Any machinists out there?

[mostly_gas]

I served my apprenticeship then work as a tool maker for several years. The first machine I ran in the building was a shaper the same age as I was

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Anybody ever actually run an old Brown and Sharpe cam actuated screw machine?

 

[scgargoyle]

Anybody ever actually run an old Brown and Sharpe cam actuated screw machine?

I ran those back in the 70's, as well as multi-spindles and Swiss screw machines. We used to make our own cams, too. I think those old machines are what did in my hearing- that's a lot of noise!

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I ran those back in the 70's, as well as multi-spindles and Swiss screw machines. We used to make our own cams, too. I think those old machines are what did in my hearing- that's a lot of noise!

Every listen to small stamped parts being tumbed in a metal 5 gallon bucket on the next lathe over all day. :laughing:

 

[ultrarunner]

Every listen to small stamped parts being tumbed in a metal 5 gallon bucket on the next lathe over all day. :laughing:

No, but I've spent weeks on a punch press pressing out thousands of parts day after day...

Kind of have to get into the ZEN moment and become one with the machine... not literally of course.

I bought my own hearing protection and within the first 10 minutes I had guys asked me what I said to get em... I said I walked into the sporting goods store on the way home last night and bought them for $4.99...

 

[om21braz]

No, but I've spent weeks on a punch press pressing out thousands of parts day after day.

+1 I actually think that is more annoying being in the office hearing it run.

 

[mostly_gas]

I was a punch press operator part time during summers in high school/college. Had the pres in front of me and the Vibrodynes behind me. It got LOUD when more that one of the Vibrodynes were running behind me. Not to mention the favorite way of part ejection was air blast .

 

[Amelia Farms]

Been doing it for 30 years. Owned my own shop now for 25 years. All CNC production work now. I for one love CNC, wouldn't have it any other way.

We are having our best year since '07, one of our best ever sales wise. But it sure is harder than ever to make a buck on the bottom line. We have some great machinists here in the shop, I try my best to give them everything they need, and pay them well with good a good bonus in the good years.

There is still a lot of manufacturing in this country, yes it has changed over the years, but it has always been that way. Can't remember the last time I got an order for a buggy whip.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Been doing it for 30 years. Owned my own shop now for 25 years. All CNC production work now. I for one love CNC, wouldn't have it any other way.

We are having our best year since '07, one of our best ever sales wise. But it sure is harder than ever to make a buck on the bottom line. We have some great machinists here in the shop, I try my best to give them everything they need, and pay them well with good a good bonus in the good years.

There is still a lot of manufacturing in this country, yes it has changed over the years, but it has always been that way. Can't remember the last time I got an order for a buggy whip.

You're a great American! Mind I ask what the average pay is for a man who can do unsupervised setups?

 

[300UGUY]

There is a shop about 35 miles south of me that runs production work on CNC's. It is a new, modern, shop, deliberately put in a small town on I10 for the low labor rates by the locals.

I just talked to a buddy who knows of the shop. Here's the pay rates:
Operator -$9-11/hour
Set up man -$14/hour

Not sure of any health or other benefits, but this is not a "living" wage.

I can understand a "trainee" maybe at the low rate for a few months, but I find it hard to believe they can keep people at those rates.

That's pretty much the wage rates here. I was talking to a friend of mine who is still in the T&D biz. His journeymen, with 20+ years, top out at $15. He says that's what the economics are. The last toolmaker to graduate a apprenticeship that I know of did so in 1986. I don't know of any apprenticeships for T&D that are still active. The local community colleges don't offer much anymore, because there is little demand. Why spend thousands to go to school for 2+ years to make $15? I am a 3rd generation toolmaker. If I had a kid that wanted to go into manufacturing, I'd consider myself a failure.

 

[ultrarunner]

That's pretty much the wage rates here. I was talking to a friend of mine who is still in the T&D biz. His journeymen, with 20+ years, top out at $15. He says that's what the economics are. The last toolmaker to graduate a apprenticeship that I know of did so in 1986. I don't know of any apprenticeships for T&D that are still active. The local community colleges don't offer much anymore, because there is little demand. Why spend thousands to go to school for 2+ years to make $15? I am a 3rd generation toolmaker. If I had a kid that wanted to go into manufacturing, I'd consider myself a failure.

I got into it just as things started winding down... in 1982 I was making $12 and hour doing work for Kellogg's, Caterpillar, James River, Hexcel, Simpson Strong Tie, Owens-Illinois, Continental Can, Ettore Squeegee, Morton Thiokol (Space Shuttle) and more...

None of the shops or customers have a presence here... they have either closed or moved except for the Squeegee

 

[Taylortractornut]

Caterpillar Has 2 reman plants nearby I have friends and neighbors that work at both. It and Toyota pay the most but Toyota is about 75 miles away. When I was in school Caterpillar kept the college in Mazak Machining centers. Toyota just bought them 2 new Clausing lathes and and a new bridgeport mill and a whole new cnc room.

Toyota really stressed that they wanted all their machinists and toolroom workers must have manual machine training.
When I was 15 my older brother had a friend that ran a large MFG plant. They had a screw machine section. Turret lathes, A small welding shop and some lathes in my dept. I worked as a parts welder and then they found out I could thread in a lathe so I got to move up to a 1911 model lathe and then a neat Monarch lathe ( still dream of owning that one) THey had several mills in the back.

They also had a sheetmetal shop and section off 2 ton all the way up to 200 to stamping presses. I got to run a 2 ton press making catfish skinners. Then on a 200 ton making filling cabinet doors. I used to finish my welding my assemblies for the shift they would let me go to other departments to work.

In the evenings I used to getto stay over while the plant was being cleaned and work on a few of my own projects, or I could stay clocked in and work in the T&D department sharpening dies or repairing other things. THey had tons of ancient machinery to use there. THey are still there and pay fairly well for welders, and machinists. I dropped by the otherday to see if they had any old discarded Dies they wanted to sell. I heard the old screw machings clicking away.

 

[sal64]

Caterpillar Has 2 reman plants nearby I have friends and neighbors that work at both. It and Toyota pay the most but Toyota is about 75 miles away. When I was in school Caterpillar kept the college in Mazak Machining centers. Toyota just bought them 2 new Clausing lathes and and a new bridgeport mill and a whole new cnc room.

Toyota really stressed that they wanted all their machinists and toolroom workers must have manual machine training.
When I was 15 my older brother had a friend that ran a large MFG plant. They had a screw machine section. Turret lathes, A small welding shop and some lathes in my dept. I worked as a parts welder and then they found out I could thread in a lathe so I got to move up to a 1911 model lathe and then a neat Monarch lathe ( still dream of owning that one) THey had several mills in the back.

They also had a sheetmetal shop and section off 2 ton all the way up to 200 to stamping presses. I got to run a 2 ton press making catfish skinners. Then on a 200 ton making filling cabinet doors. I used to finish my welding my assemblies for the shift they would let me go to other departments to work.

In the evenings I used to getto stay over while the plant was being cleaned and work on a few of my own projects, or I could stay clocked in and work in the T&D department sharpening dies or repairing other things. THey had tons of ancient machinery to use there. THey are still there and pay fairly well for welders, and machinists. I dropped by the otherday to see if they had any old discarded Dies they wanted to sell. I heard the old screw machings clicking away.

80% of knowing how to run a cnc is manual training knowing how to machine different matierials that takes yrs of experience. 20% is learing the programing witch isnt that hard.

 

[Taylortractornut]

I agree with you on being a machinist first. My shop teacher wouldnt allow anyone to go straight to CNC other than the Cat students. I met an older Japanese man that has is over a machining division for Toyota. He explained to me that there is a generation in Japan of younger machinists that did only cnc work and then had to go back and learn manual. He said that they really emphasize the manual work.


I liked CNC work but not as much as the manual, I did work in a shop programing but then after we got all the programming in they put me to changing parts. I went back to the manual shop after that then the company started making all te departments take weekly rotations to work an hour per day in the flower beds. I went back to running heavy equipment.