"The Eternal Squire" wrote in message
oups.com...


No matter how well motivated or cautious or intelligent or bright a
high school student is, legally and morally that student is still a
minor. Special considerations apply.

Perhaps "special considerations apply" but the size or power of the machine
has nothing to do with it.


MaxNC machines are too small and flimbsy to put up with ameteur
machinists.

The intended operators are not amateurs, they are children.

Uh, they are amateurs. Call them children to their faces.

Bridgeports and related machines will almost certainly exercise lethal
forces in the event of an accident. While smaller mills can generate
lethal forces, due to physics the amount of total momentum applied
against any part of a child's anatomy will certainly be less. That
increases the chances that the ER team can save the child in time.

Absolutley wrong. *This* is what's wrong with the internet.

I've run a Taig milling machine (essentially a MaxNC without CNC),
Bridgeports, 3 ton horizontals and 30hp CNC machines. My Taig will cut your
finger off just as fast as the 50hp CNC machines at work will.

Tell me your experience with milling machines. I'm guessing you haven't run
a mill for more than a dozen hours. I've got 5,000 hrs of my tool and die
apprenticeship done. I've about 1,000 hrs on bridgeport machines and about
150 hrs manually programming and using CAM software to program CNC mills.


CNC is *not* required or recommended(!). A good manual machinist is
required
to make a good CNC machinist, period.

These children do *not* have the time, let alone the attention span, to
become good machinists.

Then they *certainly* don't have time to become decent CNC machinists. As I
said, you have to be good on a manual machinist to perform on a CNC machine,
period. Ask me how I know.

They best they can do is a 13 week semester
(never mind the 6 week deadline) is to develop an appreciation of the
basics. A good manual machinst,
however, should be required as an instructor, simply for safety
reasons.

Probably for legal and liability reasons, the students should not even
touch the machine.

They shouldn't be allowed to walk on the sidewalk or ride in a car either.
Very dangerous activities (bridgeport is 1hp, smallest common care engine is
about 100hp).

(Sorry!). A hands off approach would then mandate the use of CNC.

Bull****. Will the teacher saw off the stock for them? Put it in the vice
and set up the mill? Perhaps program the machine because there's not time to
teach the *children* how to do it? I guess we'll just let the students press
the green button.

Great learning experience. Indeed you've entirely missed the point of
school.

The students can develop an understanding of the parts of the milling
machine, draft CAD diagrams, download, and run in the presence of the
instructor.

They can setup their manual mill and crank the handles as well. It's not
rocket science and it isn't dangerous when the student has proper training.
Many Europeans start their apprenticeships well below 18 years old.


Can you image how high the school board would go ballistic when they
hear that you want to reintroduce the machine shop? Selling the idea
as a computer controlled demonstration that could fit on a desktop,
with live demo at the board meeting, would go a LOT easier with them.

Great. Buy a machine that DOESN'T have the capacity the students need,
requires programming and setup skills they DON'T have and probably costs
more than a used knockoff bpt.

Great idea. We need more great ideas like that in industry too.



Personally I like a heavier machine with a more powerful motor and faster
spindle for manual aluminum work, but the BPT will be a good match for
the
type of work being described.

Save that for college or vocational school.

There are those who say, and then there are those who go and do (as the
sayers watch). The student asked what kind of mill was required for the type
of work he is doing. A MaxNC WILL NOT DO THE WORK REQUIRED. That's the
bottom line.

Regards,

Robin