On Friday, June 11, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Ostcroix wrote:
Hello :


I've been working at the same place for the past
12 years and I've mastered every thing at my shop
execpt the C N C machines. We have a old 5T
Fanuc control but we only run one part on there.
I would say that I have good fundmental skills on
the conventional machines. However, I would like
to get better. Does anyone have Tips or questions
a machinist should ask themselves to determine
if they are a capable machinst ? Does 12 years
of making the same type parts make me a solid
machinist? How Can I furthur hone my skills where
I am at ? I am really wondering if I am a good machinist

On 12/19/2019 12:30 AM, wrote:
On Friday, June 11, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Ostcroix wrote:
Hello :


I've been working at the same place for the past
12 years and I've mastered every thing at my shop
execpt the C N C machines. We have a old 5T
Fanuc control but we only run one part on there.
I would say that I have good fundmental skills on
the conventional machines. However, I would like
to get better. Does anyone have Tips or questions
a machinist should ask themselves to determine
if they are a capable machinst ? Does 12 years
of making the same type parts make me a solid
machinist? How Can I furthur hone my skills where
I am at ? I am really wondering if I am a good machinist


A 20 year old thread... and yet still a good question.

On Thu, 19 Dec 2019 07:23:02 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 12/19/2019 12:30 AM, wrote:
On Friday, June 11, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Ostcroix wrote:
Hello :


I've been working at the same place for the past
12 years and I've mastered every thing at my shop
execpt the C N C machines. We have a old 5T
Fanuc control but we only run one part on there.
I would say that I have good fundmental skills on
the conventional machines. However, I would like
to get better. Does anyone have Tips or questions
a machinist should ask themselves to determine
if they are a capable machinst ? Does 12 years
of making the same type parts make me a solid
machinist? How Can I furthur hone my skills where
I am at ? I am really wondering if I am a good machinist


A 20 year old thread... and yet still a good question.
A "good machinist" should be able to take a drawing of something he's
never made before and figure out how to make it accurately without
making too much scrap - and after figuring it out, repeat it.

On 12/19/2019 12:47 PM, Clare Snyder wrote: On Thu, 19 Dec 2019
07:23:02 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 12/19/2019 12:30 AM, wrote:
On Friday, June 11, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Ostcroix wrote:
Hello :


I've been working at the same place for the past
12 years and I've mastered every thing at my shop
execpt the C N C machines. We have a old 5T
Fanuc control but we only run one part on there.
I would say that I have good fundmental skills on
the conventional machines. However, I would like
to get better. Does anyone have Tips or questions
a machinist should ask themselves to determine
if they are a capable machinst ? Does 12 years
of making the same type parts make me a solid
machinist? How Can I furthur hone my skills where
I am at ? I am really wondering if I am a good machinist


A 20 year old thread... and yet still a good question.
A "good machinist" should be able to take a drawing of something he's
never made before and figure out how to make it accurately without
making too much scrap - and after figuring it out, repeat it.


How about those of us who work from pencil scrawlings on a scrap of
paper and often have questions for clarification met with "like that
other thing I didn't send you an image of" and "you know what I mean"
instead of actual answers. Or worse, "I just want it ultra realistic
and it has to be 'exactly' perfect." If its in a verbal conversation
their pitch almost always changes when they say the word exactly.

LOL.

Often my response to customers is, "I have no way of seeing the pretty
picture in your head. Please draw a picture. Even if its not very
good." Some are amazingly bad. The ones that kill me are the guys who
struggle to draw a marginally circular image who then proceed to tackle
a detailed perspective drawing. I have to applaud the effort. I would
love to own some of those images. I'd frame them and put on a modern
art exhibit. Picasso would be bewildered. Sometimes I really wish I
could see it the same way they do. That's the market I picked though.

On Fri, 20 Dec 2019 06:56:24 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 12/19/2019 12:47 PM, Clare Snyder wrote: On Thu, 19 Dec 2019
07:23:02 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 12/19/2019 12:30 AM, wrote:
On Friday, June 11, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Ostcroix wrote:
Hello :


I've been working at the same place for the past
12 years and I've mastered every thing at my shop
execpt the C N C machines. We have a old 5T
Fanuc control but we only run one part on there.
I would say that I have good fundmental skills on
the conventional machines. However, I would like
to get better. Does anyone have Tips or questions
a machinist should ask themselves to determine
if they are a capable machinst ? Does 12 years
of making the same type parts make me a solid
machinist? How Can I furthur hone my skills where
I am at ? I am really wondering if I am a good machinist


A 20 year old thread... and yet still a good question.
A "good machinist" should be able to take a drawing of something he's
never made before and figure out how to make it accurately without
making too much scrap - and after figuring it out, repeat it.


How about those of us who work from pencil scrawlings on a scrap of
paper and often have questions for clarification met with "like that
other thing I didn't send you an image of" and "you know what I mean"
instead of actual answers. Or worse, "I just want it ultra realistic
and it has to be 'exactly' perfect." If its in a verbal conversation
their pitch almost always changes when they say the word exactly.

LOL.

Often my response to customers is, "I have no way of seeing the pretty
picture in your head. Please draw a picture. Even if its not very
good." Some are amazingly bad. The ones that kill me are the guys who
struggle to draw a marginally circular image who then proceed to tackle
a detailed perspective drawing. I have to applaud the effort. I would
love to own some of those images. I'd frame them and put on a modern
art exhibit. Picasso would be bewildered. Sometimes I really wish I
could see it the same way they do. That's the market I picked though.
The mark of a good "machinist" is one who can make the exact gizmo
the client wants, given only the rough functional requirements - even
when the client hasn't got a CLUE what he wants it to do - - - - -

Exactly the same as the mark of a good "computer programmer"

"It's a (black) art - not a science!!"

Bob La Londe writes:

On 12/19/2019 12:47 PM, Clare Snyder wrote: On Thu, 19 Dec 2019
07:23:02 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 12/19/2019 12:30 AM, wrote:
On Friday, June 11, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Ostcroix wrote:
Hello :


I've been working at the same place for the past
12 years and I've mastered every thing at my shop
execpt the C N C machines. We have a old 5T
Fanuc control but we only run one part on there.
I would say that I have good fundmental skills on
the conventional machines. However, I would like
to get better. Does anyone have Tips or questions
a machinist should ask themselves to determine
if they are a capable machinst ? Does 12 years
of making the same type parts make me a solid
machinist? How Can I furthur hone my skills where
I am at ? I am really wondering if I am a good machinist


A 20 year old thread... and yet still a good question.
A "good machinist" should be able to take a drawing of something he's
never made before and figure out how to make it accurately without
making too much scrap - and after figuring it out, repeat it.


How about those of us who work from pencil scrawlings on a scrap of
paper and often have questions for clarification met with "like that
other thing I didn't send you an image of" and "you know what I mean"
instead of actual answers. Or worse, "I just want it ultra realistic
and it has to be 'exactly' perfect." If its in a verbal conversation
their pitch almost always changes when they say the word exactly.

LOL.

Often my response to customers is, "I have no way of seeing the pretty
picture in your head. Please draw a picture. Even if its not very
good." Some are amazingly bad. The ones that kill me are the guys
who struggle to draw a marginally circular image who then proceed to
tackle a detailed perspective drawing. I have to applaud the effort.
I would love to own some of those images. I'd frame them and put on a
modern art exhibit. Picasso would be bewildered. Sometimes I really
wish I could see it the same way they do. That's the market I picked
though.

Thanks Bob for sharing this insight into your world :-)
It's brilliant. the mind's eye sees these scenes vividly, the way you
conjure it up.
Best wishes.

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
On 12/19/2019 12:47 PM, Clare Snyder wrote: On Thu, 19 Dec 2019
07:23:02 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 12/19/2019 12:30 AM, wrote:
On Friday, June 11, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Ostcroix wrote:
Hello :


I've been working at the same place for the past
12 years and I've mastered every thing at my shop
execpt the C N C machines. We have a old 5T
Fanuc control but we only run one part on there.
I would say that I have good fundmental skills on
the conventional machines. However, I would like
to get better. Does anyone have Tips or questions
a machinist should ask themselves to determine
if they are a capable machinst ? Does 12 years
of making the same type parts make me a solid
machinist? How Can I furthur hone my skills where
I am at ? I am really wondering if I am a good machinist


A 20 year old thread... and yet still a good question.
A "good machinist" should be able to take a drawing of something
he's
never made before and figure out how to make it accurately without
making too much scrap - and after figuring it out, repeat it.


How about those of us who work from pencil scrawlings on a scrap of
paper and often have questions for clarification met with "like that
other thing I didn't send you an image of" and "you know what I
mean" instead of actual answers. Or worse, "I just want it ultra
realistic and it has to be 'exactly' perfect." If its in a verbal
conversation their pitch almost always changes when they say the
word exactly.

LOL.

Often my response to customers is, "I have no way of seeing the
pretty picture in your head. Please draw a picture. Even if its
not very good." Some are amazingly bad. The ones that kill me are
the guys who struggle to draw a marginally circular image who then
proceed to tackle a detailed perspective drawing. I have to applaud
the effort. I would love to own some of those images. I'd frame
them and put on a modern art exhibit. Picasso would be bewildered.
Sometimes I really wish I could see it the same way they do. That's
the market I picked though.


I tried to learn drafting and machining well enough to not be that
guy, with the result that the electrical engineers simply handed me
the mechanical problem to solve as I saw fit.

It still helped if an experienced machinist could suggest changes to
make the parts easier, faster and cheaper to produce, though that's
really a production engineer rather than a machinist task.

Aound here the small job shops are used to working with Lockheed / BAE
and are good at (if not always happy about) dealing with engineers.

"Jim Wilkins" on Sat, 21 Dec 2019 07:45:20
-0500 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Often my response to customers is, "I have no way of seeing the
pretty picture in your head. Please draw a picture. Even if its
not very good." Some are amazingly bad. The ones that kill me are
the guys who struggle to draw a marginally circular image who then
proceed to tackle a detailed perspective drawing. I have to applaud
the effort. I would love to own some of those images. I'd frame
them and put on a modern art exhibit. Picasso would be bewildered.
Sometimes I really wish I could see it the same way they do. That's
the market I picked though.

I tried to learn drafting and machining well enough to not be that
guy, with the result that the electrical engineers simply handed me
the mechanical problem to solve as I saw fit.

It still helped if an experienced machinist could suggest changes to
make the parts easier, faster and cheaper to produce, though that's
really a production engineer rather than a machinist task.

I retrained as a CAD guy. I remember a two part assignment:
design the casting, then design resulting part. I thought "If I make
the casting suchly, then holding it for the machining will be easier."
And transferring "the sketch" to the drawing I said "I can make
that" meaning all the info I need is there. Except for the note about
the material, forgot that. Oops.

Aound here the small job shops are used to working with Lockheed / BAE
and are good at (if not always happy about) dealing with engineers.
--
pyotr filipivich
"With Age comes Wisdom. Although far too often, Age travels alone."

"pyotr filipivich" wrote in message
...
"Jim Wilkins" on Sat, 21 Dec 2019 07:45:20
-0500 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:


I retrained as a CAD guy. I remember a two part assignment:
design the casting, then design resulting part. I thought "If I
make
the casting suchly, then holding it for the machining will be
easier."
And transferring "the sketch" to the drawing I said "I can make
that" meaning all the info I need is there. Except for the note
about
the material, forgot that. Oops.


Yes, let them choose the alloy that gives them the best results and
then send a revised print.

When I talked to circuit board makers before sending out a quote
package they often would tell me they'd make the board differently
depending on their equipment and supplies on hand, so I had to adjust
the quote to fit all of them by removing some specs and relying on
past experience with their quality. For these RF circuits the signal
trace impedances were determined by my line widths and their inner
plane spacings and insulation dielectric constants.

Throughout the 70's and 80's I watched them improve from loose
commercial to demanding mil-spec standards and process control for all
their products. Everything else benefited from their ability to make
circuit boards for defense contractors whose tech was 20 years ahead
of civilian applications.

"Richard Smith" wrote in message
...
Bob La Londe writes:

...
Thanks Bob for sharing this insight into your world :-)
It's brilliant. the mind's eye sees these scenes vividly, the way
you
conjure it up.
Best wishes.

You seem very purrceptive. Can you explain the new British "Cats"
movie?

"Oh God, my eyes!"
- a typical film critic's review

For starters, if your name *isn't* Mark Wieber, then there is a non-zero
probability that you're a good machinist. That probability might be
extremely slim, but it's still non-zero.

If your name is Mark Wieber, then there is no ****ing way in hell you're a
good machinist. That's just a fact.

"Jim Wilkins" on Sat, 21 Dec 2019 14:29:59
-0500 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
"pyotr filipivich" wrote in message
.. .
"Jim Wilkins" on Sat, 21 Dec 2019 07:45:20
-0500 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:


I retrained as a CAD guy. I remember a two part assignment:
design the casting, then design resulting part. I thought "If I
make
the casting suchly, then holding it for the machining will be
easier."
And transferring "the sketch" to the drawing I said "I can make
that" meaning all the info I need is there. Except for the note
about
the material, forgot that. Oops.


Yes, let them choose the alloy that gives them the best results and
then send a revised print.

It was on the sketch. My mistake.

OTOH, one assignment did have very specific call outs for two
holes and their relationship to each other. Nothing very specific
about where exactly on the plate they were to go. As in no dimentions
at all. ... As the Proff had said "If the engineer doesn't specify,
you can put it anywhere."
I also pointed out to the head cheese that the drawing I had, did
not specify where the line of holes was to go on the board. The other
boards had it at 1" from the top, and the program drilled them at one
inch from the top, but hey, anywhere on the board was "in spec".
That place had some "interesting" drawings.

When I talked to circuit board makers before sending out a quote
package they often would tell me they'd make the board differently
depending on their equipment and supplies on hand, so I had to adjust
the quote to fit all of them by removing some specs and relying on
past experience with their quality. For these RF circuits the signal
trace impedances were determined by my line widths and their inner
plane spacings and insulation dielectric constants.

Throughout the 70's and 80's I watched them improve from loose
commercial to demanding mil-spec standards and process control for all
their products. Everything else benefited from their ability to make
circuit boards for defense contractors whose tech was 20 years ahead
of civilian applications.

Cool.

The funny thing is that my wife teaches Montessori pre-school.
Which is everything in its place, and "control of error through the
materials". Just like assembly stations. All the parts are on this
board here, and the assembly is put together over here. If you have
any extra parts, you left something off. If it doesn't match the
outline on the assembly;board, you did something wrong. Just like in
pre-school. Bewahahahahahahaha!


--
pyotr filipivich
"With Age comes Wisdom. Although far too often, Age travels alone."

"Jim Wilkins" writes:
...

You seem very purrceptive. Can you explain the new British "Cats"
movie?

"Oh God, my eyes!"
- a typical film critic's review

Sorry Jim - fairly Aspergic technical-brain, plus working long hours
on a construction barge - so not seen film. I have heard some fairly
intense mutterings from one or two colleagues about it being weird, or
something like that.

"Jim Wilkins" writes:

...


How about those of us who work from pencil scrawlings on a scrap of
paper and often have questions for clarification met with "like that
other thing I didn't send you an image of" and "you know what I
mean" instead of actual answers. Or worse, "I just want it ultra
realistic and it has to be 'exactly' perfect." If its in a verbal
conversation their pitch almost always changes when they say the
word exactly.

LOL.

Often my response to customers is, "I have no way of seeing the
pretty picture in your head. Please draw a picture. Even if its
not very good." Some are amazingly bad. The ones that kill me are
the guys who struggle to draw a marginally circular image who then
proceed to tackle a detailed perspective drawing. I have to applaud
the effort. I would love to own some of those images. I'd frame
them and put on a modern art exhibit. Picasso would be bewildered.
Sometimes I really wish I could see it the same way they do. That's
the market I picked though.


I tried to learn drafting and machining well enough to not be that
guy, with the result that the electrical engineers simply handed me
the mechanical problem to solve as I saw fit.

It still helped if an experienced machinist could suggest changes to
make the parts easier, faster and cheaper to produce, though that's
really a production engineer rather than a machinist task.

Aound here the small job shops are used to working with Lockheed / BAE
and are good at (if not always happy about) dealing with engineers.

When I started to need to machine things, during my research into
hydrogen in welds, I used to sketch how I thought it could be done,
then head down the machine-shop and lay-out my sketches and ask the
machine-shop staff how it should be done.
Answering their questions and studying their sketches, answers quickly
came. Funnily enough, they often had a broader-sweeping imagination
than some academics.
Being in Sheffield (UK), at that time
* the staff were all time-served machinists
* in the University, they were used to converting ideas driven by
science into equipment and tests which would achieve those ideas
Hopefully it is true that I got things reasonably right, because I was
quickly guided to implementations which worked well.
It much contributed to the scientific achievement of my research -
however by the time it was over, so was the industry in the UK ...
Working as a welder now.

"Richard Smith" wrote in message
...
"Jim Wilkins" writes:

...


When I started to need to machine things, during my research into
hydrogen in welds, I used to sketch how I thought it could be done,
then head down the machine-shop and lay-out my sketches and ask the
machine-shop staff how it should be done.
Answering their questions and studying their sketches, answers
quickly
came. Funnily enough, they often had a broader-sweeping imagination
than some academics.
Being in Sheffield (UK), at that time
* the staff were all time-served machinists
* in the University, they were used to converting ideas driven by
science into equipment and tests which would achieve those ideas
Hopefully it is true that I got things reasonably right, because I
was
quickly guided to implementations which worked well.
It much contributed to the scientific achievement of my research -
however by the time it was over, so was the industry in the UK ...
Working as a welder now.

Sorry Jim - fairly Aspergic technical-brain, plus working long hours
on a construction barge - so not seen film. I have heard some fairly
intense mutterings from one or two colleagues about it being weird,
or
something like that.

It contains gross and disturbing images you can never unsee, that will
stay with you forever like Hepatitis.
Rebel Wilson's widespread crotch is one, plus her crunching the bones
of dancing baby mice with child's faces. Director Tom Hooper is
understandingly being confused with Tobe Hooper who made Texas
Chainsaw Massacre. This is how he opened Les Mis, and Cats retains the
foreboding lighting and muted colors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=qR2tc-7E0_s
The Royal Ballet members were excellent, though.

I satisfied my Chemistry degree's Humanities course requirement by
taking easy pass/fail classes and building scenery in the University's
Theatre department instead of pretending to accept socialist
re-education, and hopefully arrested any slide into Asperger's from
working alone in the lab all night, the only time the Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance machine was available. It's since been renamed MRI to avoid
scaring people.

"Jim Wilkins" writes:

...


It contains gross and disturbing images you can never unsee, that will
stay with you forever like Hepatitis.
Rebel Wilson's widespread crotch is one, ...

I inferred something like that, the way people were muttering with a
"thousand-yard stare" into their own hands.

That specific one - Rebel Wilson's crotch. That would be seriously
mega "hardcore hetero." - wow! Would make "dom./sub." Gay hardcore
sado-masochist dungeon events have to raise their game for the
"homo's" to compete ;-)


Good about MRI. Hope you aren't asked to apply medical MRI to image
in real time Rebel Wilson having an orgasm during coitus - might be
tough on you and the machine...
[Schultz, W. W.; Van Andel, P.; Sabelis, I.; Mooyaart, E. (1999). "Magnetic resonance imaging of male and female genitals during coitus and female sexual arousal". BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 319 (7225): 1596€“1600. doi:10.1136/bmj.319.7225.1596. PMC 28302. PMID 10600954]

"Richard Smith" wrote in message
...
"Jim Wilkins" writes:

...


It contains gross and disturbing images you can never unsee, that
will
stay with you forever like Hepatitis.
Rebel Wilson's widespread crotch is one, ...

I inferred something like that, the way people were muttering with a
"thousand-yard stare" into their own hands.

That specific one - Rebel Wilson's crotch. That would be seriously
mega "hardcore hetero." - wow! Would make "dom./sub." Gay hardcore
sado-masochist dungeon events have to raise their game for the
"homo's" to compete ;-)


Good about MRI. Hope you aren't asked to apply medical MRI to image
in real time Rebel Wilson having an orgasm during coitus - might be
tough on you and the machine...
[Schultz, W. W.; Van Andel, P.; Sabelis, I.; Mooyaart, E. (1999).
"Magnetic resonance imaging of male and female genitals during
coitus and female sexual arousal". BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 319
(7225): 1596-1600. doi:10.1136/bmj.319.7225.1596. PMC 28302. PMID
10600954]

There was apparently a lot of digital sanitizing of whatever the
skin-tight cat suits revealed. Jason Derulo complained about losing
his "anaconda".

Of course those people will perform live on stage in the buff.
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/are-...onstage-nudity

My only personal involvement was operating the lights. You do get used
to it, and in my opinion most people look better dressed.

"Richard Smith" wrote in message
...
"Jim Wilkins" writes:
...
Good about MRI. Hope you aren't asked to apply medical MRI to image
in real time Rebel Wilson having an orgasm during coitus - might be
tough on you and the machine...
[Schultz, W. W.; Van Andel, P.; Sabelis, I.; Mooyaart, E. (1999).
"Magnetic resonance imaging of male and female genitals during
coitus and female sexual arousal". BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 319
(7225): 1596-1600. doi:10.1136/bmj.319.7225.1596. PMC 28302. PMID
10600954]

I carefully avoided being the technician for experiments that might
cause harm. Could the MRI's intense electrical and magnetic fields
result in a deformed child?

Our machine could bend a knife blade held (firmly) near it. Another
operator forgot to remove his watch while inserting a sample and
magnetized it immobile. When the watch shop demagnetized it, instead
of just vibrating a little as expected it flew up to the ceiling and
then broke its crystal on the floor.

This alludes to a real project that the chemist at the next bench
contributed to.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_of_NIMH

"Richard Smith" wrote in message
...
"Jim Wilkins" writes:
...
It contains gross and disturbing images you can never unsee, that
will
stay with you forever like Hepatitis.
Rebel Wilson's widespread crotch is one, ...

I inferred something like that, the way people were muttering with a
"thousand-yard stare" into their own hands.


Ha, good one!

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2019/...w-cats-2019-2/
"Cats is a complete and utter artistic failure, if also fascinating
enough in its awfulness to likely endure as a perversely-admired cult
classic. It could've been worse - it could've been boring."

"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message
...
"Richard Smith" wrote in message
...
"Jim Wilkins" writes:
...
It contains gross and disturbing images you can never unsee, that
will
stay with you forever like Hepatitis.
Rebel Wilson's widespread crotch is one, ...

I inferred something like that, the way people were muttering with
a
"thousand-yard stare" into their own hands.


Ha, good one!

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2019/...w-cats-2019-2/
"Cats is a complete and utter artistic failure, if also fascinating
enough in its awfulness to likely endure as a perversely-admired
cult classic. It could've been worse - it could've been boring."


There are other pretenders to the throne of utter weirdness on which
Rocky Horror is king/queen/??, notably Baz Luhrman's 'Moulin Rouge'
and 'Romeo and Juliet'. By the time the latter reaches the scene where
you realize that Claire Danes' sweet, demure Juliet is packing a
Walther you are no longer surprised by -anything-.

On Fri, 20 Dec 2019 12:55:04 -0500, Clare Snyder
wrote:

On Fri, 20 Dec 2019 06:56:24 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 12/19/2019 12:47 PM, Clare Snyder wrote: On Thu, 19 Dec 2019
07:23:02 -0700, Bob La Londe
wrote:

On 12/19/2019 12:30 AM, wrote:
On Friday, June 11, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, Ostcroix wrote:
Hello :


I've been working at the same place for the past
12 years and I've mastered every thing at my shop
execpt the C N C machines. We have a old 5T
Fanuc control but we only run one part on there.
I would say that I have good fundmental skills on
the conventional machines. However, I would like
to get better. Does anyone have Tips or questions
a machinist should ask themselves to determine
if they are a capable machinst ? Does 12 years
of making the same type parts make me a solid
machinist? How Can I furthur hone my skills where
I am at ? I am really wondering if I am a good machinist


A 20 year old thread... and yet still a good question.
A "good machinist" should be able to take a drawing of something he's
never made before and figure out how to make it accurately without
making too much scrap - and after figuring it out, repeat it.


How about those of us who work from pencil scrawlings on a scrap of
paper and often have questions for clarification met with "like that
other thing I didn't send you an image of" and "you know what I mean"
instead of actual answers. Or worse, "I just want it ultra realistic
and it has to be 'exactly' perfect." If its in a verbal conversation
their pitch almost always changes when they say the word exactly.

LOL.

Often my response to customers is, "I have no way of seeing the pretty
picture in your head. Please draw a picture. Even if its not very
good." Some are amazingly bad. The ones that kill me are the guys who
struggle to draw a marginally circular image who then proceed to tackle
a detailed perspective drawing. I have to applaud the effort. I would
love to own some of those images. I'd frame them and put on a modern
art exhibit. Picasso would be bewildered. Sometimes I really wish I
could see it the same way they do. That's the market I picked though.
The mark of a good "machinist" is one who can make the exact gizmo
the client wants, given only the rough functional requirements - even
when the client hasn't got a CLUE what he wants it to do - - - - -

Exactly the same as the mark of a good "computer programmer"

"It's a (black) art - not a science!!"

Indeed it is.

I see this daily.

Gunner
__

"Journalists are extremely rare and shouldn’t be harmed, but propagandists are everywhere and should be hunted for sport"

Yeah..with no bag limit.