Any machinists out there?

[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.