Example Curriculum for Self Study Program in Welding & Machining

[erikmannie]

This is the curriculum that I will use & I thought that I would share it. It is actually a checklist. Working through this will take me at least a decade.

It is not set in stone by any means; please critique it! I already see that I have left out explicit mention of dial (test) indicators as well as "diagrams and drawings for welding and machining". It is quite long so I will post it in chunks. I really did try to be succinct!

I love going to school, but I can't leave home anymore due to family, work, and finances. I have a full shop at home so why wait?

This curriculum is old school. A lot of history and no CNC, Fusion 360 or the like.

 

[erikmannie]

Comprehensive Self Study Program in Welding & Machining

Keep at least 7 composition books of handwritten notes: OFW, SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, lathe and mill.

Write separate (digital) expository essays on each of the following. Please strictly limit the essay to the topic at hand. Bullet points and outlines are encouraged, links allowed only for tables, charts, diagrams, photos, etc. Where applicable, include a lot of starting points and ranges for (a) settings or (b) speeds and feeds. You must add more information to these articles as pertinent new information is encountered.

(1) History of Welding (heavy on the history and light on the specific processes)

(2) History of Oxy-Fuel Welding, Brazing, Cutting and Heating (heavy on the history and try not to include any information about present day materials and processes)

(3) History of SMAW (heavy on the history and try not to include any information about present day materials and processes)

(4) History of GTAW (heavy on the history and try not to include any information about present day materials and processes)

(5) History of GMAW (heavy on the history and try not to include any information about present day materials and processes)

(6) History of FCAW (heavy on the history and try not to include any information about present day materials and processes)

 

[erikmannie]

(7) Welding Safety. No need to dwell on obvious things. Include warnings about harmful gases emitted from certain materials during certain processes.

(8) Welding Processes Overview (include processes not previously covered)

(9) Explanation of Welding Joints & Positions. Must include links to diagrams. Include specific parameters (i.e. angles) for positions.

(10) How-to on Oxy-Fuel Bronze & Silver Brazing of Mild and High Alloy Tool Steels, SS, Cast Iron, Cast Aluminum, Aluminum and Brass, including types of brazing torches, brazing rod/wire, fluxes, gases and their applications. Include what materials are impractical for brazing, and do not cover TIG brazing as that will be covered in the GTAW essay.

(11) How-to on Oxy-Fuel Welding of Carbon and Alloy Steels, SS, Aluminum, Cast Iron and Cast Aluminum, including types of welding torches, filler materials, gases and their applications (include what materials are not practical candidates for gas welding)

(12) Oxy-Fuel How-to on Cutting and Heating of Carbon and Alloy Steels and SS, including types of cutting torches and gases and their applications. Include the rosebud, and list what materials are poor choices for oxy-fuel torch cutting.

(13) SMAW How-to on Carbon and Alloy Steels, SS and Aluminum, including types of machines, electrodes & their applications. Include what materials, thicknesses and applications are poor choices for SMAW.

(14) GTAW How-to on Carbon Steel, SS, Ti and Aluminum, including types of machines, torches, collet bodies, filler materials, shielding gases and their applications. Include what materials, thicknesses and applications are poor choices for GTAW. Include TIG brazing materials and applications.

(15) GMAW How-to on Carbon and Alloy Steels, SS and Aluminum, including types of machines, guns, wires, shielding gases and their applications. Include what materials, thicknesses and applications are poor choices for GMAW.

(16) FCAW How-to on Carbon Steel and SS, including types of machines, guns, wires, shielding gases and their applications. Include what materials, thicknesses and applications are poor choices for FCAW.

 

[erikmannie]

(17) Best Practices for Structural Welding. Include tooling, cutting, work prep, fixturing, fit up and prep for handoff to the paint (or powder, anodizing) people (do not cover anything that the paint/powder/anodizer does, including their prep)

(18) Best Practices for Pipe Welding. Include types of pipe welding, common standards, positions, bevel angles, gaps and lands. Include materials, settings and details relating to pipe welding processes. Include a discussion of pipe welding on materials other than carbon steel. Discuss welding on tubing.

(19) History of Metalworking (heavy on the history and light on processes still in use today)

 

[erikmannie]

(20) History of Machining (heavy on the history and light on processes still in use today)

(21) History of the Metal Lathe. Include Swiss, Turret, etc. (heavy on the history and light on processes still in use today)

(22) History of the Milling Machine. Include Vertical, Horizontal, Knee, etc. (heavy on the history and light on processes still in use today)

(23) Overview of Contemporary Machine Tools Other than the Manual Lathe and Mill

(24) Safety in the Machine Shop. No need to dwell on obvious things.

(25) Best Practices for Turning, Facing, Parting, Grooving, Chamfering, Drilling, Boring, Tapering, Knurling, Threading and Use of Coolant on the Manual Lathe. Include both single point and tap and die, turning between centers, turning to a shoulder, step boring and step grooving. Note that feeds and speeds are covered in detail in another essay.

(26) Maintaining, Aligning and Leveling a Manual Lathe (include the test bar and two collar test).

(27) Feeds and Speeds for both HSS and Carbide on the Metal Lathe. Discuss low, medium and high carbon steels, alloy steels, aluminum, SS, Ti, brass, cast aluminum, copper and cast iron.

(28) Overview of Lathe Tooling. Include Collets and Toolpost Grinder.

 

[erikmannie]

(29) Best Practices for Milling, Drilling, Slotting, Tapping, Boring, Fly Cutting, Chamfering and Use of Coolant on the Manual Milling Machine. Include Slitting Saws, Shell Mills, Sine Bars and Plates, and workholding. Note that feeds and speeds are covered in detail in another essay.

(30) Maintaining and Trammeling a Manual Vertical Milling Machine.

(31) Feeds and Speeds for both HSS and Carbide on the Milling Machine. Discuss low, medium and high carbon steels, alloy steels, aluminum, SS, Ti, brass, cast aluminum, copper and cast iron.

(32) A Comprehensive Guide to Tooling for the Milling Machine. Include Spindexer, Sine Bar and Plate, Collets, Rotary Table, Slitting Saw and Shell Mill.

(33) Overview of Metrology for the Lathe and Mill. Include surface plates, height gauges, gage blocks and pin gages.

(34) How-to on DRO Operations.

(35) Overview of Machine Tool Chucks. Include best practices, maintenance and applications of both keyed and keyless chucks, 2J, 3J, 4J, 6J, 5C, ER, face plate and dog driver.

 

[erikmannie]

Welding Lab is:

(1) all welding and brazing (including TIG brazing) processes

(2) on all applicable base materials among low and medium carbon steels, alloy steels, SS, aluminum, Ti, brass, cast iron and cast aluminum

(2) on a broad range of base material thicknesses

(3) using most sizes and types of stick electrode/wire/filler rod/tungsten (as well as flux)

(4) using all applicable shielding gases (including He)

(5) in all applicable positions

(6) on all applicable joints

(7) including pipe and tubing

Machine Shop Lab is:

(1) all processes

(2) on low and medium carbon steels, alloy steels, SS, aluminum, Ti, brass, cast iron, cast aluminum and copper

(3) on both a lathe and milling machine, where applicable

(4) to the highest practical degree of accuracy (e.g. .0005"-.001" at times)

 

[erikmannie]

For a welding lab example, if one is to check "E6011" off the list, buy all available sizes of E6011 electrode that your machine will run and a wide assortment of low carbon steel sheet, plate, tubing and pipe.

You're going to spend a lot of time using each sized electrode to weld an appropriate thickness of both sheet/plate and tubing/pipe in all the joint configurations in all positions.

Save the settings and notes in your SMAW composition book!

Save a digital picture of a satisfactory joint (that you are able to repeat) with each electrode size/accompanying weldment thickness in each position as well as each joint configuration in both sheet/plate and tubing/pipe.

 

[erikmannie]

For a lathe machining lab example, you need to work on several diameters which are to represent the range of diameters that can be used on your machines.

Many large diameters of copper and Ti are excluded due to their high cost. Also, you don't need to buy much pipe or tubing because your round bar can become pipe and tubing during the course of your work.

With aluminum, for example, representative diameters could be 3/64", 1/8", 3/8", 1/2", 7/8", 1 1/2", 2", 4" up to what your lathe can swing.

While the scrap from your 4" stock may well become your 2" stock and then be recycled again and again, choose one representative diameter to work on exclusively as you work through the processes in order to check off (for example) "3/8 inch diameter aluminum on the lathe" from the list.

With 3/8" round stock in the lathe, go down the list. Using both HSS and carbide, turn down to a certain diameter over an appreciable length demonstrating minimal taper, face to a given length, chamfer to a specified angle and length, knurl, drill and tap.

3/8" is too small to bore and single point thread internally, but you can single point the exterior to both a coarse and fine thread, always remembering to execute all processes in both HSS and carbide, where applicable.

Make notes in the "Mill" composition book of notes and speeds and feeds used!

Consider periodically working with other types of chucks (e.g. 5C, 4J, dog driver). Make sure to exhaust the list (where applicable): turn, face, chamfer, (step) groove, drill, (step) bore, taper, knurl, single point in and out, tap and die, and part.

If you feel that you are able to repeat a certain skill with both HSS and carbide, save a digital picture of the work which shows the particular skill which has been developed.

 

[DavidR8]

What institution is this from?