Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:
I have a casual acquaintance who I respect for one of his areas of
expertice. Besides that knowlege, he claims to have been "a machinist
for decades". He's of retirement age now.

Recently, he instructed a raw-beginner HSM on how to turn long tapers
using the compound and frequent re-chucking, and using a file for
dressing up the jaggies. When I suggested turning between centers and
offsetting the tailstock, he bristled, saying that it was
"impossible" to ever get the tailstock back on center again.

Later he made a comment to another fellow allowing that "owning a
lathe and a mill would only be a dream for me."

Can I presume this guy is NOT "a machinist"? G

Or is it possible that production-floor machine _operators_ call
themselves that?

Hell, I call myself an "engineer" and I've never made an engine, nor
have I operated one for money (if you discount driving a shop truck).

And I _do_ own a lathe, plus an excuse for a mill, but I only call
myself a "machinist wannabe". This in spite of the fact that I have no
fear of setting over the tailstock, nor of bringing it back into line
once I've done (you just get it until it eyeballs as straight, right? :-)

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

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