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Buying a new woodworking machine is an important moment of assessment for a school. Applying for and obtaining funding is a job in itself, and it is important to get it right first time, because another chance to replace machines will not come around soon.
Safety, quality and fitness for purpose come first. The size of the premises and, of course, the size of the budget are the underlying determining factors. The craft and technology teacher has an important, often central role together with the head teacher: the teacher knows the technical requirements and what the premises allow, while the head knows the finances and the procurement picture as a whole. This is also where a knowledgeable seller or importer comes in — one who knows the machines, can listen to the school's needs and knows the regulations.
Machines in primary and lower secondary schools are used mainly for the initial cutting of raw material and for working it into dimensioned blanks. Those blanks are rarely very large. The available space is also often limited. It is therefore worth paying attention to the size of the machines. Larger machines are of course no harm in themselves, but at the same time the price, the space required, the maintenance and even the electrical supply needed all grow very quickly, which takes away from other purchases.
Sometimes adult education woodworking courses are also held in the same premises, where there may be a need to handle larger sheets, but in school use few thicknessing jobs larger than a chopping board are done. The available raw materials alone set the limit: there is no budget to let every pupil make large glued-up panels.
With wood lathes, too, it is worth considering whether the school's premises will be used for anything beyond craft teaching. School use rarely calls for a swivelling headstock, a long centre distance, or even variable speed control. What is needed instead is a dependable, solid small lathe on which settings are easy to make: the locking and movement of the tailstock, for instance, should be easy and the lock dependable.
The features of a table saw change a great deal depending on who uses the machine and what is being cut. The panel saws used in the furniture industry, for example, are rather large for school use. The teacher can certainly break down large plywood sheets on them easily, but for a pupil they are rather clumsy, and the sliding table can even create a safety risk if it is not locked when small pieces are cut — whether through lack of knowledge, memory or will.
Often more important than the absolute size of a machine is that its size is sufficient and its quality good. Machines should be heavy enough — plenty of iron gives rigidity, rigidity gives accuracy, accuracy gives safety — accurately machined, and it is worth checking in particular the quality and protection of the shafts and bearings. Looking inside a saw table, for instance, can reveal machines of entirely different standards under identical-looking sheet metal covers. In a good-quality saw, enough steel has been used in the motor frame without skimping on tolerances.
Guarding must of course be adequate and compliant. Often there is also a wish to exceed the minimum requirements and add extra safety equipment.
In practice the craft and technology teacher and the head teacher together: the teacher knows the technical requirements and what the premises allow, the head knows the finances and the procurement picture. A knowledgeable seller contributes machine knowledge and the regulations.
Rarely. Schools mainly work small blanks, and as the machine grows the price, the space needed, the maintenance and the electrical supply all grow quickly. Sufficient size and good quality matter more than absolute size.
Surface planers, thicknessers, planer-thicknessers, bandsaws and circular saws must have an automatic brake, and EU legislation requires a stopping time of no more than 10 seconds.
Visible CE marking and a declaration of conformity confirmed by the manufacturer, warning labels and operating markings in Finnish and/or Swedish, and assembly, operating and safety instructions. The manufacturer, the serial or type designation and the year of manufacture must be marked on the machine.
The panel saws of the furniture industry are clumsy for a pupil, and the sliding table can create a safety risk if it is not locked when small pieces are cut.
A dependable, solid small lathe on which settings are easy to make. A swivelling headstock, a long centre distance or variable speed control are rarely needed in school use.
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