One of the stops during my tour of the Algonquin Township Road District’s property with newly-elected Highway Commissioner was a wood shop.
Woodworking readers will know more about this machine than I. Tell us what it is?
The Kirk Dillard for Governor sign appears to be used as a baffle.
This table is in the center of the room. I believe tools are attached to the shank projecting from the big table.
A couple of mailboxes are stored on the shelves at the back of the room.
Storage shelves at the back of the upstairs room.
One table had a rotary saw.
A rotary saw.
A filing cabinet and other equipment are along the west side of the room.
There is more wood working equipment along the wall next to the door leading down to the garage floor.
More woodworking equipment.
These two trucks were stored on the first floor of this garage:
I hope everything is as neat and tidy 4 years from now.
Looks like a radial arm saw, Cal.
Other than a post hole digger and a saw to reinstall mailboxes creamed by snow plow drivers, can’t see the need for a wood shop with pricey, over-the-top machinery like that.
Sweet setup !
Looks like it’s not used to much though and since taxpayers
payed for this equipment, can I “borrow” it sometime when I find the need ?
Always impressed with the millions in equipment sitting around the last several years at the township.
Will be a nice addition to any consolidated negotiation effort.
From free lunch that somebody else paid to borrowing public equipment for private purposes; nothing compares to compassionate conservative entertainment which demands others for personal responsibility while showing a true free-loader spirit inside. Because we all know it is about a balance budget and small government…yup! 2018, is that you knocking at the door? Tic, tock, tic, tock…
Nothing could feel more inclusive than a republican political sign in public property. How about a Jack Frank’s political sign to hold the entrance door at the McHenry County public board meetings? How would our sunshine blogger feel about that? I suppose just fine. Tic, tock, tic, tock…
Better take your medication, Angel.
Angel, you obviously don’t understand facecios humor.
Angel doesn’t understand much of anything. Stupid is like that. Angel is one of God’s precious creations cleverly disguised as a divisive troll.
It seems redundant for anyplace other than a large, dedicated woodworking operation to have a chop box AND a table saw AND a radial arm saw.
A decent circular saw is probably all that they need.
That’s the kind of setup that you get when you have unlimited amounts of OPM to spend.
Yes, I have been wracking my brain trying to think of a use for a mitre saw for a road district unit.
I thought that odd, too.
Another day, another $25 million per day interest accrued on the unfunded liability of the 5 state pension funds.
http://www.illinoispolicy.org/interest-on-illinois-pension-debt-is-9-1b-per-year
That $25 million will be amortized through the year 2045.
Fully funded pensions result in no pension interest.
Illinois has the most underfunded pensions in the United States (or close to it, varies a bit by year).
What else could the state do with $25 million dollars?
Chop saw to make stakes, way safer than a hand held saw and way faster when making many.
Table saw are used to rip down form boards as an example.
Radial saw for angle cuts for boards bigger than 6″.
Many of the Public Works dept have the same tools and more for wood Gov signs or minor repair of them when vandalized.
Lack of a planer, joiner, lathe, or other equipment would disqualify this a special.
Most of those tools are likely the result of a “spend it or lose it” mentality.
While Algonquin Township grew (assessment dollars), the Township budgets grew also.
Some growth would be justified but most – not.
Just like last year when the county STAFF (not the Board) exercised the “spend it or lose it” attitude when it bought a vehicle for the EMS department without proper approval.
Listen to the Board meeting minutes when the Manager of McHenry County openly stated “we had the money in the budget”.
Not one of those larger ticket item tools could EVER be financially justified for a Township.
Just like the truck purchased by the county without Board approval could ever be financially justified.
If the entire workshop is for mail box post, can anyone explain how it makes economic sense.
Seriously, you can buy a mailbox post for like what, $12.00.
That workshop has how much of tax dollars tied up in it?
Cal’s pictures show:
A) A Router table (WTF)
B)Radial Arm Saw,
C) Central vac system,
D) Table saw,
E) Compound Miter saw,
not to mention all of the accessories around the shop.
All this to produce Mailbox posts using Union Labor at scales where a lawyer found it more profitable to be employed?
I don’t know how much all of that stuff cost but lets put it in terms of Mailbox posts.
100 Mailboxes = $1,200 (that’s probably not anywhere near the cost of that play-land.)
200 is $2,400 ( I think a central vac system like that probably costs more than $2,400)
400 mailbox posts is about $4,800 – at $4,800 we are not anywhere close to the whole shop but I have to stop there and wonder exactly how many mailbox posts are knocked over by the plows?
Did the township plow drivers have a contest to see how many boxes get knocked over?
In the fifty years I,ve lived in my house I have never once lost a mailbox to a plow.
Seriously, how can this be justified at any level.
Nob,
Were employees allowed to use this shop for personal projects during their off hours?
Did the miter saw ever go home with someone who was working on his house?
I still don’t see a valid need for all these saws, especially since the radial arm saw can do everything the miter saw can do and more.
Billy Bob not that I know of.
Chop saw is faster and change blade and cut metal.
Cutting down instead of threw makes as difference also.
Your first thoughts are negative, while I see the right tool for the job.
Whatever!
If you buy in bulk, stakes are very cheap.
It makes no sense to use expensive union labor to cut big sticks into little sticks.
That looks like a wood cutting chop saw to me.
The metal cutting ones usually have a different clamping system and run at a far slower speed.
Putting an abrasive blade on a saw like that and cutting a lot of metal is usually a bad idea.
Not only that, Billy Bob; but I think nob has his saws messed up. Radial arm saws are for ripping and cross cutting NOT for doing mitre cuts. Is everyone that ever worked for Booby a nitwit?
Light weight metal, they have another chop saw for heavy metal.
Radial arm can be used to rip, but you’re limited on the length by the arm.
Table saw is better for rip.
Cal hasn’t shown all the medal related tools yet.
Welder, ban saw, plasma cutter, and etc.
OMG!!!!!!
İt sounds lıke quite the taxpayer funded hobby shop.
Good one!
That would be High School and MCC shop courses.
In the long run doing things in house costs less even after they unionization.
Gov unions don’t make prevailing wage if you didn’t know.
There unionization.
Elections and constantly saying drain the swamp has it’s consequences.
Their, yup yup yup.
So what is the router table for?
Were you putting bullnosed edges on the concrete forms for that ultra-finished look?
Wood signs, mostly subdivision markers.
Cary Public works used it to fix one of their vandalized entry signs.
Cary and FRG tag team with AT whenever they can.
Sharing saves tax payers $$$$.
Ignorance and whining are often related.