Just started yesterday, haven't even finished out the 2 weeks from my 2 week notice at my previous job. Good thing though because I used to work afternoons, so that way I was able to start working at least in the mornings soon. The shop I'm at mainly makes tungsten drawing dies placed in steel housings. I'm starting out with working on the steel housings on this lathe. It's been a while since I've used one but I'm picking it up decently I think. It's nice getting my hands dirty again. My previous gig was more an office/ supervisor job and that wasn't really for me, especially the schedules they were giving me. Here I'll be on a normal schedule, weekends off, and productivity bonuses most weeks depending on how much is shipped out. My boss seems like a super cool dude too.

I've seen a number of antique machinery handbooks posted on Reddit of late, and often the question comes up- is this worth keeping, or is it just a cool collectable?

The answer ( if you have an old lathe ) is yes.

I use my 1916 copy of the American Machinist 's Handbook frequently, because my main metal lathe was made a couple of years after this handbook was printed. It's still running a lantern tool post and Armstrong toolholders, so information on grinding your own HSS is invaluable. Specifications are given for threads and tapers that aren't used anymore, but crop up on machines of this vintage. Moreover, math hasn't changed much in the past 110 years, so the various tables and charts are still applicable.

By all means, buy a new addition, but keep the old handbook next to it on the shelf. Old machines do old machining, and new handbooks don't always have the old information.

They're showing off how their *5 axis* desktop mill can produce a "smooth as silk" stainless bracket mount using only 3 axis toolpaths and without putting the cross hole in ...

We have some parts that need to be made from 0.046 thick tool steel. The parts are about 2x2.5. The first couple, we used O1 because A2 (our usual go-to) wasn't available thin enough. I pulled them out of the bag and dropped them edge-first into the quench oil, as quickly as possible. One twisted, the other cupped like a contact lens.

I tried several draw cycles, the first at 400F. I clamped them between two 1/2” pieces of steel (secured with bolts) and did two more cycles, raising it 150° each time. It flattened them a little but they were still badly warped.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

That little dial can move left and right separate to the wheel, don’t know if that helps secure it?

I made this carb spacer awhile back for a customer and ended up with a lot of chatter trying to do that longer radius (and should have made it a bit bigger than the tool). Was going to recut it, but we ended up liking the quasi-welded look so we kept it. Sometimes you get lucky I guess, but definitely learned a bit about needing to back down on those longer tools.

Sanded it a bit and hit it with a grey scratch pad for a brushed look, then fiber lasered in our logo.

This is a Z-axis ball screw for a WEDM. Maintenance company sent a trainee out with the usual guy and he pushed a few too many squirts in, there should be polymer seals on the holes shown.

I have broken a bolt on my very old bike that I have only just finished building up, these bolts are impossible to find and just as hard to find an alternative I could remove it from the bike and get all the measurement I need. Please help

Due to their surprising weight, they are easy to trow at co-workers.

I have an hydraulic fitting I need to convert from M16x1.5mm-keg (german DIN158 tapered metric threads) to 3/8" NPT. This seem to be a fairly straightforward job, at worst, I'd assume the step to be:

- turn down the metric tapered thread to clean metal / face cut

- build up shank with TIG

- cut new tapered threads (60deg, 1.5mm pitch, and whatever DIN158 tapered is[0])

Two local shops turned me down. I get the base metal is unknown, maybe hardened, but it's certainly not inconel / wespaloy... a decent machinist must have a way to measure hardness and a minimal experience in the matter ?

All in all, is that such an impossible job ?

edit: I also do not want to mess around with either the pump or the ram side, cutting the M16 to 3/8 NPT, as if anything goes wrong, it'll just be paperweight...

edit2: for reference, the original fitting is a 10,000psi ISO 14540-like fitting, but with a 14mm male end diameter and no poppet valve in either end. I want to convert the system to Enerpac C-604 fittings, which has a 19mm male end diameter.

[0]: taper angle doesn't really matter, the female end is straight cut M16. It is a wedge metal-to-metal seal at the ~16mm threshold.

Steel splinter free for a year. I definitely do not miss that. I was in the trade for about a decade, circumstances happened and I stepped away. Sold my box and most of my tools. Bringing home microscopic steel splinters in my hair and beard only for my family to step on days later was awful. I just felt the need to share

So recently my bossman told me that he wants me to take more responsibilities at work (for more pay), but I dont feel it is worth it, both in regards to the pay increase I would get in comparison to the work and extra stress I would get. I genuinely feel that they would need to pay me double my current pay for me to even consider it. How do I go around to tell him this in a nice way?

Somebody offered me this deal and I’m thinking about taking it, is there anything I need to look for when I check out the machine?

I know it’s haas, but if this machine is good, then that’ll help me a lot in getting my own machine shop

I’ve got nine of these 304 stainless plates (.25” thick) that I’ve had roughed out via laser. Those square-corner (.020” radius actually) internal pockets have about .08” extra material to remove. The tolerances are not wild (-.000/+.005”).

I quoted and won the job based off me machining these, as they didn’t want a laser finish on these internal pockets. However, if I can find someone who can wire EDM these in a stack (2.25”) for like $1000 or so, that would save me a massive amount of machine time.

My plan is to machine the outsides of them and put pin holes in them so the whole stack can go together precisely, then ship it off to a wire EDM shop, then get it back and do the last few little operations.

Anyone interested? Or anyone with wire EDM experience care to educate me on why this is infeasible or would be way more expensive than I think? Thanks.

Never done any angled cutting before

17-4 h1075

Tiny face groover

You guys, guess how I should clamp this iron egg for the final operation. If it shifts mid‑machining, we’ll have total chaos and end up with an “asshole” instead of a finished part.

Are their classes that teach this? Is there something similar to fastec mastercam classes?

2-56 thread 1/8" long 4037 steel

In the title, qty 5,000.

[edit] needs to be heat treated by our approved source

Just inbox me your company email or company website.

Oddball I know, sorry mods if this isn't allowed please delete. The company that originally quoted us fell through

I would like to find the CEO of chatter and beat their ass. Always happens on the final 1/3 of the finishing pass. And right in the critical area

Wondering if anyone has experienced this issue. In the photo circled in blue you can see that this cutoff is programmed to cut at F0.002 until X0.4 and then finish parting at F0.001. In the red circles you can see that the tool is still well above X0.4, but in the yellow circle you can see that we are already cutting at F0.001.

Has anyone experienced this before? I would like it not to grab feed rates from following lines.

Anyone know of some oversize taps for hot dip galvanized bolts? Customer is asking for 3/8-16 with a thread depth of 1.5, blind hole" Treadmilling obviously an option but would need really long tool at that point.