- Joined
- May 3, 2017
- Messages
- 2,027
I'd like to suggest a discussion that I suspect would have broad appeal for us amateurs and, perhaps, some of our more experienced members, as well.
This morning, while machining a piece of aluminum, I came up with an interesting idea that made life a lot simpler for me. I needed to mill some 3/8" stock that was a little over 6" long down to exactly 3/4" wide. Since the piece was longer than the width of my Kurt vise, the challenge was going to be getting the width to as close to exact as possible. I visualized facing one side, flipping it, measuring with calipers, cutting, tweaking, etc. until I got it right. About half-way through the project, it occurred to me the rear jaw on my Kurt vise is machined exactly 1.75" tall. So given that I'm using 1" parallels, I can mill one side, flip it, take an exact measurement 1/4" higher than the rear jaw, mill to that point, and I'm done. I did that and measured the result against a machinist's square that has a 3/4" blade, and it was perfect. I was a happy camper.
I gloated for a few minutes on what a clever discovery that was for a neophyte, but since there was no one in the shop but me, I got over it pretty quickly. Then I brought myself down to reality: I bet most of our professionals and more seasoned amateurs already knew about that trick and many more like it. We rank amateurs who have never even stood in a machine shop with a piece of equipment running have no idea of some of these time-saving short cuts that you guys know second nature because of your many hours of hands-on exposure. Would any you be willing to share tricks like these with the rest of us? Some of the things you do second nature never even hit the radar screen of us who know nothing about how an efficient machine shop actually operates. I am aware that these tips are shared all across HM, but I don't think they're ever compiled in a single space. I suspect it would be of monumental benefit to members in my category.
We have other threads here at Hobby Machinist that have been running and added to for years, and we amateurs benefit greatly from your knowledge and willingness to offer your expertise. So, if you're so inclined, PLEASE share tips and tricks that you know which might make machining a little more efficient for us rookies. Don't assume we already know it. We don't. And I promise you, we'll appreciate it.
Regards,
Terry
This morning, while machining a piece of aluminum, I came up with an interesting idea that made life a lot simpler for me. I needed to mill some 3/8" stock that was a little over 6" long down to exactly 3/4" wide. Since the piece was longer than the width of my Kurt vise, the challenge was going to be getting the width to as close to exact as possible. I visualized facing one side, flipping it, measuring with calipers, cutting, tweaking, etc. until I got it right. About half-way through the project, it occurred to me the rear jaw on my Kurt vise is machined exactly 1.75" tall. So given that I'm using 1" parallels, I can mill one side, flip it, take an exact measurement 1/4" higher than the rear jaw, mill to that point, and I'm done. I did that and measured the result against a machinist's square that has a 3/4" blade, and it was perfect. I was a happy camper.
I gloated for a few minutes on what a clever discovery that was for a neophyte, but since there was no one in the shop but me, I got over it pretty quickly. Then I brought myself down to reality: I bet most of our professionals and more seasoned amateurs already knew about that trick and many more like it. We rank amateurs who have never even stood in a machine shop with a piece of equipment running have no idea of some of these time-saving short cuts that you guys know second nature because of your many hours of hands-on exposure. Would any you be willing to share tricks like these with the rest of us? Some of the things you do second nature never even hit the radar screen of us who know nothing about how an efficient machine shop actually operates. I am aware that these tips are shared all across HM, but I don't think they're ever compiled in a single space. I suspect it would be of monumental benefit to members in my category.
We have other threads here at Hobby Machinist that have been running and added to for years, and we amateurs benefit greatly from your knowledge and willingness to offer your expertise. So, if you're so inclined, PLEASE share tips and tricks that you know which might make machining a little more efficient for us rookies. Don't assume we already know it. We don't. And I promise you, we'll appreciate it.
Regards,
Terry
