A Terrible Waste

[-Matt-]

Not the best subject for a post, as I imagine a number of you will be as annoyed as I was today when I saw this.
A little background;
My girlfriend is an apprentice joiner, and as it so happens her mum works at the college where she did her first year (a building owned by the college, which is at the other end of the city - York) and also has a motorbike to sell. Her mum works with someone who was interested in buying it, and so it was arranged to meet them there this afternoon.
The important point is that because these buildings are so far from the main site, they are wanting to move everything over there and thus closing this offshoot site.

Well.
The waste! I honestly couldn't believe the sheer amount of stuff being skipped. Granted, a lot of it was crap, but there was a good number of common room-esque sofa things and typically schooly desks but I saw two huge skips just full of wood.
The main point of this all is a certain something that piqued my interest, which was 6 hefty looking workbenches. I pointed at them and jokingly said 'Hah we'll have a new bench!'
Her mothers response was 'Oh they're not going, they're getting skipped'
Waaaah!
Yeah, granted they show the abuse of slightly delinquent 16 year old idiots battering nails in them for fun (I'll point out that my other half is 28, despite only starting this whole joinery thing a few years ago) but the benches are about 1600mm wide, I think 760 high and 765 deep, with a 250-ish wide tool well. They're made of beech, and branded with a logo that begins with E. It has a global looking logo to it, which I recognise but cannot remember.

Anyway, once I was told they were being skipped I practically dived in the skip to see what else I could rescue, 2.4m of oak handrail, and same again of pine in a wide dowel looking thing with a flat all the way down it.
Although that got packed around our new free bench, and if I'd had a bigger vehicle I'd have happily taken more.

Bit of a ramble actually, not sure where I'm going with this, other than 'Look at my free bench!' as well as 'Look at this horrible horrible waste of good useable things!'

If you read this far, thank you!

-Matt-

 

[Zeddedhed]

Probably made by Emir.
They still make benches in Kent somewhere I believe.

If you could get hold of a van and get the rest out they'd be snapped up here on the bay.

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

What! No vices, you've been ripped off! Seriously though, Emir benches are good and solid and cost a good bit to buy so you've done well. School where I work has loads of them. I can understand why the were not moved though, although perfectly serviceable, they do look tatty in a school environment, and I'm afraid that does matter. The price of refurbishment would be not worth the outlay compared to new. Just be grateful that they have skipped them, so you get a nice bench you wouldn't have otherwise! Enjoy.

Mike.

 

[Benchwayze]

This sort of find never happens to me! Nice benches with a bit of work.

I wonder if the dowelling stuff with a flat on it, is domestic handrail? Just a thought.

Have fun rescuing your bench.


John

 

[rafezetter]

I'm glad you managed to save at least 1. Public education places like that never think about conservation of resources, why would they; it's not their money and after all they'll just increase thier fees to buy all new stuff. I'll bet if you did manage to save any more you could flog them for £50 each and ppl will be happy to pay that for such a sturdy looking bench, even as they look now - I know I would.

I've no idea why the appearance of a workbench would (or should) have any bearing on the standard of the education being taught, it's what comes off the bench that's important, and to my mind only a fool would think otherwise. Some things are meant to look used to have any sort of validity.

 

[AnLasair]

in the colleges defence, it is a new build that they are moving stuff too. So the staff essentially got free reign to replace everything. And I guess older benches may look out of place in a new building. Not that I have seen the new benches or anything though.
they are throwing out all the extration units too, as apparently they got told that if they could find just one reason to upgrade them then that woiuld mean that they could get new ones. As far as I am aware all the stuff they are throwing out works perfectly fine, I mean until a few days ago it was all being used.

unfortunately there were no tools to gain though

I've no idea why the appearance of a workbench would (or should) have any bearing on the standard of the education being taught, it's what comes off the bench that's important, and to my mind only a fool would think otherwise. Some things are meant to look used to have any sort of validity.

fully agree there.

dont think the college thinks like that though. I just can't understand why, if they really just want to replace everything, they are skipping stuff when they could easily sell it .

 

[woodbrains]

I've no idea why the appearance of a workbench would (or should) have any bearing on the standard of the education being taught, it's what comes off the bench that's important, and to my mind only a fool would think otherwise. Some things are meant to look used to have any sort of validity.

Hello,

Schools are businesses these days and the appearance is a marketing tool like any business. Getting students to attend a tatty run down looking place is not easy, it is human nature to want to be in a more polished environment. It is better to spend money on aesthetics than lose student numbers, which is income after all. It might seem wasteful, but it does make a difference.

Mike.

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

I was about to post pretty much what woodbrains just said. The Universities have been in a facilities arms-race since the tuition fees went up; prospective students are partly basing their decision on where to spend £9k a year on the quality of the facilities. I'm not surprised at all that colleges have to look at things in the same way. And, as has been pointed out, it is quite possible that the replacement cost is lower than the refurbishment cost, in which case throwing them away is a more efficient use of the funds they have.

A darned shame, of course, but trying to get rid of them less wastefully would likely be an administrative nightmare for the college.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Many years ago a cousin was a headmistress of an infants school. They needed computers for the very young children, so when she found that the local college was ditching dozens of them she made some inquiries. Why were they being dumped? Oh, there's nothing wrong with them, they're just becoming obsolete. Fine, she said, I only need them for very young children - it won't matter to them. Can we have them? I'll get someone with a van. No, they've got to be dumped, or it affects our budget. Well she said what if we come around after hours and just take them? No one's to know? Oh, you can't do that he said - we've going to put a hammer through them first to make sure they're not reused.

 

[doctor Bob]

I agree it's a waste but sometimes the sheer volume of what has to be removed can be overwhelming.
I moved into my new house 6 weeks ago, the house and garden were a wreck, I intended to sort it all out and to bang as much as possible on ebay, it just never really happened there is too much, I just have bonfires every night now.
I refuse to keep anything as I suspect thats how the previous owner became a bit of a hoarder.

 

[No skills]

+1 on what Bob said. I'm a bit of a hoarder - it has to stop somewhere... or get a bigger place

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I moved from a large house with a huge garage and basement to a small bungalow. I have become an unhoarder.

 

[-Matt-]

Turns out I might be able to save them after all!

The bench we saved, was taken round to my parents and dropped in the back garden (on the assumption that I would explain to them later as to where it came from) and that was that.
Today (Sat 18th) we went round, our workshop is half their double garage, the bench is to go in there and upon explaining the story of how we got it, my mother chirped in with borrowing one of my dads friends van. One that we borrow regularally because he's just good like that. So there may be a chance of rescue!

I am hoping to get one of the chairs that were there as well, I'm hoping to take it to work and weld some tube to the legs to lengthen it and use it as a stool for my bench.

Oh and Zeddedhed, it was an Emir bench, knew instantly as I read your post that that's what the logo was

-Matt-

 

[nanscombe]

Do the benches actually belong to the school or do they belong to the local education authority?

Maybe they simply can't sell them.

 

[Shrubby]

Emir benches are not cheap. Over 10 years ago I was quoted £800 for a simple heavy duty bench. Found a barn full of them in Sussex that had come from London schools
I'm surprised that education sector hasn't come up with an asset disposal business for dealing with surplus like the military has.
Make the most of your chance to save stuff from landfill - biomass fuel
Matt

 

[Racers]

There is a wadkin 24 inch planer thickneser in the car park going rusty where I work!

Pete

 

[Myfordman]

There is a wadkin 24 inch planer thickneser in the car park going rusty where I work!

Pete

Stop it Pete!!

You will have Wallace in tears if you carry on!!

 

[acewoodturner]

My mate and I salvaged about 150 cube of teak over a couple of days from a disused lab a few years ago. The benches were over20' long and the planks used to make the benches were 18" wide and about 32mm thick. beautiful stuff. Whilst we were waiting for the keyholder to come back I stripped 40 doors of their brass kicker plates and finger plates. My only regret was I didnt take the smoked glass, double glazed floor to ceiling windows with venetian blinds sandwiched in between the panes of glass. I have since seen them online and I costed them up about 8ooo quid! Reckon we still did alright though as it was all FOC

 

[Racers]

My kitchen table and chairs are made from old Teak benches from work.

Pete

 

[acewoodturner]

My mate was restoring a boat at the time so it came in handy. I even gave some to a bloke who wanted to make a toilet seat from it. Its nearly all gone now as I have used it for a wide variety of wee projects. I thought it was a bit dull and boring so there isnt anything in my house made from it