Week 21: Some notes about our machinery

Ever since the tornado happened, Thomas has been working night and day to make sure that the workshop will be back up and running as soon as possible, and most importantly that our machinery will be repaired or replaced in time to coincide with the completion of the building. I have to say that he has done an amazing job so far!

We were very lucky in the grand scheme of things, as although there were a few sad casualties that needed replacing, much of our machinery was salvageable. Here are some specific before and after photos to give you a peek at what has been happening on the machinery side of the recovery operation.

Our table saw received a lot of damage, as it was situated close to the overhead door and when the tornado struck, the force of the wind sent the sliding table to its furthest position and then some, almost ripping it clean off the body of the machine. Needless to say, this was one of the machines that needed replacing.

In searching for a replacement, Thomas finally settled on a Format4 tablesaw from Austrian machinery manufacturer, Felder. With over 50 years of manufacturing experience, their machines are known for precision performance.

The other major casualty of the tornado was our wide-belt sander. We are very fortunate to be able to replace it with a larger, more complex machine, by Butfering. This German-built machine weighs 7 tonnes (!) and was a beast to get into position, but we are excited by the opportunities it will provide us in terms of functionality and finish quality.

And here are some other before and after shots of our ripsaw, moulder and planer.