"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:27:22 -0700, aribert wrote:

For years I have wanted to go to a school auction - kept hearing about
the deals on gently used equipment. Saturday a week ago my local school
district was having an auction to liquidate the machining lab to be
replaced by a computer lab - I decided to go. Ten years ago I would
thought that getting rid of manufacturing skills was poor policy - but
after watching so many tool & die shops go under a few years ago, I
understand why the school district is doing as they are.

Even though we are nearly in Depression level of economy here in Metro
Detroit, machine tools were still reasonably priced (a couple hundred
less and I would have been upgrading from my Clausing 5914 w/o DRO to a
13x40 Sharp w/ DRO). Manual lathes and mills were Sharp brand, w/ DROs,
several of each, selling for $600 to $900.

Having attended about 40+ machinery auctions in the past 8 yrs, this was
the first time that I attended an auction on a Saturday. What I found
most interesting was the age of the participants. WHile there were a
few dealers and a few (younger) shop owners / managers there buying
equipment, the majority of attendees appeared to be retirement age and
up. As a fifty year old, I felt like I was a youngster.

I have this ongoing nightmare that at some point we're going to
collectively realize that we really _do_ need to do manufacturing to
thrive, but everyone who knows how will be in rest homes or underground.

I sure hope I'm wrong.

--
http://www.wescottdesign.com


I don't know if it will make you feel any better Tim, but we have exactly
the same problem here on theother side of the world. Australia has lost most
of its manufacturing skills and, if it did decide to go back into
manufacturing, would have to purchase all its manufacturing machinery from
China. If it wasn't for mining we would be rooted!