A couple of months ago I decided to purchase my dream tablesaw, a Martin T60C fully automatic.
I bought my first TS, a Craftsman contractor saw from Sears when I was 15. I used that saw to help pay for my first car, college, and to pay for flying lessons. I also worked for a cabinet shop in LA while going to school and flying. My passion has always been flying and woodworking and they have always kind of been intertwined like a symbiotic relationship. Even while serving our nation as an instructor in the USAF I still spent a ton of time in the base wood shop. So, I kind of look as my early days of woodworking as what funded my career as an airline pilot and now as a captain I am using my career as a way to fund my woodworking passion.
Since I fly for free, my wife, daughter, and I decided to fly to Germany to see if we could see the birth place of my new machine. I did the same thing when I purchased my lathe, a VB36 produced also in Germany. To me, it's a soulful little twist to see where your machine was produced and actually talk to the folks that built them.
Anyway, from Frankfurt, we drove to Ottobeuren, an old, quaint little town in Bavaria. Like old, I mean, Middle Ages old.
I pre scheduled a tour of the factory with Stephan Dieterman a sales director for Martin.
He gave us a full 2 hour tour of the facility beginning with a small Martin museum.
I should say, I felt just as welcomed and appreciated as someone who just placed a million dollar order.
I will attempt to post some pictures here but I'll apologize in advance for pics that are upside down or sideways.
First of all, all Martin machines are "composite" meaning metal, iron, and concrete. They fill each metal body with a special formulated concrete. They feel this method yields a superior stable base.
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After the bases are fully cured, each machine gets hoisted into a large CNC platform where it is machined to accept all its components.
Here is a T54 jointer prior to machining. It weighs apx 1000lbs before anything gets assembled to it.
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I'll continue this story tomorrow with more pics.
John
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