Does anybody know whether schools still have machine tool shops like they used to? Since later this year it will be 20 years since I left I thought I'd ask as I can't see how, with the increasing stranglehold Health & Safety regs have on our daily lives, schools could be allowed to let kids operate something as dangerous as a lathe or a mill. Can anyone comment?

Took a visit to our local secondary school as my daughter is due to start this year. Yes they had a machine shop one of each machine and that was about it. I like you left about 25 years ago, our school had 6 lathes, 3 milling machines, shapers, furnace and a forge etc etc. That said it had zero computers! With the manufacturing base in this country reducing I suspect it is a case of horses for courses.

My kids school is the same. Pretty much 1 of everything. H&S still seems to be as it was in my day, although they do have to wear goggles which we never did!

The stuff they do nowadays is more interesting than what we used to do. First project was to design a car and then model it in clay/foam. Then they did mechanical toys using levers and cams to make bits and pieces move. Seems as though they get a bit more varied access to materials and techniques now - probably why they need less machinery. We did woodwork and metalwork and that was it. Took me 2 years to make a chess table!

Cheers

Martin

memories....

left high school 17 years ago. We had 3 lathes, mill, 2 pillar drills & forge in the metal work room.

Woodwork had drills, sanders, lathes .....

and we also had the ability to vacum form + kiln.....

aaaah..... fun days. I cast Ali for part of a project (only kid that year to do it). One of my mates welded (brazed) a garden trolly for his GCSE project using a form of arc welder to create the heat.

I run a Technology dept in a secondary school, most of the lower school work is with wood, plastic and electronics, older pupils doing Gcse course get to use full range of equipment under 1:1 supervisionwhere there is great danger for inexperienced operator!
We have 4 lathes, a vertical miller loads of drills, scroll saws, several routers set up intables/ trolleys, chop saw, 300 amp mig, brazing hearth (everybody's favourite?) etc
We also have the trendy cad cam vinyl cutters, engraving machine, small miller and about 20 soldering stations. We also have some sheet metal working stuff (not used) much because of the sharp edges.

We have a prep room used only by the adults with bandsaws, tablesaw, planer thicknessers, morticing machine, radial armsaw plus the necessary dust extraction
Needless to say we are in the private sector which is regarded as "behind the times" and under funded wrt ICT.
Interestingly most pupils want to work with wood we recycle hard wood science benches etc to keep costs down - allgood forthe environment too!

Recently we have started buying a few bits and pieces of passing interest to the car builder....12 tonne pipe bender, sockets etc We are slowly increasingtheamount of metal work done as it helps to raise grades ine xamwork - turning knobs, cutting threads, making knock down fittings.
A local "locost" benefactor has donated a modified book chassis which is for welding practise.
We have an after school club which attracts about 30 pupils eachweek and the technicians work through their breaks and lunchtimes so that pupils can use the facilities.
The one thing we lack is a large door to get big stuff in , currently working on this....

My old school, which admittedly is a posh one, has a lathe, mill, furnace, forge, welding gear, pillar drills, vacuum forming stuff and loads of other bits lying about. Just a shame I chose to do electronics at the time and wasn't building stuff.

My school and sixth form college (same place) had a pair of lathes, a vertical mill, 5 pillar drills, wood lathe, bandsaw, table saw, router, vacum formers, soldering equipment, printer circuit board manufacture and lots more...

Did any of the staff know how to use any of it properly? NO!!!

I went back recently and gave them a crash course in how to setup a lathe and mill properly...I was taught by the best and it was nice to be able to pass some knowledge back to those who should know it all!

Dunc

There very lucky pupils in your school then trextr7monkey.

I think alot of schools may still have the equipment if it hasn't had to make way for "Special Needs" rooms or other uses but its a lack of willing or suitably qualified tutors sometimes.

I did GCSE CDT and never even saw the Lathe in the corner work.. and I often aked to be shown how it worked or for bits to be made on it and just got told "it can't be done, find another way".

So would get me dad to make it at home.. just to prove it could be done!

We use to get to pour molten ally, moulds leaked like a sieve! awsome mess we use to make, hah hah

I was great loved every minute. Teacher spent most of his time on the lathe making bits for his racing mini.

I'm sure I got my love off garage mayhem from there.



[Edited on 6/1/07 by macnab]

My old gramar school had a pretty decent woodwork shop, but we only had 1 metal lathe and I had to beg to get to use it.

Loved woodwork though, used to really look forward to those lessons. Had a great teacher who wasn't afraid to go ballistic on people messing around, but would bend over backwards to help you if you showed an interest.

I can remember our school (The Deepings Comprehensive) had a good portion of the ground floor devoted to workshops. Two wood turning lathes, vacuum former, ali melting gizmo for sand casting, welding bay (gas & arc), shaping machine which was never used, mill and several centre lathes. I can remember two lads breaking the cardinal rule of centre lathe use, never have more than one person operating the controls, and an old L model Harrison having it's main power clutch engaged by one lad whilst another was still tightening the chuck
Nice to know H&S hasn't totally stifled get-yer-hands-mucky lessons

Feltham school in west London has 4 lathes 4 pillar drills shot blaster 3 mills 2 band saws casting facility car lift and sheet metal benders but what is even better is that it is happy to host the local car club on Wed evenings so if anyone is intersted give me a shout!

Tegwin an interesting observation re who knows how to operate machinery, the "technicians" here are both oldish blokes in their 60s both trained by Royal Ordnance at Blackburn, one as a turner (50' gun barrels etc!) the other as an engineer in quality control testing who went on to become a Tech teacher and head of Department for 20 years.
I wonder where we will find equally qualified people to replace them when they finally retire.
I would be the first to admit that in many areas their skills are superior to my own

Mc Nab - "bestdays of your life" we also had the near death experiences with molten metal, just a bit too risky these days; so it is pewter warmed in a ladle and poured into cad/cam MDF moulds. A bit tame but demonstrates enough to stimulate interest.
We have also discovered that the vac forming machine makes rather nice battery covers....

[Edited on 7/1/07 by trextr7monkey]

I remember my first welding lesson, when I was 12 at Market Bosworth High School, teacher was Mr Bunting. We Arc-Welded up plant pot holders to clamp to lamp posts for the "britain in bloom" entry for the village, then we welded up barbeque grilles.

We soldered up model cars in Tinplate as well.

Was great, and at a time when these things were become H&S no go, that particular teachers flexible attitude was very welcome!!