Machine Shop

Machine Shop Summary
Shop Captain	Ben Towle
Contact email	[email protected]
Location	Downstairs
Check Out Required?	Yes
Basecamp	link

VIOLATION OF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING RULES CAN RESULT IN SUSPENSION OR EXPULSION FROM THE MACHINE SHOP DEPENDING UPON THE SEVERITY OF THE INFRACTION AND WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE SHOP CAPTAIN ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS

Basic Shop Rules

1. To Use Any Equipment You Must Be Checked Out
   • Only members who have been checked out may use general equipment
   • Guests can be let in, but are not allowed to touch equipment
   • Additional checkout is required for the following equipment:
     • Grizzly Lathe
     • Knee Mill
     • Tormach CNC
     • Surface Grinder
     • Welder
2. Ask For Instruction If Unsure Of How To Use Equipment
   • Operating machinery that you are not familiar with can cause personal injury or broken equipment
3. If You Break Something, Say Something
   • Report any broken equipment to the shop captain or cocaptain
   • Don’t try to fix it yourself, it can make problems worse
4. Chip In For Consumable Tooling
   • If you use anything that wears out over time (blades, sanding belts, welding gas, cutting tools, etc.) chip in for replacements, or better yet, donate replacement tooling
5. Clean Up After Yourself
   • After you are done working, the area should look as it did when you arrived. Picture posted at each station that illustrates how the area looks
   • No project should be left out unsupervised for more than 2 hours
6. No Unapproved Chemicals
   • Absolutely no flammables, acids, corrosives
   • Do not put chemicals into unlabeled containers
   • When in doubt, ask the captain or co-captain
7. No Open Flame
8. Use Caution When Cutting Nonmetals
   • Bearing and way surfaces should be protected or masked
   • Materials should be cut dry

Material Storage

1. No Equipment Or Material Donation Without Permission
   • Even if it is temporary, approval will still be needed from captain
2. No Personal Storage Of Material Or Stock Without Permission
3. Personal Storage Of A Longterm Project In The Shop Will Be Granted Case By Case
   • Approval is required beforehand
   • If the project will need more area than the shop can give up, SpaceCom will need to get involved
   • Failure to get approval does not mean that the project should get hidden elsewhere within Lowell Makes. If a machine shop project is stored illegally somewhere else, it will still count as a machine shop violation

Personal Safety

1. Eye Protection Is Required When Operating Machinery Or Hand Tools
   • If something could chip, break, fly off into your eye, you should be wearing glasses
   • Glasses are not an acceptable form of eye protection
2. Gloves, Long Sleeves, Hoodies, Rings And Bracelets Are To Be Removed
   • If the machine spins (as most do), any loose-fitting clothing or jewelry become a hazard to the operator.
   • “De-gloving” is a serious risk. Don’t google it
3. Do Not Leave Chuck Keys In Machine
   • Can cause serious personal injury to yourself or anyone around you
4. Be Aware Of What Chemicals And Materials Are Being Used
   • Be cautious when mixing different chemicals or materials
   • Certain materials can produce toxic or flammable particles
   • Includes lubricants, cutting oils, aerosols, etc.
5. Do Not Talk With Or Distract Someone Operating A Piece Of Equipment
   • Don’t distract someone while they are operating a machine. Wait for them to finish. The ONLY exception to this is if it is relating to safety