Warm Greetings and Friendly Smiles for Everyone, Here at Rutgers I was the first person to have this full time job. All work was done by contractors before I came so you can imagine the condition of the pianos, all 130 of them. I broght my own tools, benches, desk, inventory, parts and junk drawers, about two tons worth. I have been replacing my personal inventory as it is used up along with lost, broken or misplaced tools. Currently I have five sets of unbored hammers on the shelf, two sets of S&S shanks, 1 new and several used sets of wippens (S&S) and a vast assortment of wood, screws, an electric chain hoist with a home made portable gantry, a drill press, band saw, small belt/disk sander (RU property), and half a ton of hand tools. I was fortunate enough to have been at Surplus Property when several IBM punch card cabinets became available. For $100.00 I personally purchased four of these cabinets for parts storage. What a wonderful purchase that has turned out to be. I got the idea from Danny Boone. I have an annual budget of $3800.00 for every and any thing with an additional $500.00 for contract help when the tuning becomes out of hand. I purchase from a vast array of suppliers so I pay cash, credit or by check for a lot of things like screws, hardware, wood, glue, etc, etc, etc, etc. Twice a year I gather it all togather and put in for reimbursement. $500 to $1000 worth. I could wish for more, especially a full time technician, but the $3800 is enough to cover what I am able to do in a years time. Keep an eye on the place the school sends its unsed equipment. I just missed getting a Delta radial arm saw, did not get a paper drill press, found chairs, tables, shelves and other things useful for almost nothing in $ compared to their usefulness. I now have a nice sized shop that can do almost anything except boards, finishes or blocks (in the works). I do not have windows to the outside but the dance departments womens dressing room is just around the corner from my front door. My dog, a shetland sheep dog, sits in the middle of the hall waiting for the girls to shop and pet her. I have a full compliment of piano wire, American and German, kept in a cabinet with a DamppChaser heater in the bottom (to keep the temperature higher in the box than outside it to keep rust from forming on the wire), work benches and tables, a full collection of hand tools and piano tools, dollies, blankets, storage for parts of projects in hand, screws, nuts, bolts, washers, etc. Make friends with the theatre people and the scene shop. They will have tools and supplies that you need not purchase for your shop. I tune one or two pianos a year for the theatre department and in exchange I have free reign of their shop when I need screws, bolts, large lumber, or access to their bigger tools. Make friends with the electronics technician so you can have an FM radio, CD player, soldering facilities and repairs to your equipment requiring an electronics tech. Keep your superiors continually informed that you are over worked, underpaid, taken for granted and generally streched and stressed out too far. You need a computer, printer, internet access, and an office space seperate from the shop (which mine is not) with the usual desk top stuff. What ever you would like to have in your personal shop in terms of parts, double it for the school, and every peice of equipment you would like to have for yourself you should have in the school shop. You NEVER have enough toys or tools. I like my shop, it is one of my safe places, except for telephonus and tunus interuptus. Newton J. Hunt nhunt@128.6.7.26 908-932-6686
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC