[4DThinker]

The fab lab university shop I just retired from teaching in bought one. The last time I saw it it had become the landing place for clamps and ear protection and such next to two conventional router table. In all the years I taught there teaching furniture design there was never a time when I thought having one would come in handy. Perhaps in a professional shop that made moulding profiles on long boards using a vertical moulding bits. Might be easier and safer than using a large diameter moulding bit

 

[4DThinker]

We had a big multicam CNC there which usually was used to cut student project parts from Baltic Birch plywood, and occasionally from hardwoods, but could cut raised panels or moulding strips for trim around large cabinets. As an Architecture and Design College the furniture design courses were part of an Interior Architecture curriculum. Projects were always unique with cabinetry mostly contemporary but rare. Most projects were tables of all sizes or chairs.

Like many of the tools in that shop the horizontal router table was no doubt purchased on the recommendation from one professor or another who had a use for one in mind. Whatever that was I never saw that tool being used by anyone. The shop would also get used for college projects such as making student desks or display stands, etc. Those would be run by full time fab lab managers and student helpers. Still I can't see anyone needing to use it given all the other tools we had to use.

 

[4DThinker]

Where is the university located? Do they sell machines they are not using??

Kansas. Yes, sort of. When a machine gets outdated or replaced or abandoned and the shop manager gets around to it they show up on Kansas State Surplus auctions. We occasionally picked up used machines we could use from that surplus. In the past some outdated machine were given/sold to faculty that had an interest in fixing them up and using them for their personal shops.