Are you a mill type machinist or a lathe type machinist.

Are you a mill machinist or a lathe machinist.

  • Total voters
    224
When I was learning the trade some 40 + years ago I was required to learn and run one machine at a time. I did work for other machinists. Slowly I was given work that required the use of multiple machines. Looking back I can see the logic in this style of teaching. You become comfortable with different machines and still maintain the utmost care and diligence in safty. In between the machine learning there was class room teaching. How about all that math, and the theory, machine tooling, design and drafting, and lots more.

All in all I would not give up the trade and would encourage the younger generation to take an interest in the trade. I spent the first 25 years in the medical end. Making and maintaing machines for the medical field both hypo and suture. The last years I repaired and maintained computer driven machines for the integrated circuit industry, as in computer and telephany chips.

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jbltwin1 said:
Only have the lathe so I guess that qualifies me as a lathe only guy. Two drill presses, various grinders and too many projects so I guess I'd better get going! [size=12pt][/size]
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Yes, +1 Here. I have a friend with a mill, but he is 60 miles away. I'll have to save up parts and go visit.
 
I'm a lathe person here. I would like to use my X2 more but I timid with it's use because I've broken a few things on it taking too much of a cut (not much at all really.)
 
I have and use both but I really do like and am better at milling operations and find the setups easier since I am just a manual operator.
 
I have several sizes of lathes in my shop but the one most used is my South Bend 9". The milling machine I like most is my Wells Index horizontal/vertical model with a slotter on the back end.
 
Actually hammer and chisel. When I was in the military I learned to appreciate the proper application of high explosives but have found C4 hard to locate locally.:nuts:
 
I voted for liking and running both. Im the only machinist at work, so i guess theres not much choice in that for me. Were supposed to be getting a new bed mill by summer, so im thinking i might be changing my vote by then:thinking:
 
Isn't it a matter of what shape parts you make? Most of the things I need to make are flat, not round, so the mill was the choice for me. I don't own a lathe (except for a tiny wood lathe). I've done some minor turning of short parts on my mill, though I suppose a lathe would be better at milling than a mill is at turning if you needed to do both and could only own one machine. Does anybody use a lathe for serious milling? Kinda hard to turn a long shaft in a mill, and kinda hard to put a 4 jaw chuck in a mill, too, though I'm figuring a rotary table would help mill some parts that would otherwise require a lathe.
 
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