I'm a sloppy machinist

[Braeden P]

I read the mic wrong part was under size. remade it and read it wrong and under size! Then I made it 2 tenths under which was a perfect fit.

 

[rabler]

Something I’m doing is trying to institute a bit of a mental checklist before hitting the on switch-acronym is SLOW:

S-safety-glasses on, no sleeves or loose clothes
L-locks-check all the appropriate axises are locked or unlocked
O-obstructions-is the cutting area and feed area clear of obstruction (hand turn chuck through a turn on lathe)
W-workpiece, physically check it is secure

Doesn’t cover all possible mistakes, but it get me focused on double checking and thinking thing through before rushing in.

 

[Shotgun]

One of the things I keep screwing up is forgetting to tighten the bolts to lock the head on my round column mill. I don't notice anything wrong until the cut starts moving in the Y direction when I'm cranking the X feed. I have several slots that got turned into a P shape, thanks to this "feature". (I don't even know what utility a rotating head is supposed to provide. :-( )

 

[mmcmdl]

I have several slots that got turned into a P shape, thanks to this "feature".

I've needed to mill these P slots before but couldn't figure out how to . Thanks for the tip !

 

[Shotgun]

I've needed to mill these P slots before but couldn't figure out how to . Thanks for the tip !

Heh, no worries. If you ever need a tip on how to screw up a part, I seem to be a fountain of knowledge.

 

[mmcmdl]

Heh, no worries. If you ever need a tip on how to screw up a part, I seem to be a fountain of knowledge.

LOL , great post !

 

[ericc]

It does get better. I had a huge problem with throwing small parts and tools. I slowed down and carefully analyzed everything that I was doing, for example, when I was sliding a pin into its hole. I eventually discovered that I was twitching or jerking without my knowledge causing the critical part to go flying. Somehow, this doesn't happen while welding or blacksmithing. The solution was to apply a huge amount of focus every time something fiddly was going on. Amazingly enough, the twitching got much better. As a side effect, I noticed that I was getting less burns and cuts while cooking in the kitchen. It took a great of effort and mindfulness. At some points, I would become discouraged and thought I had some kind of disability and could never fix it. The improvement was so slow, but now people around me say they notice the difference in the way I move. Full credit goes to machining.

 

[C-Bag]

Something I’m doing is trying to institute a bit of a mental checklist before hitting the on switch-acronym is SLOW:

S-safety-glasses on, no sleeves or loose clothes
L-locks-check all the appropriate axises are locked or unlocked
O-obstructions-is the cutting area and feed area clear of obstruction (hand turn chuck through a turn on lathe)
W-workpiece, physically check it is secure

Doesn’t cover all possible mistakes, but it get me focused on double checking and thinking thing through before rushing in.

This was and sometimes still is the hardest part for me. My whole life was under the gun to get er done. So when I look up and HOURS have gone by and I've not gotten the "just"(just cut this, just make this etc) done I want to start pushing it thats ALWAYS when I make a mistake.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Almost everything I'm doing is one off and there's few direct experiences to call back to so only real general check lists will approach covering what I'm doing. It's funny every time I complain I didn't get what I wanted done to my wife she always says what's the rush, aren't you having fun? That always puts it back in perspective. Because I was never able to work to the level I am now with without my modest collection of small budget machines. Satisfaction is priceless. But it takes time and practice.

 

[drrags]

It does get better. I had a huge problem with throwing small parts and tools. I slowed down and carefully analyzed everything that I was doing, for example, when I was sliding a pin into its hole. I eventually discovered that I was twitching or jerking without my knowledge causing the critical part to go flying. Somehow, this doesn't happen while welding or blacksmithing. The solution was to apply a huge amount of focus every time something fiddly was going on. Amazingly enough, the twitching got much better. As a side effect, I noticed that I was getting less burns and cuts while cooking in the kitchen. It took a great of effort and mindfulness. At some points, I would become discouraged and thought I had some kind of disability and could never fix it. The improvement was so slow, but now people around me say they notice the difference in the way I move. Full credit goes to machining.

This is interesting. I spend half my day picking stuff up off the floor that I've knocked over. I even yell at the "ghost" sometimes, to knock it off! The other half of the day is bumping into door frames and table edges. One thing I am good at is TIG welding though. My torch is wavering and shaking all over the place as I prepare, but as soon as that arc strikes, I'm rock-steady. Weird. I think I'll analyze this like you have.

 

[Ultradog MN]

If you are like me (and most of us) you'll find you do more of these things as the day grows long. When you get tired, mistakes happen more and more. At some point, I stop and just review everything I have done then go grab a beer and some supper. Sometimes I go back out and do more, but I set the bar lower after 5 pm and don't try to hold tight tolerances. This is performance art, after all- ya gotta be fresh
-Mark

When I see myself getting sloppy or careless I figure it must be time for a nap. More than once I've woke up and went back out to my project and realized if I had continued as planned I would have created some precision scrap.