[SanDiegoCNC]

No.

Go pound sand.

[SanDiegoCNC]

1. Well, no matter what. The poor guy who asked about tools is probably fearing getting a job in machining now.

2.You don't get your first macining job, being the best machinist.

3. I'm confident in my abilities and do not need to prove them to you or anybody else.

4. Where I come from, way out here in the midwest, a man is only as good as the work he does.

5. Being from San Diego, I can see that for your neck of the woods. It only has to look good, but then again, it's not going to go into somebody's body, is it?


Sincerely,
Eric

1. Really? He shouldn't. Machining is a great occupation.

2. Who said that? I certainly didn't.

3. Sure you do! Every day and to your employer.

4. Somehow you think the rest of the world is different???

5. Correction... I'm not from San Diego. But you didn't ask so you couldn't have known. And to clarify your assumptions, I'm from the South. We tend to pride ourselves on traditions and personal honor. I've been involved in many areas of the trade. Medical devices, aerospace, aeronautical, deep sea, just to name a few. My work has flown on the Space Shuttle, includes parts for the Mir Lander, gone into centrifuges for the extraction of stem cells, drilled for oil in deep seas, are in giant turbines, and is currently flying in UAVs that are deployed around the world. So, you see, I'm not limited to just medical devices... How about you? What other areas have you machined?

[eric.lefavour]

1. Really? He shouldn't. Machining is a great occupation.

2. Who said that? I certainly didn't.

3. Sure you do! Every day and to your employer.

4. Somehow you think the rest of the world is different???

5. Correction... I'm not from San Diego. But you didn't ask so you couldn't have known. And to clarify your assumptions, I'm from the South. We tend to pride ourselves on traditions and personal honor. I've been involved in many areas of the trade. Medical devices, aerospace, aeronautical, deep sea, just to name a few. My work has flown on the Space Shuttle, includes parts for the Mir Lander, gone into centrifuges for the extraction of stem cells, drilled for oil in deep seas, are in giant turbines, and is currently flying in UAVs that are deployed around the world. So, you see, I'm not limited to just medical devices... How about you? What other areas have you machined?

I'm so sorry for hurting your fragile ego sir. You are correct, before medical, I primarily did automotive and in iron. Very easy stuff. My apoligies for thinking you are all about yourself. Look at the laundry list of things you have done and had to point out to me to prove how amazing you are. Congratulations. If you are a machinist, and represent the trade. I don't want any part of it. You are arrogant and derogatory. The initial question was what one needed to get into the industry. You made it sound like you had to spend a small fortune to even get a job. At that, if you didn't spend the fortune on the right things, you couldn't get a job. I believe this to be not true, and that is only my opinion. If you want to argue, we can. You obviously have the free time and I'm not busy right now. I'm not sure why you are so offended. I agree that machining is a great occupation, but by your standards, I really dont' know what machining is. I'm just a dumb midwestern programmer who couldn't program if I didn't have software. Of course, this is just an assumption since you didn't ask. You are entitled to your opinion and I support that fact. However, maybe try to be less arrogant when you are telling someone who wants to get into the field what they need. So if you want to claim that I am not a machinist, that is fine. I sure the hell am paid like one! For being a one-trick pony, that's pretty good, I'd say you wasted a lot of time. Just one more question though, how many different companies have you worked for in your 15 years?
Eric

[SanDiegoCNC]

I'm so sorry for hurting your fragile ego sir. You are correct, before medical, I primarily did automotive and in iron. Very easy stuff. My apoligies for thinking you are all about yourself. Look at the laundry list of things you have done and had to point out to me to prove how amazing you are. Congratulations. If you are a machinist, and represent the trade. I don't want any part of it. You are arrogant and derogatory. The initial question was what one needed to get into the industry. You made it sound like you had to spend a small fortune to even get a job. At that, if you didn't spend the fortune on the right things, you couldn't get a job. I believe this to be not true, and that is only my opinion. If you want to argue, we can. You obviously have the free time and I'm not busy right now. I'm not sure why you are so offended. I agree that machining is a great occupation, but by your standards, I really dont' know what machining is. I'm just a dumb midwestern programmer who couldn't program if I didn't have software. Of course, this is just an assumption since you didn't ask. You are entitled to your opinion and I support that fact. However, maybe try to be less arrogant when you are telling someone who wants to get into the field what they need. So if you want to claim that I am not a machinist, that is fine. I sure the hell am paid like one! For being a one-trick pony, that's pretty good, I'd say you wasted a lot of time. Just one more question though, how many different companies have you worked for in your 15 years?
Eric

Offended? No, I'm humored by your ignorance. You've brightened my day! I'll be sure to share the comments of this thread with my customers tomorrow as I've a few appointments with a couple of local shops. Thank you!

[Rekd]

You made it sound like you had to spend a small fortune to even get a job.

No. He made it sound like you have to have a good tool box in order to be a good machinist. :rainfro: I LOLed.

SDCNC, you really think the toolbox makes the machinist, don't you? :banana:

[SanDiegoCNC]

No. He made it sound like you have to have a good tool box in order to be a good machinist. :rainfro: I LOLed.

SDCNC, you really think the toolbox makes the machinist, don't you? :banana:

You see Eric, this is what I meant in my PM to you... some guys just have to be jerks and keep crap going.

[ImanCarrot]

T Wow! time out guys !

My stuff is in satelites, submarines, attack helicopters, stealth bombers, jet fighters, sniper rifles and women's wombs (no kidding, google Urethoscope), they're in people's eyes, on trains planes and automobiles.

Every day I work to tolerances that are less than a micron (0.001mm) or 0.00004".

I can, and have, worked to tolerances that are only measurable in wavelengths of light. The tightest I've worked to is 1/20th of a wavelength at 0.633 microns- that's 0.00003mm, or 0.000001 inches and that is the departure from flatness over 12 inches diameter, heh, after that light starts to diffract and act weird.

May I remind the forum that a human red blood cell is about 10 microns in size (source Mitutoyo reference book).

We coat things that are only measureable in Angstroms. An Angstrom is 0.1 of a nanometer or 0.0001 of a micron.

I'm a member of the "Institute of Quality Assurance" and a founder member of the "Chartered Quality Institute" (Founded 1919 and incorporated by Royal Charter 2006). I did a "proper" apprenticeship (the long one) years ago and have more qualifications than I care to list.


My point?...


My tool box(es) consist of about 5 canvas army style bags


Oh, and lots of drawers, racking, trays and pockets hehe.

Mind you I can never find anything I need lol

[SanDiegoCNC]

That's pretty tight. I don't usually work that closely... +/- 0.0005 is my norm.

[cad01]

Shouldn't the inspection room/tool crib have gauge blocks and pins? I liken them to a surface plate. Owning your own is convenient, but the shop should have a set for the machinists to use. Just about any decent DTI will get you started. I have interapid in the good box, but started the trade with a Sears Craftsman (1977) which I still have and it still works reliably.

What is forgotten too often in this thread is that quality tools cost money, and a person starting out is at the low end while being saddled with the need to fill a tool box with useful tools. Chinese tools offer a lot of bang for the buck and while not something that will follow a tradesman through his career, they will let the guy get off the ground and running.

Yes, inspection should have pins / gages for your use. I bought my own and use them nearly every day at work. It is more of a convenience, yes I admit, but so is any tool you buy. Just some I use more than others and find myself more valuable.

As for the cheap Chinese tools, yes you can get some decent tools for cheap, and yes you WILL end up replacing them in the near future. I don’t see the value there. Use shop tools until you can afford them. Just yesterday I had someone from our finishing dept. that is not a machinist, but is responsible for checking finish dimensions, came and grabbed one of the MSC sale flyers. I asked what he was looking for. He responded “0-6 inch calipers” he asked what I recommended. After asking a few more questions I found out he is currently using Harbor Freight calipers and was planning on purchasing SPI brand to measure a feature Ø.317 +.001/-0 Calipers have ±.001 accuracy at best.
Like I said before tools you buy depend on what type of work you do. Make sure you get tools that can do the right job. If your tolerances are wide open or in fractions, sure go with cheap import tools, Craftsman, or HF. But if you have to deal with tighter tolerances, I would not put my job on the line trusting cheap tools.

[ImanCarrot]

Make sure you get tools that can do the right job

Never a truer word spoken!

A good workman never blames his tools but you have to have the right tools to do the job.

They measure horses in hands

[MrWild]

Just yesterday I had someone from our finishing dept. that is not a machinist, but is responsible for checking finish dimensions, came and grabbed one of the MSC sale flyers. I asked what he was looking for. He responded “0-6 inch calipers” he asked what I recommended. After asking a few more questions I found out he is currently using Harbor Freight calipers and was planning on purchasing SPI brand to measure a feature Ø.317 +.001/-0 Calipers have ±.001 accuracy at best.

Not even the right tool for the job and cheap don't mean a thing when even a high dollar item wouldn't do the job. I'm wondering what kind of company puts an untrained unknowing person into their final inspection area and allows them to use uncalibrated tooling to do it? There is more wrong here than a cheap HF caliper. I also disagree that you will immediately be replacing cheap tooling especially if it is electronic in nature. The precision is embedded in the structure (epoxy) and often times the same parts are used by both the cheap and high end.

You can buy high end tools that have low end quality, but plaster their name on the same tools you might buy from the low end folks. Name and cost is not a cast iron guarantee of quality.

[Rekd]

That's pretty tight. I don't usually work that closely... +/- 0.0005 is my norm.

And he wouldn't have been able to do it without that brown Kennedy tool box! Oh, wait....

Never mind. He said his box was a bag. (nuts)

Oh, and SDCNC:

That was my way of telling you to go pound sand.

Yeah, I'm betting most of the guys who roll out a 'Red Kennedy' probably don't know how to regrind a drill... write a program without the aid of computer software... make their own custom tooling, or have a multitude of other basic 'non-essential' skills. And I can assure you that shops who 'DO NOT require any tools', are relying on workers who cannot function in a real world machine shop. They've taken a lump of clay and molded their workers to become one-trick ponies. Their worker's skills are limited. I run into those guys all the time. They're incompetent to the extent that they cannot be trusted to do more than modify speeds and feeds within programs... and they're not very good at that either.

Go pound sand.

Offended? No, I'm humored by your ignorance. You've brightened my day! I'll be sure to share the comments of this thread with my customers tomorrow as I've a few appointments with a couple of local shops. Thank you!

You see Eric, this is what I meant in my PM to you... some guys just have to be jerks and keep crap going.

...if you continue to insult people, call people names and generally be a jerk, you'll end up on a time-out.

[SanDiegoCNC]

And he wouldn't have been able to do it without that brown Kennedy tool box! Oh, wait....

Never mind. He said his box was a bag. (nuts)

Oh, and SDCNC:












...if you continue to insult people, call people names and generally be a jerk, you'll end up on a time-out.

Hey, why don't you just ban me? Why hold back? Glad to see you're not biased or unwilling to throw your weight around to get your way.

[Delw]

Hey, why don't you just ban me? Why hold back? Glad to see you're not biased or unwilling to throw your weight around to get your way.

I am guessing Because he has a spongebob Lunch box for a tool box and doesnt want to look like he is picking on you LOL

[SanDiegoCNC]

I am guessing Because he has a spongebob Lunch box for a tool box and doesnt want to look like he is picking on you LOL

That could be. Who knows? LOL!

[Rekd]

Glad to see you're not biased or unwilling to throw your weight around to get your way.

I'm not trying to "get my way" about anything. Not like some here who are trying to throw around their rotundness...

Offended? No, I'm humored by your ignorance. You've brightened my day! I'll be sure to share the comments of this thread with my customers tomorrow as I've a few appointments with a couple of local shops. Thank you!

Isn't irony... ironic?

I'm just saying that you are crossing the line by insulting people and calling them names. It's against the rules here, please don't do it any more.

Pretty basic stuff if you ask me.

Now, about that bright red Craftsman condo full of machinists tools that rolled through the shop a few months ago...

[SanDiegoCNC]

My stuff is in... sniper rifles...

<snipped for content>

Come to think of it, at one point I've made the internal baffles that go into silencers for a local Marine Corps armorer. Couldn't make the complete assembly since its illegal to possess. Some other company made the sleeves that contained the baffles. Funny... all the things we forget as the years go by.

[SanDiegoCNC]

I'm just saying that you are crossing the line by insulting people and calling them names. It's against the rules here, please don't do it any more.

Just keep in mind, I generally give back what I receive.

BTW, I see you're in SD too. Have we bumped into one another before? What shop do you work for or are you self-employed?

[dertsap]

where I come from a guy gets by on merit not bs

[Rekd]

Just keep in mind, I generally give back what I receive.

Good. Feel free to ban me.

BTW, I see you're in SD too. Have we bumped into one another before? What shop do you work for or are you self-employed?

I don't work in a shop. And I thought you said you weren't from San Diego? (nuts)