"Our book is the fourth edition. According to our outline
we're only doing Unit 57 in Section 6 - Compound Angles, and
then we skip ahead to the CNC section."
How long have you been enrolled in this machining class ?
"Our teacher is cool about that though - she works at a slow
pace with the people who need it, but if you feel
comfortable with the material you can write the test early
and skip the rest of the classes for that section and go
work in the shop or whatever"
Hope your trying to do this as much as possible. The more
hands on you can get with the schools machines, the easier it's
going to be on you when your no longer in school. Are you
working with both knee mills and lathes right now ?
"Automotive reading, huh? Is that something related to work
or just something you're doing for yourself?"
I see aerospace machining as a dead end job in
Phoenix, Arizona. I would like to broaden my skill base and
build high performance engines and various components that
are used on them. Perhaps 5 axis cylinder head work. I can
see going into business for myself in the future doing high
performance engine related work. I would never want to open
my own machining job shop. Don't like what you have to put
up with to do business with Honeywell which is who most
companies in Phoenix do business with or do a large part of
their business with.
"What book are you reading right now?"
Stayed up most of last night and finished:
Super Tuning And Modifying Holley Carburetors (Performance,
Street and Off-Road Applications) by Dave Emanuel
This afternoon started:
Holley Rebuilding And Modifying (A Guide To Holley Modular
Carburetors) by Jeff Williams
Should be able to finish the above book by this weekend.
"I find the reading I've been doing a bit dry (I've been
trying to figure out some of this metallurgy stuff), but
when it sinks in it's like something just *clicks* and
things start to make sense."
Machining has a massive learning curve to it. A lot of
things you can't even read, you just have to do or
experience. It's a very broad and diverse field where no one
knows it all.
"Not sure what area I want to get into. I'd eventually like
to be a tool and die maker or something else that would make
me think."
Are you working in a job shop right now ? Have you in the
past ?
jon
"chem" wrote in message
...
Our book is the fourth edition. According to our outline we're only
doing Unit 57 in Section 6 - Compound Angles, and then we skip ahead to
the CNC section.
Our class has a big difference in the math level people are coming in
with. Some had general math in high school, and one guy took a couple
of math courses in university. For some of us it's been years since
math class in high school, so it's a bit rusty. Our teacher is cool
about that though - she works at a slow pace with the people who need
it, but if you feel comfortable with the material you can write the test
early and skip the rest of the classes for that section and go work in
the shop or whatever. Our pass is 70%, and the way our grading system
works, I don't think it matters if you get 70% or 100%. At the end of
the year we either pass math or we don't, and it just counts as one of
our skills. No final grade for the year. As far as I know. That's not
stopping me from trying to get the highest mark I can, but it's not such
a big deal if I get a couple of questions wrong. And the tests are
pretty short, so three wrong answers drops the mark quite a bit.
Some of the stuff in the book seems... Well, sometimes I feel like I
did in high school "When am I ever going to use this?" But for most of
it, I can see where I'll be applying it. We're doing algebra now, and
some of the people in class don't see why, but if you flip through
something like the Machinery's Handbook and see all the formulas...
Well, that answers that question. 
Automotive reading, huh? Is that something related to work or just
something you're doing for yourself? What book are you reading right
now? I find the reading I've been doing a bit dry (I've been trying to
figure out some of this metallurgy stuff), but when it sinks in it's
like something just *clicks* and things start to make sense.
We did our CAD with AutoCAD LT. When we do CNC later on I think we use
MasterCAM (not sure if I got the name right, but it sounds something
like that).
Not sure what area I want to get into. I'd eventually like to be a tool
and die maker or something else that would make me think. The prospect
of being a button pusher for the rest of my life... Well, let's just
not go there...
chem
jon banquer wrote:
Hi,
"-half a day of math per week - our book is Mathematics for
Machine Technology"
Back in 1993 we used the same text. Ours was the third
edition. We never got to Unit 60 Machining Compound-Angular
Surfaces: Computing Angles Of Rotation and Tilt because many
in the class could not keep up and unfortunatly the
Connecticut adult education system leaves a lot to be
desired and teachs to the lowest level.
IMO this book could be a lot better but it's at least a move
in what I consider to be the right direction. I never do
trig that long way like they have you do it in the book.
Much easier for me to look at one of those charts that you
can find in something like a Carr-Lane book.
Lately I have been doing a ton of automotive reading,
downing a 120 page book about every 2 weeks. When I get done
reading what I want to I might just get motivated to do Unit
60. ;)
"but I've met a few machinists before I started school who
would have been easier to work with if they'd learned a few
of those things and followed them."
LOL. You will meet quite a few more. ;)
BTW, what CAD are they using to teach you ?
AutoCAD ?
Enjoyed your post. Hope you stick it out because IMO you do
have the right attitude to make it as a machinist. Have you
decided yet what area of machining you would like to go into ?
jon
"chem" wrote in message
...
I missed the OP about learning other things instead of just the
practical side of machining... I have to throw in my two cents, FWIW.
I'm taking an 8-9 month machining course. In addition to the practical,
hands-on stuff we also have:
-8 full days of CAD - spread out over a month
-half a day of math per week - our book is Mathematics for Machine
Technology, so we're actually learning things we'll be applying in the
shop
-half a day of communications class per week. This is the one that a
lot of the people in our class have trouble realizing the value of.
We've been covering positive attitudes, teamwork, time management,
presentations, and computer skills (email, word processing, etc. CAD
and CNC programming aren't covered in communications). Not really
anything you need to be a good (or even excellent) machinist, but I've
met a few machinists before I started school who would have been easier
to work with if they'd learned a few of those things and followed them.
(I hope it goes without saying - that's not just limited to
machinists... there are difficult people everywhere)
-We also have a machining textbook that we're supposed to work through
and videos to watch. We spend a couple of hours a week of classroom
time on this, working at our own pace.
CAD, math, and the textbook I've been having no troubles with.
Communications class is driving me nuts. I understand the usefulness of
it all, and I appreciate having the chance to learn the things we're
covering. I'm just feeling a bit down on it because I've got an oral
presentation coming up tomorrow.
Yeah, and I wish we'd had a shop program in high school too. Guess it
wouldn't have mattered much for me anyway because I had no idea what a
machine shop even was until i'd been out of high school for a few years.
chem
jon banquer wrote:
that topic could be covered in another class. Maybe make
it part of the english curriculum.
IMO, this would be the right approach. Those interested in
machining attend a english class that has been tailored to
their curriculum.
Just as the math classes should be oriented to machining.
Again, agreed. Wish I had a choice like this when I was in
high school.
Excellent post... almost makes up for your short sighted
anti-union one.
LOL
:)
jon
"john" wrote in message
...
BottleBob wrote:
Errol Groff wrote:
I am preparing a research assignment for my students on this
subject.
Errol:
The history of Machine tools seems like it would be a
interesting
subject, BUT... If I were in a limited time machine shop class for
the
purpose of increasing my skill level with the hope of becoming an
employable entry level machinist, I think *I'd* (and probably
prospective shop owners might also) be more interested in just HOW to
edge find or indicator sweep my parts rather than knowing WHO
designed
the first edge finder, or indicator, or CNC.
Don't take this wrong, I don't mean to be overly critical
here,
I'm
just giving you a view from a job-shop productivity standpoint. If I
were interviewing two prospective entry level apprentices I'd be more
inclined to hire the one that showed a knowledge of the practical
application of theory over one that had historical knowledge.
--
BottleBob
http://home.earthlink.net/~bottlbob
Errol,
that topic could be covered in another class. Maybe make it part of
the
english curriculum. Just as the math classes should be oriented to
machining. It would make you job easier if you only had to fill
their
brains with the actual machine operations.
John
--
www.xanga.com/chemgurl
--
www.xanga.com/chemgurl