Thread: standards

Originally Posted by Tonyz

I could have used a hand razor...

...to slash a few of the old farts' throats. Just a thought.

that also would be a waste of energy

Equipment maintenance at these sorts of places is essentially down to whoever gets stuck with doing it when he has time and assuming he has the knowledge, skillset and tooling to do it. At my local guild that person is me and it sucks spheres as the majority of members have no clue or sense of accountability regarding when a machine needs adjusting or is about to spit something important. Every time I come home from my FIFO job I get given a rundown on what got broken over the two weeks while I was away.

In the case of your Men’s Shed the blunt thicknesser will be waiting for parts and/or for someone to front up and spend the time sorting it out. It’s all well and good taking a stance of “I pays my membership therefore I demand access to all machinery and it shall be in peak condition” but that membership money is unlikely to be used to pay someone to do it… I’m not having a go at you personally Tony; but spare a thought for the poor sods who end up spending their (generally unpaid) time trying to keep the gear in working condition so other members can just front up and use it.

Tiff, thanks for those comments, I'd also suspect that most of the machines have been donated, possibly from estates so run down before they arrive.
This has confirmed my suspissions that men's shed is not for me at this stage. I have a zest for life and always busy, too bust ask the wife.

Sounds like you are looking for a cheap tool hire place not a Men's Shed.

I think the issue is more your attitude and expectations from the organisation may be misaligned

The mens sheds exist to provide an interest and social outlet for the elderly and general mental health and wellbeing not so much a commercial shop setup to access for you own production needs.

Originally Posted by Tonyz

I get it that it's a place to get together but I have a job to do, get in get it done and out.

I may be misreading this sentence, but are you using men's shed equipment to process timber for a paying job?

I was a member at a mens shed for about 5 years and the members that regularly "stuck in my craw" were those that came along, over used or abused the facilities, talked to no one, did not attend any social functions and/or did not contribute to maintenance or in any other way. It was one of many reasons why I left. I still perform free dust consultation for mens sheds but at least I don't have to deal with those types of members.

Originally Posted by Tonyz

case in point last week I took some used Oregon boards 25 x 140 x 1800 down to a men's shed near me to use their thicknesses.
I've been several times before but not to join the chitchat, rather use whatever I needed and get out.

Part of the issue with any communal shed is that the machinery generally cops a hiding by users who generally don't have any "skin in the game." They are not responsible for the maintenance, or are liable for the damage caused to cutters or machinery etc, so take a cavalier approach to using gear and ignore signage.

Like Chief Tiff I've been involved in managing clubs with woodworking machinery and have dealt with some really stupid and irresponsible things - like a brand new bandsaw blade on a very large Wolfenden bandsaw literally stuffed within minutes cutting railway sleepers full of black sand! Finding the funds to repair machinery and replace consumables is not easy for most of these organizations.

Clubs generally have warning signs and notices not to run used or painted timber through thicknessers, pine through drum sanders, to run a metal detector over new & used wood going through saws etc - but are they heeded???

I feel your frustration Tony but there are a few salient point that need to be understood here.
First, there are NO standards across Men's Sheds, because each Shed is an individual organisation. There is an organisation that represent Sheds collectively, but it has no authority over the member Sheds.
Effectively each Shed is what its members want it to be. Some are morning tea clubs with a tool museum attached, others are highly efficient workshop operations, producing products for sale. I suspect some of the latter degenerate to the former over time, as the active members age.
I am a member of two Sheds, having moved interstate and being a Life Member of my old Shed. The two Sheds have a very different culture. But both have well maintained machinery. In each case the maintenance is down to one or two blokes who have the right skills and motivation.
I think the very first Sheds (decades ago) were initially shared workshop space, but they rapidly evolved into a Men's Health initiative. From my understanding that happened very quickly when the original members recognised the power of the workshop to bring blokes together. The Men's Shed Association had a poster a few years ago that said it all. "Came for the Tools, Stayed for the blokes".
I think a lot of Shed's have blokes like you (no criticism intended) who come in occasionally to use the equipment, but otherwise don't participate. I personally spent an hour regrinding and sharpening a block plane after one such member used it to chamfer laminex before leaving it with his mess on the bench.
What your Shed needs is a few more active and regular workshop users to agitate the Management Committee to improve the quality. It takes some effort, such as fundraising or finding grants, but it is doable. It took me about five years of gentle nudging at my old Shed to get the old flat-knife thicknesser upgraded to a hellcal head over and under Felder. My main opposition was the old-school maintenance guy who loved old machines!
The problem is that it becomes self-defeating. The poor quality of the gear discourages the serious users, so nobody remains to agitate for change! Individually, we all spend a lot of time and money keeping our tools up to date and in good order (or at least some of us do). If you want good tools at the Men's Shed, you have to invest at least time and effort into the Shed, not just on the machines, but on the relationships and management that make up the culture of the place.
Bruce

Originally Posted by Fuzzie

Sounds like you are looking for a cheap tool hire place not a Men's Shed.

this.

Originally Posted by Tonyz

Too many old farts

Oh my God! Have you looked in the mirror recently, Tony? Don't worry, there's a lot of us around.

I will admit, I have never read or even been offered any terms and conditions for mens sheds.
Was under the impression that they were a community for those that want/need that and a workshop available for a minimal daily fee.

I stand corrected.
Looking at the standards of therest of their machinery I will be very hesitant to partake of their equipment again.

One thing that does become very apparent when you visit clubs and Men's Sheds is the quality of the leadership and general 'tone' of the place. One or two people can make a huge difference in how the place functions, the quality of the gear and maintenance, how members interact, respectful treatment of machinery and other members, community involvement, access to grants etc.

Take them out of the equation then the functioning of the place starts slipping rapidly.

Like all things in life often the more you put back into something or a place like a Men's Shed the more you get back.

One recent story on ABC shows how things can be turned around with some lateral thinking - Bermagui Surf Life Saving Club quadruples volunteer numbers with simple roster change - ABC News