The following is not pretty. If you have a weak stomach, you should probably turn to another page. Suitable for viewing by mature audience only. It contains XXX rated material. (X3 actually.)
No one was hurt in what you are about to see. After viewing the following photo's, imagine for yourself that I was working in the shop or there were visitors present. There is the real potential for serious injury and perhaps death in these scenes.
I am showing mostly what happened to my shop but on the other side where the wife's car usually lives was temporarily filled with all her precious home furnishings, heirlooms, wall hangings and fine china. That material was all placed there for "safe keeping" while the inside of the house was being completely re-painted.
The moral is, "There is no safe place."
The driver is a friend and neighbor and was in fact bringing our dog back to our home . This was a work day so I was lucky to be 20 miles away at my real job and not working in the shop. It was the old, "step on the gas instead of the brake" trick.
The wife's car is usually in the spot to the right. Instead it is full of her most precious possessions. Note the pile of bent and busted workbenches starting in the center and continuing to the far left.
This is the LatheMaster 8x14 with the Taig micro lathe piled in on top of it. They may both be OK but I haven't been able to get over to check them out. I decided to leave everything "as is" until the adjuster can see what actually happened. The driver's agency said to go ahead and move things but I thought "No Way!" How could I prove what was involved if the adjuster doesn't see it first hand?
This is where the CNC computer used to set. The monitor hit the concrete floor upside down. Do you think it is still in alignment? That's the CNC power supply on top of the air compressor. All the plugs and wiring got yanked out. I hope it survives, The high back bench in the rear right in this picture and on the right in the picture to the left has a busted rear leg. Guess I will have to take it outside and shoot it to get it out of its misery.
Here is a close up of the power supply. This is one of those things you don't know for sure if they are OK until you can set everything back up and test it. The power may be OK but there are several control boards inside there too.
This is the CNC computer. The face of the case is smashed (broken) so it need to be replaced. With today's computer prices, both the monitor and computer can probably be replaced for not a lot of money.
This is (was) my finely tuned Taig CNC machine. The Y axis has been driven far to one end in the fall. Probably ripped out the screw nut. I am going to have to convince the adjuster that value of these machines are far in excess of their purchase price. Many hours of cleaning, detailing and adjustment are required to get them operating perfectly. I will keep you all informed "how good a neighbor" State Farm Insurance Agents actually are.
This is the Sieg X3 mill. The controls case is badly damaged. Note the broken off spider arm on the quill lever. It is not a pretty picture when a nearly 400 pound cast iron precision milling machine bounces on the concrete from about 3 feet in height. The column looks like it has shifted, but that would have had to shear the pins at the bottom. The metal control box has definately shifted.
Here is where the X3 landed. It had been setting on the bench to the right. The right light fixture on the bench is toast. Just under that light is the final resting place of the Taig CNC Mill. The motor bracket on the X3 is bent away from the head. Of course all my precision tools and accessories are scattered all over the floor. "Dear Mr. Adjuster, those precision tools are scrap metal once they have bounced across the concrete floor."
This chunk was taken out of the rear bench by the falling X3. This is not acceptable wear and tear for the bench. I do fine assembly here. It must be repaired. The top is glued and screwed on. The only repair I can see is to section out the damaged area, add a filler strip and then laminate a 1/4 inch hard Masonite top to the entire bench top. Sounds like a contractor job to me.
The Y axis handle is busted. The Y axis like the CNC mill has been shoved to this far end. It was centered before the fall. Anyone out there think the X3 is not seriously damaged? There is the precision 2" screw-less vice from the Taig CNC machine in the background. Less precise now.
This is the X axis on the X3. That is the web of the hand wheel sticking up. The ring is setting on the dial just behind the web. The column on the mill appears to have shifted. I will have to examine all casting for cracks.
The problem here (and there may be no problem at all if the adjuster understands finely set up machinery) is the loss here is far more then the replacement cost of new machines. Many hours are spent cleaning and adjusting imported machinery before it is ready and qualified to be used in making parts within 0.001 inches of accuracy. These tools are not Home Depot specials that plug in and run. Just because they are in a home shop environment doesn't lessen that additional and somewhat invisible investment of time and money.
The benches were built with no wobble and to be perfectly level for the location they occupy. $100 of wood and bolts doesn't equal a finely built and accurate bench.
The THMS will be well behind in its usual project schedules. I have some special projects to complete that will also be taking some time away from the A3 locomotive build . Some improvements to the shop are also being considered because of this disaster. This mess is just a bump in the road. Thank God no one was hurt. Material things can be replaced. We are sad to see this happen, but we know there are many others in the USA and the world who have suffered far more. This is not a survival problem for THMS.