Machinist,

Humm, are there many left are have they al retierd. To me in this day and age most people that call themselfs a machinest are realy not they are a machine operator.
I think that a true machinest can actualy see the part and how to make it in his head.

one thing I look for in a new person (Machinist) is if one of the very first things they look at on a new part is "how do I hold it solid and square" not the question of feeds and speeds right of the bat. I notice more blank looks then answers out of the new school guys where as the ol' boy thats had to teach himself picks up the part gives it a look and you can see the wheels turn in his head.

I truly think most machinest are going away and are now getting replaced by three or four difrent people (i.e. the set up guy, the programmer, the operator or button pushers in some shopes). This is sad as all the information and skill is being lost generation by generation and all we will have is a machinest had book for guidance.

P.S. I went to the costly school of had nocks and late knights to devolope my skills
and have done this for over 20 years and I can program both by hand and cadcam, set up and make parts both on CNC and manual machines. With all that said I still do not call myself a true machinest.

John