# Poll - Things you hate about machining



## Fabrickator (Aug 12, 2014)

_The other day I was turning down some material and doing a lot of deep drilling. I got to thinking that it may be fun to do a polls on "Things you Hate" about machining._

*For me:*
_While turning a shaft, a long strand of swarf picks up the waste pile under the chuck and gives you a shower._

_Tail stock work, in general! Deep drilling multiple pieces, tapping._

_Hot chip down the neck of my shirt or in a flip flop._

_Accidentally re-zeroing a DRO.   _:banghead:

_Dialing in a piece on the mill only to find you've run short of Y axis._

_What are some of yours pet peeves?_


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## zmotorsports (Aug 12, 2014)

In general the mess.  I love making chips, however, I hate cleaning them up and the mess they create.  I know, kind of of oxy-moron but I hate a messy shop, period.

I am sure there are other things, just can't thing of any right now.  For the most part I love machining/fabricating.

Mike.


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## Don B (Aug 12, 2014)

Anything over a 1 inch long cut on a milling machine and no power feed...!:angry:

When I don't have time to clean up and need to leave the mess for the next day, I hate starting a day with a mess to cleaning up...!:angry:


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## dave2176 (Aug 12, 2014)

I'd go along with the mess. I mean how does a foot of aluminum make a trash can full of spiral shavings?
 Other than that some things may be tedious like drill and tap over and over but I love the end result, "I made that".
 Dave


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## rmack898 (Aug 12, 2014)

I hate not having enough time to spend in the shop.


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## pineyfolks (Aug 12, 2014)

The cost of tooling!                                                                                                                                                But I do like getting it :ups:


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## xalky (Aug 12, 2014)

When I can't get the chip to break and it comes off in one continues bird's nest of death....pisses me off. Some low carbon steels are just a pain to work with like that. Cleaning out the chip pan is a close second. Difficult to hold parts can be a little frustrating at times too.

All n all though, I love it.


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## darkzero (Aug 12, 2014)

I hate bird's nests...when the long stringy chips/swarf gets caught on the chuck jaws or tbe workpiece & starts flingjng around, especially on finish passes.


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## countryguy (Aug 12, 2014)

Hmmmmmm-  We'll I have a newbie dislike (hehe.... Can we really even use that other word anymore in this crazy PC era? ) 

So far, being new-  It's cleaning up the Coolant !   Yech!


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## Pat of TN (Aug 12, 2014)

I love machining period! Nothing I hate about it at all.

...

Alright, I take that back. Besides getting showered in chips from a single stray string... one simple act that I don't like is, milling steel. I've become so used to milling aluminum in school (as all of our projects can and usually are made from alum, which in my opinion is not a good thing) that when I've had to make something large, it is a pain in the butt.

For one project, I had to take about a half inch off each side of a block of steel that was about 4 x 4 x 3.5 or something crazy like that to get it to size before it was 3D-contoured on the CNC mill. That was insane. It took me about three days just to do that - mostly out of inexperience and a lack of instruction at the time, but it was so aggravating, mainly due to the dulled cutters and constant beestings...


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## countryguy (Aug 12, 2014)

YEah!  I want to add that one too.  My 1045 steel milling work was CrazzY to learn as a newb.   A real hate treat for sure!  ;-)   GOOD ONE! 



Pat of TN said:


> I love machining period! Nothing I hate about it at all.
> 
> 
> Alright, I take that back. Besides getting showered in chips from a single stray string... one simple act that I don't like is, milling steel.
> ...


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## jpfabricator (Aug 12, 2014)

pineyfolks said:


> The cost of tooling!                                                                                                                                                But I do like getting it :ups:



X2

Jake Parker


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## Ray C (Aug 12, 2014)

Cleaning-up after a lot of cast iron work.  Messy, messy, messy...


Ray


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## rmack898 (Aug 12, 2014)

Ray C said:


> Cleaning-up after a lot of cast iron work.  Messy, messy, messy...
> 
> 
> Ray



I put a few strategically placed welding magnets in zip lock bags around the work, when the job is done hold the bag over the garbage can and remove the magnet. 90% of the CI swarf never touches the machine.


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## Ray C (Aug 12, 2014)

rmack898 said:


> I put a few strategically placed welding magnets in zip lock bags around the work, when the job is done hold the bag over the garbage can and remove the magnet. 90% of the CI swarf never touches the machine.



I usually have a shop vac or heavy duty dust collector pick-up hose within inches of the bit.  That gets a vast majority of the dust.  Even still, the dust travels in the nearby area and makes a mess of everything.  Cleaning-up the machine (and my hands) is always a dirty chore...  I'll try some magnets to see if that gets the really fine wind-born stuff.


Ray


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## ricsmall (Aug 12, 2014)

darkzero said:


> I hate bird's nests...when the long stringy chips/swarf gets caught on the chuck jaws or tbe workpiece & starts flingjng around, especially on finish passes.



+1
I thought that was supposed to ONLY happen on finish passes. Does with me it seems


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## nickmckinney (Aug 12, 2014)

I hate when someone brings you broken junk and gets upset or takes offense when you don't want to touch it at any price. I have learned to turn away work pretty quickly that a few years ago I would have made an attempt on.


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## Ray C (Aug 12, 2014)

nickmckinney said:


> I hate when someone brings you broken junk and gets upset or takes offense when you don't want to touch it at any price. I have learned to turn away work pretty quickly that a few years ago I would have made an attempt on.



Yeah, good one.  And the same kind of guy that wants you to resurrect a piece of junk somehow thinks you'll spend 5 hours on something and feels that 10 bucks is more than adequate compensation.  


Ray


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## zmotorsports (Aug 12, 2014)

nickmckinney said:


> I hate when someone brings you broken junk and gets upset or takes offense when you don't want to touch it at any price. I have learned to turn away work pretty quickly that a few years ago I would have made an attempt on.





Ray C said:


> Yeah, good one.  And the same kind of guy that wants you to resurrect a piece of junk somehow thinks you'll spend 5 hours on something and feels that 10 bucks is more than adequate compensation.
> 
> 
> Ray



Agree 110% to both.

Mike.


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## Cheeseking (Aug 13, 2014)

Parting off on the lathe.    With each crank on the cross slide it seem like a 50/50 chance of snap bang boom


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## drs23 (Aug 13, 2014)

Yeah, the clean up. I've been looking at guy's new lathes and mills, Mike's most recently, and remember how mine *USED TO LOOK.*

I started a major lathe cleaning yesterday and made a pretty good dent between folks walking up and the phone ringing. Figure I've got a few more hours left and it ain't never gonna look close to like it did. Oh well, it's a tool, not a showpiece, that's for sure.


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## xalky (Aug 13, 2014)

Cheeseking said:


> Parting off on the lathe.    With each crank on the cross slide it seem like a 50/50 chance of snap bang boom
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Iscar. The solution to 90% of my parting woes. That and a rigid lathe. Parting is actually not much of an issue anymore since I started parting with an Iscar type indexable parting tool.


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## darkzero (Aug 13, 2014)

Agreed, Iscar & Manchester is all I use for parting. Big difference over the the cheaper stuff I tried using before.


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## Jamespvill (Aug 14, 2014)

Im not a real big fan of "friends" thinking that they deserve to have their work done for free.

Friend: "Hey, could you do this for me? It should only take a little bit"
Keep in mind this friend doesn't know the difference between a mill and drill press
Me: "Sure, I'll let you know when it's done"
Two days later....
Not friend anymore: "Hey, It looks like you finished that! I've been waiting on you. I'll let you know if I have anything else for you"

I was raised on common courtesy to say thanks and ask "What do I owe you?" The funny thing is I usually say "nothing" when it's a _real_
friend.

And the others...they get an invoice in the mail


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## Andre (Aug 14, 2014)

I don't really hate anything about machining. Sometimes breaking a tap is a real bummer though if you can't get it out, or jamming your turboencabulator reciprocating jingle arm. That always sucks.

But chips down your shirt or a chip pan fiesta around the spindle is just the name of the game, can't really avoid them without going safety nazi. 

Ever finish a beautiful part then drop it on the concrete right next to your rubber floor mat? That sucks, has to be right on the corner too.


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## darkzero (Aug 14, 2014)

Jamespvill said:


> Im not a real big fan of "friends" thinking that they deserve to have their work done for free.
> 
> Friend: "Hey, could you do this for me? It should only take a little bit"
> Keep in mind this friend doesn't know the difference between a mill and drill press
> ...



I have "friends" that I would charge (depending on what it's for, ie items for sale) then I have my close friends that I never charge for any machining. Big difference on type of friends. I just received a 6" Wilton bullet vise & 5HP 3 phase Baldor motor for free from 2 of those friends.


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## zmotorsports (Aug 14, 2014)

Jamespvill said:


> Im not a real big fan of "friends" thinking that they deserve to have their work done for free.
> 
> Friend: "Hey, could you do this for me? It should only take a little bit"
> Keep in mind this friend doesn't know the difference between a mill and drill press
> ...





darkzero said:


> I have "friends" that I would charge (depending on what it's for, ie items for sale) then I have my close friends that I never charge for any machining. Big difference on type of friends. I just received a 6" Wilton bullet vise & 5HP 3 phase Baldor motor for free from 2 of those friends.



Again, agree to both statements.  I have "friends" that are friends when it is convenient to them but otherwise bring nothing to the table.  Then I have friends that would do anything for me and always offer to pay even when I tell them their money is no good.  Big difference between the two.

Mike.


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## Grumpy Gator (Aug 14, 2014)

Running my machines to do a job is the best part of the job. Getting the customer or friend to pick up the part they couldn't live without is the worst part.:angry:​ I still have a pile of these time wasters sitting around.
​Sure am tired of the font changing half way thru a post.But that's a rant for a different thread.                                                                                                             *********************G************************¿?¿?¿?************:whiteflag:


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## chips&more (Aug 14, 2014)

rmack898 said:


> I put a few strategically placed welding magnets in zip lock bags around the work, when the job is done hold the bag over the garbage can and remove the magnet. 90% of the CI swarf never touches the machine.




Using a bag is a good idea. I would like to add another idea. I also use a magnet (similar to click bellow) but has a pull lever on/off switch on it. I just wave it over the steel swarf and then take it over to the garbage can and pull the handle and it’s gone. Especially those microscopic slivers that you can’t see but can feel for days!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SE-PM6550-M...386?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20e784fb0a


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## Cheeseking (Aug 15, 2014)

xalky said:


> Iscar. The solution to 90% of my parting woes. That and a rigid lathe. Parting is actually not much of an issue anymore since I started parting with an Iscar type indexable parting tool.



Thanks. Im going to def look into that.  Got any links to what you would recommend?  I have an Aloris BXA post on an 11"x 30 lathe.



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## TOOLMASTER (Aug 15, 2014)

no beer fridge.


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