On Thu, 18 May 2006 15:22:56 -0400, "Robin S."
wrote:


"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
.. .
Or does a toolmaker make whatever is
needed?

Ultimately a toolmaker does whatever is needed. It is a specialization. GP's
and heart surgeons save people's lives through medicine. They are not the
same.

Toolmakers have specific knowledge which pertains to the tooling they build
and/or maintain. When building new dies, tryout/troubleshooting is a major
part of the build, taking in excess of 50% of the total hours required to
complete the build. Tryout typically requires very little "by the numbers
machine work" while requiring lots of experience-based decision and
execution.

Jig and fixture makers have specific knowledge as far as accuracy and
location, automation, productivity, ergonomics, etc. This includes original
design as well as tryout/troubleshooting.

A toolmaker is typically considered the top guy on the job, below
management. The really good ones can make decisions that can effect the
form, function and buildability of the final product and frequently that's
what the customer wants.

Understand that due to the custom nature of tool and die making in general,
the toolmaker is required to take a design that resembles "functional" and
make good parts. It may sound trivial these days with computers and
sophisticated programs available to designers and engineers, but ultimately
(especially in die work), the tool as designed will not produce a good part.

As far as your job is concerned, why would you even bother getting hung up
on a title? Aside from the previous ribbing due to the rampant arrogance in
the world of tool building, it's really just a name. I know many certified
toolmakers who can just barely get a die in the press and get the die to
close. I know others who can truly take a die from design to purchased tool.
If you're a one man army, there is virtually no title which would adequately
define your job except for perhaps entrepreneur.

Regards,

Robin

P.S. Signs of a toolmaker: heavy drinking habit, arrogance, vulgarity,
healthy distaste for engineers, constantly dirty snot, intolerance of bright
lights, social ineptitude, inability to do any more than just less than the
required amount of work to complete a job, nervous ticks, jumpiness,
partial/complete deafness, having the compulsion to stare blankly at
everyone passing by, etc.

Robin,
I'm not hung up about my title. It just seemed to me that the OP was
denigrating machinists as if what he did made him better. Using your
doctor analogy it's sorta like comparing my Orthopedic Surgeon to my
GP. I have tremendous respect for both of them. Their jobs are
different and the Ortho guy had to spend extra years on his exact
specialty. But they are both equals in my eyes. The surgeon has lousy
bedside manner because he is kinda shy. He tries hard though. The GP
really listens to what I say, pays attention to the other things going
on in my life that may affect my pain level, and doesn't dawdle when
checking my prostate.
ERS