkEkberg]

I have one, and want to use it, however I am being told it is too much of liability for myself and students to use? It is safer to operate than a band saw or table saw in the wood shop due to the fact that you are so far away from the blade.



These small portable mills cut horizontally with a 80"ish band saw blade.





If you know that your local school operates one of these please let me know what school it is. My dept head and I would like to contact and find out insurance info.

 

[Wayne M.]

I can understand the liability issue. It's a shame- and another hot button topic for me. In this sue happy society we've gotten ourselves into, it's getting to the point where getting someone else to do anything is a liability. In NYC there really is no more vocational training in High Schools anymore. One must go after High School to a tech college like Lincoln Tech. I knew this first hand when I was in HS myself, in the early '80's. Not my School, but another school with a wood shop, A student was killed while working on a wood lathe. The tool came out of his hand and fatally injured him.

I think You have a good intention for your portable mill. Are you presently involved with a school? Perhaps you can simply tour around and demo it for the area wood shops that still exist. To display what that type of milling is like?
I know of a race car driver who just visited a high school auto shop in NJ with his midget, and coordinated with the auto and science departments to discuss the relationships between race car design and basic automotive design and physics, etc.

 

[MarkEkberg]

Took over position at school. Mill was running with all previous teachers dating back to the early 90's. However I am told i can not use it?

 

[JR]

What are they saying is different about that tool compared to any others in the shop? I assume your talking about a band saw only the blade runs horizontally rather than vertical? I have not been into the woodshop where I went to school since the late 90s so I am not positive what is in there for tools but I do know the shop is still open and functioning (as of last year). We had a large wood working lathe, plainer, joiners, large table saws, a large band saw (that my class mate lost a finger tip on) and a large assortment of hand tools. I can do some asking to see what's still in there if it would help. My kids are still in grade school but it would be easy enough to find out.
BTW, my class mate was back to school the following week, and finished his project on the same saw that lopped his finger. He got scolded for not paying attention and told to get back at it by his father. It was a valuable lesson for all of us and a reminder of the importance of focusing on the task at hand.

 

[JR]

I can understand the liability issue. It's a shame- and another hot button topic for me. In this sue happy society we've gotten ourselves into, it's getting to the point where getting someone else to do anything is a liability. In NYC there really is no more vocational training in High Schools anymore. One must go after High School to a tech college like Lincoln Tech. I knew this first hand when I was in HS myself, in the early '80's. Not my School, but another school with a wood shop, A student was killed while working on a wood lathe. The tool came out of his hand and fatally injured him.

I think You have a good intention for your portable mill. Are you presently involved with a school? Perhaps you can simply tour around and demo it for the area wood shops that still exist. To display what that type of milling is like?
I know of a race car driver who just visited a high school auto shop in NJ with his midget, and coordinated with the auto and science departments to discuss the relationships between race car design and basic automotive design and physics, etc.

They don't have any vocational type schools for high schoolers that are interested in a specific trade to get a head start?

 

[mwilson]

Perhaps contacting a manufacturer directly would help?? They would know what schools might be using them.



Woodmizer for example... .



http://www.woodmizer.com/us/PortableEquipment/HydraulicSawmills.aspx



Mike.

 

[Wayne M.]

They don't have any vocational type schools for high schoolers that are interested in a specific trade to get a head start?

It's a sad situation regarding trades in the big city. It's a reserved spot for the "guest" workers. My Alma mater presently offers; Electrical engineering/ installation, Information tech, Commercial art/ graphic design, CAD/ mechanical tech, Automotive service (this is a very limited offering, a shadow of what I took, and that was not much), Construction trades/ management (this has some woodworking and cabinetry, and prepares you for apprenticeship) I'm not sure how far this program goes. I know that in my time, the mid '80's things were scaling back and really haven't moved ahead at all. One other HS has an auto program that's suppose to be decent.

The big push around here are the arts and getting ready for college. The top kids are taking AP (advance placement) courses in the regular subjects. There is one HS funded by the Asian Society to prepare the kids for the big Chinese takeover they claim will happen in their lifetime. I'm not kidding. I just sat through a whole presentation. As far as they're concerned, America is finished. My Son is shopping HS's right now. This is how I know what's going on.

 

[p-Bar]

Wayne you are right on . We have seen this here in Commiefornia for decades. I graduated in 76 just for a baseline. We had auto shop , metal shop , electronics , wood shop . They are all going away or gone . High School administrators think everybody should go to college . I say wrong I loved all the industrial art programs it gave me an idea what I wanted to do as I now am successfully self employed for 30 years as a custom cabinetmaker, My twin brother a successful self employed iron worker and my older brother successful self taught electrical engineer. after taking electronics in high school (he said B. S. to taking history and english to being a proficient engineer with a degree) Bottom line not everybody is cut out for college we need service type people for businesses which don't require a college degree.