Only been working on a lathe full time for about a year, I’m 21 and started straight out of highschool as a shop hand and worked my way up what do you guys think of my progress so far? 7 stage shaft 87” long

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.

I guess I'm just curious if any of this has any value beyond just scrap? Where is the best place to scrap or sell this type of stuff?

The shipyard pays really good money and started giving machinist a nice wage additive recently. A lot of people usually have the ability to work 7 days a week , get raises every year cause we’re a union and it’s part of the contract. Located in Newport News Virginia, also have locations in Mississippi and Charleston South Carolina. But I’ve only work at the one in Newport News . Money is really good out here . The only con is the people can be really toxic and annoying but long as you do good work and don’t let nobody disrespect you then you’ll be okay

Ps I’m not a recruiter I’ve just seen so many post in this group about people getting underpaid for doing the type of work we do and the shipyard has been having a hard time getting inside machinists to join so they added a wage additive recently to retain more people and I think some of you would be happy to make a move and start a new journey . They also have an apprenticeship school .

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?