Drill presses and bandsaws back in the pits

[David Brinza]

On Thursday at the LA Regional, discussions were held between a few mentors, the head safety advisor and the Western regional director regarding the ban on "non-approved mobile machine shops" established in Update #16. The discussions led to a reasonable solution - a space near the approved machine shop just outside of the pits would accommodate drill presses and bandsaws brought in by teams. Responsible adults would man the machines so teams could safely cut and drill materials without submitting a work request and waiting for the NASA-provided machine shop. Unsupervised use by students would not be allowed. This plan was not put in place, though, because we were informed on Friday morning that the ban in Update #16 was rescinded by FIRST, thus allowing these machines back in the pits. Team 980 brought their bandsaw and drill press back into the pit, but we really missed having them on Thursday when we were very busy modifying the robot.

The concerns that led to the ban in the first place (risk of injury, liability) are not going to simply vanish. There are some drawbacks to having bandsaws and drill presses in the pits. Pit space is very limited and working in cramped quarters creates added risk. These operations produce debris and noise - something we could use less of in the pits.

Do you think that a "quick cut/drill" station is a reasonable approach to providing teams safe, rapid access to bandsaws and drill presses?