Wish List

Asmbly is always interested in acquiring quality tools and machinery for use by its members. This page includes a selection of our priorities for 2022.

If you own one of these machines and would be interested in donating or hosting it at Asmbly for members to use, please email workshop@asmbly.org for more information.

Wood Shop

• Four variable-speed midi lathes: eg Jet 1221VS. Our woodturning classes are always popular and expanding our lathe fleet will allow us to accommodate more students.

• Good quality, variable-speed drill press: eg PM2800b or Nova Voyager. Our woodshop drill press is used for all kinds of projects so ability to change speeds conveniently accommodates quick changes among multiple users.

• Large oscillating edge sander: eg SB1097. Our tiny benchtop edge sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects commonly made in our wood shop.

• Tilting spindle sander: eg Laguna SS-24. Our benchtop spindle sander isn't really useful for furniture-sized projects, and a tilting spindle allows sanding bevels without the brute strength sometimes required to maneuver a large workpiece on a tilting table.

Metal Shop

• 3-in-1 sheet metal machine at least 36" wide: eg Baileigh SBR-4020. We only have a benchtop brake now; basic sheet metal tooling would be useful to a lot of members.
• two (ideally matching) AC/DC MIG+TIG outfits: eg MultiMatic 220 We currently have one MIG and one TIG in our shop. Being able to run two concurrent MIG or TIG operations would help immensely with classes, and make it more convenient to have two bookable slots in the fab shop.

• Knee Mill, X&Y power feed and 3-axis DRO greatly preferred: eg Bridgeport. Our manual mill *works* but it's not amazing. We're not inclined to invest a bunch of money on repairs and improvements. We're relatively open to options here; we'd consider a contemporary mill with the bells and whistles or great vintage iron that could be updated with modern accessories.

• Metal Lathe, geared head, at least 14x40. Same situation as our manual mill - our lathe *works* but it's not amazing, and we're not inclined to invest much money in it. We're likewise open to either modern or vintage options.

• Drill press, geared head or variable-speed, with coolant system. Enthusiastic members tend to burn up drill bits in the metal shop. Easy speed changes and coolant support will help cutter life, especially when juggling multiple users.

• Mobile gantry crane, at least 1000lbs capacity. Electric hoist and lifting magnet definitely a plus but perhaps not strictly necessary. This would come in handy for a bunch of applications, but will be needed soon for a single operator to load material in the fiber laser.

Autobay

• Portable hydraulic lift, 6000lbs capacity or greater: eg QuickJack. We'd like a safer and more convenient lifting option than jack stands, but we can't afford the floor space for a fixed lift setup. Whatever we get must be easy to move and store when not in use. Difficulty: must also be ANSI/CE safety rated with mechanical interlocks to protect against pressure loss.

As a rule, Asmbly accepts hosting or donation of working, ready-to-use equipment. If you have a candidate machine that needs some attention before use, we may be able to arrange volunteer support for repairs prior to or concurrent with transfer to Asmbly.