a cautionary tale

[Ken S]

I have outgrown the storage capacity of my Tormek Work Station. Actually, I outgrew it quite a while ago. The inefficiency of storing my "Tormek stuff" in various boxes is getting old.

The problem is entirely me; the work station is well designed and the amount of storage space is quite adequate for most users. I am one of a number of forum members who enjoys tinkering with the Tormek to expand its scope. Part of this expansion has meant having more jigs than one would typically need. (Examples of this are seven knife jigs for my kenjig work and four platforms of various sizes.)

To alleviate this problem, I recently ordered two of the new Tormek storage cases and foam liners. I am a very occasional turner. Having my turning jigs all together in a case will be convenient, although they don't need to fill a work station drawer. Some of my knife jigs and certainly the ax jig are the same way; no need to fill a drawer with them.

I was frustrated and disappointed when I tried to insert the foam in the cases. It was a force fit, actually a force almost fit. It was very unTormeklike. Thinking that there might be a manufacturing problem with Tormek, I emailed Tormek Inc, my country agent. I received a prompt, courteous reply explaining that they had not heard of this problem and requesting that I send photos.

As a retired career telephone troubleshooter, I always suspect man made, operator error. When my Tormek expert friend had not encountered this problem before, the possibility of operator error swung into high gear. Examining the case and foam more closely, I observed that the side of the case with the handle had an indented area. The other side had no indent. I had placed (forced) the foam inserts for both cases with the non indented sides into the indented sides of the cases.

With a great deal of perseverance and patience, I was able to remove the foam inserts. Inserting them correctly, they were a nice slip fit. Problem solved; customer error. Full disclosure: I emailed my friend at Tormek and "fessed up".

I offer this as a cautionary tale in the hope that others will not make same mistake.

humbly,

Ken

[ega]

Ken S:
You seem far too nice a man to have worked for the phone company!

[Ken S]

Ega,

I was the token nice guy they had to hire.

All kidding aside, back in the days when our subscribers relied on landlines for emergency communication, we felt a moral obligation to provide reliable service, "The Spirit of Service". I am proud to have been a small part of that spirit.

Ken