The 3 prior posts explained shadow engineering and makerspace concepts.
h/t WRSA and fabbersmith
All it really takes is having the people with the engineering background,the people with the skills to operate whatever machinery is needed to make whatever it is you need to make,and the people with the skills to maintain and repair whatever it is you design and produce.
Some things will not take all the individual skill sets,a machinist can duplicate parts without the need for an engineer,a mechanic may have enough skill on the machines to make whatever part it is he or she needs-etc.
The idea is that within your tribe,you have people with a wide array of skill sets. Once you have these people,any long term SHTF event will be much easier to get through.
Not only that-you become more self reliant for the here and now,less dependent on anyone/anything outside of your tribe.
The reason being-if you can manufacture spare engine parts,duplicate parts from anything you need parts for,and have a group of people who can repair,rebuild,or just make from start to finish anything you need-then you can manufacture whatever it is that is in demand,and it will bring needed income in whatever form it may take,be it medical supplies,food,items you can not manufacture on your own,etc.
Basically,you need to have people with engineering expertise-or your R&D team-people with machinist/tool and die maker skills to produce working prototypes of a design,and people with manufacturing expertise,who can figure out the best use of people and equipment to manufacture whatever it is you need to make more than a few of.
You may have more than one person who has skills in any given area-that’s a good thing. You may find that you are in need of people with certain skills-now’s the time to try and find a person-or persons with the needed skills.
You also need a place or places to design,test and manufacture engine parts,chainsaw bars,hydraulic systems-whatever it is you find yourself in need of in a grid down situation.
It’s not likely that anyone will be able to order spare parts for anything,or run out and buy whatever tool it is you find yourself in need of.
With the right group of people,who have the right skill sets-you can make any tool,and any part for anything as long as you have a place to do so. Your shop can be anything from a 2 car garage,to a large pole barn type building.
You would have to have a fairly well equipped shop,or have all the tools and machinery needed between the members of your tribe.
It was not all that long ago that families cleared land in the wilderness of the Appalachian mountains,my great grandparents were one such family. There was no Lowe’s, no Home Depot,no farm/feed stores,no grocery stores.
They made what they needed. My great grandfather was a blacksmith by trade,when they settled a small valley in Tucker county W.Va,they didn’t have all the lumber delivered to build the house,barn,smokehouse,chicken coop,etc. He built a sawmill,using his ‘smith skills to make a big blade,used leather to make the belt that turned the blade,and used the creek to turn a water wheel to power the sawmill. They built the barns,house,etc by themselves,raised livestock for food,hunted for food,raised crops,using farming implements he made himself.
Between the products he made as a blacksmith,and the income from milling lumber,the family could get the raw materials they needed to make what they couldn’t purchase locally.
The families in the area all traded labor or their expertise in a field for the benefit of each other,and the area they had settled. They only needed a bare minimum of raw materials that were not found locally to manufacture everything everyone needed-and have some products to sell/trade any time one person went to the nearest “big city”.
A long term grid down/SHTF situation would be similar-you would be starting out with only what you had.
He kept the sawmill up and running until he was to old to run it,my grandfather and his brothers kept it running until just after WWII.
If I only knew than what I know now-I would have brought all the parts of the sawmill home with me before my great aunt sold the old farm off.
Getting your team together now,and your tools and machinery should be a priority-not because we’re going to have some kind of collapse next week,or next month,or next year-because if you get some sort of system up and running now-you can sell whatever it is you have dreamed up for your manufacturing test product.
The more practice your tribe gets now-the better off you’ll be in the future.
Besides that-wouldn’t it be great to be able to make that one part your mower,ATV,rototiller,muzzleloader,self-climbing treestand,1949 Johnson outboard boat motor,your wife’s stairstepper machine,etc needs? The part you can not find-or have to buy a $399.99 assembly because you need one small part?
You could even design and make the next winning trebouchet for Punkin Chunkin 2015.
You could melt down that trash can full of Mountain Dew and Bud Light cans into a block of aluminum,and make a better sight for your crossbow…
The possibilities are endless-the value is priceless-the chances your tribe lives through a long-term SHTF/grid down situation with minimal disruption in your everyday lives is also priceless.
The possibilities for the here and now are also endless,and could earn you and your tribe some $$$,help neighboring tribes,and lead to you making new friends and allies in case things get sporty any time soon…
Read.
Learn.
Train.
Do More PT !
Do a little more PT !
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