Tool checkout system. Need help on SOP

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One aspect of me making a living, is that I teach welding at a local community college.  I love the job and it pays me more than I am worth, so I try to give back to program outside of my required instructional time.  Approximately 150 students are enrolled in the program at any one time.  We have a problem with respect for tools, as well as returning tools to their correct place.  I have convinced the powers that be, that we need a tool room that is locked, and a checkout system for tools that tracks who has the tools. I would like input from other instructors, or past students of a similar program or anyone with experience with this type of system.  How is it implemented?  Each tool numbered I assume, and then students check tools out?  Chit system?  I have the man power to man the tool room, but need help with operating procedures.  Thanks!Sent from my DROID3 using TapatalkJay DavisAWS-CWIC-60 Specialty Welding ContractorLoving husband, and father of two boys (
Reply:Back in the '70s when I was working heavy construction we would each pull our numbered brass token at the gate leading into the jobsite. Worked well for payroll and also was used to check-out tools during the shift. If you didn't return the tools at the end of the day you weren't going to get your brass back and it would play He!! come the next day's check-in.These days it would probably be easier to run inventory control using a keypad and computer inventory control program. You'll need to be somewhat draconian with your enforcement before the system will work.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:One tool room system that I have seen is simply a manned sign out system. Photo ID was required and all tools were to be turned in everyday 1 hour before the end of the day. The students could rotate days on tool room duty. But it would still be the instructors responsibility to check the inventory everyday.If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:brass might work if you got the money in the buget tou could get the scan cards most big shut downs use them now. Cant brass your buddy out anymore damn!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by larpheadOne tool room system that I have seen is simply a manned sign out system. Photo ID was required and all tools were to be turned in everyday 1 hour before the end of the day. The students could rotate days on tool room duty. But it would still be the instructors responsibility to check the inventory everyday.
Reply:Tool room and check out sheet. Normally it would be attended by a lab assistant & supervised by the instructor. Sign in for roll at the tool room, and check the column for any gear you need, be it hoods, leathers, handtools, etc. Cross it out at the end of class to show you returned it, or face the Wrath of Khan.Last edited by tanglediver; 03-05-2012 at 01:45 AM.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:The one I was thinking of was at  Camp Dodge Iowa. You even had to sign out those red shop towels, if you signed out 6 you better have 6 to turn in at the end of the day If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:Maybe get in touch with the library.  All students have library cards don't they?  Bar codes on the tools and scan the library card.  You could use the same software.My name's not Jim....
Reply:We used a sign out sheet and collected student IDs. When all tools were returned, they got their ID back. We locked the ID box. Lost tools could be charged to student accounts.Consumables are big money and for us a greater hassle than tool control.Consumables were one-for-one swap. Doesn't really work with TIG tungsten but is OK for everything else. When we saw too much stick electrode waste we had them turn in rod stubs "burnt down to the numbers".  We kept a consumable inventory spreadsheet for easy reorder. I painted our tools and etched them with large numbers. I used a soldering iron to mark the plastic on angle and end grinders then filled the marks with paint or marker. Make 'em ugly to keep 'em out of the pawn shop!DeWalt 9" grinders survived the best. Milwaukees have an annoying split handle which loosens. Recent Metabos have a guard clamp which loosens along with the rotating handle.Milwaukee 5196 end grinders hold up very well. We put pneumatic nipples on our TIG rigs and purge hoses, with matching chucks on our argon manifolds. We ran the argon manifold off either a Dewar or spider and high pressure cylinders and set it to 35 psi, and used Harris flowmeters which are left attached to the TIG rig or purge hose. The low inlet pressure works fine with various flowmeters (we never had a problem) and pneumatic chucks hold up well if you buy decent ones. With the TIG rig or purge hose staying attached to the flowmeter, it's easy to control the combination and swap it if the student has a problem.We also fed our MIGs from a manifold. Cylinders fed a spider and were located at the end of the booths.
Reply:I have set up a couple of tool rooms and we use a barcode and scanner system.  The tools are inventoried and the location has the barcode cause it's not practical to put the code on each tool, they get wore off etc.  The employee or student has a bar code that is attached to his ID, that is scanned then the tool is scanned, it's a pretty simple windows based program. If you want specific information, send me a PM and I will get it to you.6 Miller Big Blue 600 Air Paks2 Miller 400D6 Lincoln LN-25's4 Miller Xtreme 12VS2 Miller Dimension 812 4 Climax BW-3000Z bore welders Hypertherm 65 and 85Bug-O Track BugPair of Welpers
Reply:I'm a student at our local CC right now in welding, and we have a tool room, and it is required that each student works 2 x "Half days" in the room. The only problem is that students really don't care about who signs out equipment, which, as a counter-point, that room is the most boring thing to do ever. And while you shouldn't get credit for doing something you have to do, there should be some sort of reward for working it.Our program chair and co-chair are the only ones who want to keep it, I've talked to a number of the other instructors about it and the general opinion is that it is bullsh*t and it is a waste of students time. The automotive program has their tool room manned by an instructor or two all the time, they run it much better. It's also confusing to students in there who've never been in there before when an older student (someone further in the program) comes in an asks for a tool or a rod that they have no clue where it is at.Miller Performance AD Helmet - Camo Edition Soon to have: Jackson HSL 100 - Forest Digi CamoMiller Thunderbolt AC/DC((Currently at welding school))
Reply:When I was in college for diesel equipment, we had a part time attendant for the tool room and the students had "chits", which were numbered rubber tags on a key ring type thing. The attendant would take the tool off the hook and put the chit on the hook. With about a half hour of the day left the attendant would inventory what was still out and make a quick trip around the shop to ask if they were going to lock it in their toolbox or return it for the night. Very little issues with this system.Millermatic 200Hobart Handler 120Victor O/A & Ramco BandsawLincoln 225 ACSnapOn AD HoodMiller XMT304/22AHypertherm Powermax 1650 G3Lincoln Idealarc DC600 w/Extreme 12 VSMiller Digital Elite "Joker"
Reply:In local welding program student is expected to have a list basic equipment such as hammer, tape measure helmet chipping hammer.  Each has a 2 by 2 by 2 lockup for his stuff.  Electric grinders are on a rack up front.   Anything extra is taken from the toolroom.  Toolman does more than tool control.  He maintains equipment and inventories welding consumables.  The toolroom is central so that it services heavy duty mechanics and automotive mechanics also.
Reply:If you want to move from the "Big Chief" method to the digital arena, here is one option:http://www.waspbarcode.com/Yakdung
Reply:We use a program called ToolWatch that basically assigns each tool a unique number and a barcode. Each person or job has a "file" and you scan or punch in the either the barcode or the number and it is logged to the job file. When they come back they get rescanned and put back in inventory. Been using it 10 years and so far it works pretty well.
Reply:I appreciate all the input.  No real budget for an electronic system, but the chit system seems like it would work best for our situation.  We have around 20 'worksite learning' students that basically work in the dept. For college credits.  Of those I would create schedule for manning the tool room, as well as other shop tasks.  Tool room would be locked at all times, and only the instructors and scheduled worksite student would have a keyNot all students would need access to the tools for check out.  A fair amount provide their own grinders, etc.  The ones that can't afford their own tools generally are the ones that provide the least amount of respect unfortunately.I think a system where a student who would like to check out a tool would fill out a contact form, one time, and then be assigned a chit.  They would be responsible for this chit for the semester.  If they wanted tools, they would turn it in to the tool room in exchange for the tools they wanted.  The chit would be hung on a board with a list of the tools they borrowed.  Once the tools were brought back they could get their chit back.  If they brought say 4 of the 5 tools back, they would not get their chit back, and could not borrow anymore tools until the one was found.  Every morning a worksite student would be charged with taking inventory and reporting to the Worksite Coordinator (me) who did not return tools the previous day...then the beatings would commence.Sent from my DROID3 using TapatalkJay DavisAWS-CWIC-60 Specialty Welding ContractorLoving husband, and father of two boys (
Reply:We considered chits, but a SIGNED spreadsheet is proof the chit wasn't incorrectly placed, and maintains a record of past users. We kept sheets for a couple weeks back.Chits are good for responsible users, and worked well in the Air Force before tool control software. When PCs go down, have a paper alternative ready!
Reply:Years ago when I was still in school, we had a giant steel locked tool cabinet with a place & painted spot for each tool. Grinders to screw drivers. The tool cabinet was opened before each class and it was confirmed that each tool was indeed there.15 minutes before class ended, EVERY ONE grabbed a broom and cleaned up all the slag, metal, and crap off the floor and out of the weld booths.The tools were also returned to the tool cabinet. If a tool was missing, every one hunted it down.If it couldn't be found or no one wanted to get up off their lazy butts, every one stayed until the local fuzz showed up for a theft report.
Reply:Originally Posted by BoostinjdmMaybe get in touch with the library.  All students have library cards don't they?  Bar codes on the tools and scan the library card.  You could use the same software.