How did you learn?

Mitch Alsup said:
I learned how to do silver brazing buying a MAPP/Oxy torch and by having done 10,000* hours of solder and silver soldering. (*) only a slight exaggeration.

I learned how to use a lathe by truing commutators on my Taig micro-lathe.

I learned how to use a band saw by having spent thousands of hours using cross-cut/bow/coping/hack saws.

I learned how to use a mill by buying/using a mill until the parts coming out bore some resemblance to what I was trying to make.

I still watch videos of guy who are actually good at machining.
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There is no substitute for doing, As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. of course your question relates to where do you get the original instruction for the first step ,and the second step, then the third step, etc etc,.

You can always ask questions here on this forum and get many wise answers. Although I was formally trained as a fitter & Turner / Toolmaker many years ago, I will be the first to insist that there is no single right way to do anything. There are a few methods that are not recommended, usually because they are dangerous, but generally if it works and is not dangerous then it's a valid process. The one thing I will always come down on is climb milling , except for light finishing cuts, It has the potential to damage your machine and you, and will often damage the part you are working on.

There are members here who have had no formal training that often produce excellent work on complex jobs and by going about in a way that many would say is wrong. Bit if no damage has been done then is it wrong?
 
My Father was a CNC Lathe programmer. He would write the G-Code all by hand and didn't know any CAD/CAM software. That was a pretty good start having a few years with him learning general programming and Macro B. My manual machining skills would be crap for many years to come.

After that place went out of business I went to a Tool and Die shop with old school German machinist/tool makers nearing retirement. I was still in CNC (aero, defense type work), but the lead of the lathe dept was picked out of the tool room to lead the CNC dept. Needless to say, I learned a lot from those guys, but with CNC demand there was little time to practice.

3rd and current job is mainly a manual shop, energy/valve industry. I am the CNC lead, but we only have 4 basic CNC's (two 2 axis lathes, two 4 axis mills) that do not always have work so I get to make parts on any machine I want at this point. Have to say ... I learned most on my lathe/mill at home, and once I got comfortable there I started using the manual skills professionally.
 
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I started out in 7th grade , our middle school had a full machine shop . Continued on thru high school with 5 periods a day in machine shop and drafting . 2 years of college in Machine Tool Technology . Went into a 4 year machinist apprenticeship and then into the 10,000 hr tool and die apprenticeship . Been machining ever since 1971 . The high school shops are long gone in the area , and I believe the colleges do not offer the MTT classes anymore also . Definitely no apprenticeships in the area and NO manual machinists available to hire .
 
Like many here I am self/youtube taught. When I retire (soon) one of my plans is to spend some time in a real machine shop. I hope I can find one that will have me!?
Robert
 
Mitch Alsup said:
I learned how to use a lathe by truing commutators on my Taig micro-lathe.
I learned how to use a band saw by having spent thousands of hours using cross-cut/bow/coping/hack saws.
I learned how to use a mill by buying/using a mill until the parts coming out bore some resemblance to what I was trying to make.
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Ditto. I also read (and still do) everything I could get my hands on related to machining, which is pretty much how I learn everything.

Videos are fine, especially the more entertaining ones like This Old Tony, but there's something disheartening about watching a guy do something perfectly in a video, then trying it yourself and busting the tool or ruining the part. There is a lot to keep in your head when machining, and the bulk of the time is spent preparing the job rather than making chips - stuff that the videos usually skip over because it's just not very exciting.

So probably "Read, Do, Watch" in that order - read up to inform yourself on all the variables involved in the process, do a few trial projects, watch videos of guys doing it successfully to try to figure out where you went wrong.
 
Had shop classes in junior high, nothing since. My dad was a high school shop teacher who I'd shoot ideas past. He commented once when I was grinding aluminium on my bench grinder that he'd yell at a kid for doing that in the shop as it loads the wheel. Now use a sander.

I've learned by making many mistakes. Also watched too many hours of Tubalcain videos. He's a good teacher, but I find myself now looking for other avenues as he takes too long to get to the point. I wish he'd do 2 videos, one that gets directly to the point and a second one like he typically posts. I don't always have 30 minutes to listen to his editorial views of life. I also watched all of Tom's techniques videos who gets right to the point though he doesn't cover all of the stuff Mr. PETE does.

Like others have said above, there's really no right way to do anything other than always be safe. Don't be afraid to make mistakes because you will. I was told by a retired tool and die maker that the sign of a good machinist is how well they can hide their mistakes. Don't be scared to try something as long as you're going to be able to walk away with all of your fingers and toes.

Bruce
 
In the early 70's I took classes at the local JC. Then I went to work in a machine shop owned and operated by the same guy that gave my dad his first job. Go figure. Spent 10 years working in that shop doing prototype and machine manufacturing then hired on at a large utility power plant. Learned a lot about portable machining setups because steam turbine components were too large to move off site.
 
I took a two year program at my local community college. AFAIK it is still being offered. Then an informal apprenticeship in a job shop.

There are three major barriers to the continuing availability of machine shop training. The first is that machine shop classes are very expensive to operate compared to almost any other academic or trade program. This has gotten worse as industry has turned to CNC, making surplus manual equipment ever more scarce and expensive. The second is industry demand for manual machinists has nearly disappeared (even overseas) as CNC equipment has become cheaper and more cost effective for smaller quantity runs. The third is the mentality of the people who make the decisions about class offerings at high schools and community colleges. Being college educated themselves, they seem to believe that there are but two options, a college degree or prison. Why spend all that money on students who are just going to prison anyway? (This last may be a slightly exaggerated)

I agree that the best way to learn anything is reading and doing. The wealth of information and instruction that is available on the internet is staggering. Find a project that interests you, study up on the techniques required, then go do it. Lather, rinse, repeat.
 
David,
One thing that hasn't been mentioned, safety. These machine tools can be very dangerous.
When you read about loose clothing, rings, long hair or sleeves, pay attention. Getting caught in a moving lathe chuck would be really bad.

benmychree said:
Apprenticeship, back in the "olden days" of the 1960s; gone forever, it seems.
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Ideally, if you could find a retired machinist in your area, most people enjoy helping out others.
 
Started working for my dad running a horizontal boring mill and eventually running every machine he had except the gear hobber and shaper. Spent 20+ years in the trade and finally figured that the pay didn't reflect the skills needed to be a journeyman, became an engineer
 
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