- Joined
- Apr 30, 2011
- Messages
- 29
Bill, compared to you I am still in early childhood with regard to machinist qualifications, and will likely never reach your level of expertise. I am a well read, self taught, tinkerer that tries to apply a little common sense and achieve reasonably good outcomes in my work. Forums like this one have also been a great help in flattening my learning curve but I have a long, long way to go. My comments were in no way an attempt to discount your points with regard to the accuracy of Toolmakers Buttons nor meant to challenge your level of expertise, nor anyone elses.
The main thing I wanted to accomplish in my last post was to encourage others like me, the real amateurs here, and help them understand that a great deal of precision can be accomplished without the most expensive or accurate tools. It was also important to say that the precision required varies with the job at hand and maximum precision isn't required for every job. If toolmaking is the task at hand then the highest level of precision is probably an imperative. On the other hand, if one is fitting a shaft to a bronze bushing, boring a hole for a bearing or building a model engine, accuracy to within .0001 probably isn't necessary unless you just want to undertake the challenge. Blueprints give tolerances that vary with the job because working to closer than necessary tolerances isn't cost effective in terms of time or outcome. As an amateur, when I work I always try to work to the highest level of precision I can, not so much for the requirement of the job but for the experience. Since this is a hobby for me the time spent means more pleasure, not less income or profitability. Hours spent in my shop mulling over ways to accomplish something with the limited funding and tooling I have are all for enjoyment. My guess would be that several others here are in that mode too. So, if, like me, you are an amateur, don't hesitate to make some of your own tools. If care is used they will likely produce the precision needed for most of the jobs you care to undertake. You don't have to reinvent the wheel to do this; as with the aforementioned Buttons, you can look at a catalog and try to duplicate what you see. Who knows, you may even come up with a better method of accomplishing something than what is considered conventional. All the good ideas haven't been thought up yet.
The main thing I wanted to accomplish in my last post was to encourage others like me, the real amateurs here, and help them understand that a great deal of precision can be accomplished without the most expensive or accurate tools. It was also important to say that the precision required varies with the job at hand and maximum precision isn't required for every job. If toolmaking is the task at hand then the highest level of precision is probably an imperative. On the other hand, if one is fitting a shaft to a bronze bushing, boring a hole for a bearing or building a model engine, accuracy to within .0001 probably isn't necessary unless you just want to undertake the challenge. Blueprints give tolerances that vary with the job because working to closer than necessary tolerances isn't cost effective in terms of time or outcome. As an amateur, when I work I always try to work to the highest level of precision I can, not so much for the requirement of the job but for the experience. Since this is a hobby for me the time spent means more pleasure, not less income or profitability. Hours spent in my shop mulling over ways to accomplish something with the limited funding and tooling I have are all for enjoyment. My guess would be that several others here are in that mode too. So, if, like me, you are an amateur, don't hesitate to make some of your own tools. If care is used they will likely produce the precision needed for most of the jobs you care to undertake. You don't have to reinvent the wheel to do this; as with the aforementioned Buttons, you can look at a catalog and try to duplicate what you see. Who knows, you may even come up with a better method of accomplishing something than what is considered conventional. All the good ideas haven't been thought up yet.
