Hobby Shop

From Do It Zone

Individual Shop Requirements Survey - Please fill it out if you haven't already.

Contents 1 Space Requirements 2 Current Information 3 Current Equipment 3.1 Woodworking 3.2 Metalworking 3.3 Work Areas 4 New Equipment 5 Proposed Hobby Shop 5.1 Added CNC Machining Capabilities 5.2 Computer Stations for CNC Design 5.3 Composites Construction Capability 5.4 Hot Shop 5.5 Class Room

Space Requirements

Minimum - 5000 sq.ft.

Desired - 10000 sq.ft.

Ideal - 20000 sq.ft.

Current Information

Website - http://web.mit.edu/campus-activities/hobbyshop/

The hobby shop is currently a home for individual, or research projects, primarily in wood with some work in metal, glass, or composite.

Supervised help is available to facilitate the proper use of equipment and the completion of projects.

The Hobby Shop is located in the DuPont Athetic Center Basement

Current Equipment

Woodworking

25" planer

12" jointer

table saws

radial arm saws

band saw

routers

drill presses

wood lathes

sanders

Metalworking

milling machine

several lathes

band saws

a shear

a brake

grinders

Work Areas

There are assembly benches and a collection of hand tools and measuring equipment.

New Equipment

OMAX Water Jet

CNC Lathe.

Proposed Hobby Shop

The proposed area would include the same equipment as above along with a finishing room that had natural light. A cross flow spray finishing booth would be a great option here, for both wood and metal finishing projects.

The metal, wood working, and finishing areas would be separated physically. Limiting dust flow between the three work areas would be a major benefit.

Additional storage and presentation areas would be available.

The ability to have tool check-out or other access outside of the normal hours is being considered.

Added CNC Machining Capabilities

To compliment the current array of metal working equipment, especially the increasing interest in and use of the shop's CNC machining capabilities, i.e., the OMAX CNC abrasive machining center and the Harrison CNC Alpha lathe, a modest three axis CNC milling machine, such as a Bridgeport EZ Vision CNC knee mill would be extremely desirable (ref: [1]). As a side note, this CNC milling machine would compete with the current Edgerton Shop offerings, but rather an expanded capability of the present, somewhat under equipped metal working side of the present Hobby Shop, into which it would be seemlessly integrated.

Computer Stations for CNC Design

Several networked design workstations should be provided too, for using SolidWorks, AutoCAD, I-DEAS, Alpha Plus, and OMAX software, etc., in piece part design and cutter path generation for the CNC machine tools. These workstations would be integrated into the Hobby Shop local area network, which would allow easy downloading and uploading of design files and data between the machine tools and the design workstations.

Composites Construction Capability

Some sort of modest composites construction capability would be really great. For example, a simple vacuum bagging setup for composite layup, perhaps a 12'x12' room with a vacuum table and extra perimeter work benches and stools, a band saw, a drill press, etc., would permit relatively broad range of simple to complex molds and assemblies to be fabricated.

Hot Shop

A well equipped and ventilated "hot shop" area is a critical need for the expanded Hobby Shop facilities. Critical requirements include both TIG, MIG, conventional arc welding facilities (one machine can provide all three capabilities, ref: [2]); an oxy acetylene gas welding torch set; some sort of simple heat treating facility (aka tempering oven); grinding and finishing equipment, including bench mounted grinding and buffing (rouge) wheels, and pneumatic hand grinders of course. An assembly area of some sort, for modest sized projects, e.g., perhaps 15'x15'x15', equipped with some sort of gantry and chainfall equipment, to handle assembly of heavier components and assemblies.

The above hot shop description is perhaps different than the hot shop capabilities mentioned elsewhere in this Wiki (including Hot-work area, welding), in that the intention is to support more engineering prototype and (semi-)precision model building work. That said, a forge would also be a wonderful addition. For example, it would provide the ability to manufacture custom woodworking hand tools.

Class Room

An area for class room work related to shop classes currently offered (and presumably expanded), would be great. A simple largish table with stools, a white board, and possibly a PC projector capability, would be a real boon to Hobby Shop class instructors. Sharing the 2 Project Learning Rooms might meet this need.