What Is A ==========

Excellent thread... Bill, THX for starting it... enjoyed the read!

I would like to add a phrase: Mechanical intuition (which, I suppose, would cover electrical and hydraulic issues also).
Some of us (myself included) just seem to have this intuition (or instinct)... we can just look at something... and our minds just figure it out. When I approach a heating and AC system... I like to joke that the neurons in my brain are running down the wires in the control circuits... looking for an electrical problem. Folks just look at me, shake their heads, and say 'fix it'... which after the chuckle.... usually happens (unless replacement is a better value for the customer).

I cannot think of the times a group of quite capable folks would be standing looking at something... and I would join them. I would ask... and someone would kindly explain the issue. The major issue (for me anyway)... was to determine the better way to convey the solution... without hurting anyone's feelings or sounding like a smart@$$.

As to whether folks are born with it or learn it... I think both. While it seems some folks just are not mechanical (or electrical/hydraulic)... if I had not been exposed to a lot of things and had the opportunity to put my hands on them and fiddle with them... I seriously doubt I would have the depth of ability I now have.

Another thing which may be part of it: If one enjoys fiddling with mechanical things... and gets those internal warm fuzzy feelings when they fix something and it works... well that does tend to encourage them to keep fixing things... which, of course, leads to the experience part of the equation.

This may be part of the previous paragraph... however having a sense of accomplishment; which means one takes pride in what they do; probably encourages one to do it more.

So born in mechanical/elec/hydraulic intuition... exposure... experience... a sense of accomplishment... taking pride in their work... and getting warm fuzzies from 'gettin-er-done'. IMO all of these are traits both of, and which develop, a SOTP machinist.

Now I would like to add a category to the discussion: SOTP technician. The guy/gal... that approaches a problem... and just solves it. None of the following:
Fussing
Arguing
Politics
Whining
Featherbedding
Playing the boss
Playing others
Milking
ETC...
As Michael Jordon used to say 'Just do it'.

My background was more the SOTP technician.

I suspect the two are related in many ways.

Again, GREAT thread!
 
ki4byz said:
Creative
If we had more people in THIS country that would create (create as a trade)we would not have lost as many jobs across the water
Click to expand...

Yes that is so true, we have become a society that lives off of each other, the service industry. We don't produce things anymore, and we need to or we will go the way of the dinosaur.
 
We are going astray again. Let's bring it back please.

"Billy G
 
Bill Gruby said:
You go to the operator
Click to expand...
As a textile dyer if a machine was playing up it was a given for me to go to the operator. He knew every noise and rattle in the machine and whilst he may not know the "what" he would always know it was coming from, 'the third drier drum left bearing somewhere' or wherever. That's who I sent the mechanic to talk with first then left them to it
I'm a newbie to making swarf and my thoughts after reading the first few posts was along these lines. "Oh bother, the plans say use this and I have only this other. So, if I mod the bit to suit what I have, then adjust the next bit to suit my mod, it should be back on track." Yeah, sometimes it doesn't but hey, I tried.
John B
 
I tend to think that some people are born with an innate mechanical ability. I believe I'm one of those. I remember being a young kid, taking things apart to see how they worked and putting them back together for kicks.

I went on to building bicycles out of 2 or 3 junk bikes, then moved on to mini bikes and go carts, lawn mowers garden tractors then cars etc... By the time I had graduated high school I had already rebuilt a totaled out car and rewired the entire wiring harness which had caught fire in the accident. This car had power windows, locks, seats, and everything else. I taught myself how to read wiring schematics, weld, do body work, on that car.

I went on to college to pursue a mechanical engineering degree but found it to be too dry. So,I changed my major to manufacturing engineering which lent itself much better to what I was good at, making things work.

I worked as a manufacturing engineer right out of college, but really, I became the plant "fix it" guy, and built and rebuilt machines to fill in my time when something hadn't crashed. In the plant. There I learned all about high voltage electricity, steam fitting, hydraulics/pneumatics, electrical control circuits, relay logic, limit switches, welding and machining. I learned from the old timers, I rarely asked questions but I watched them like a hawk.

Like someone else said, God gives us certain talents, it's up to us to develop them. The younger you are to start developing those talents, the sooner you become a master. I'm not a master of any particular discipline but I'm pretty darn good at most of the ones listed above. I can build or repair just about anything. I've only met a few people like me in my life, what sets them apart is that they're not intimidated of attempting anything.

On another note. I love to pick apart a design to see what's good design and what's a terrible design. Sometimes I'll look at something and come to the conclusion that a moron designed it, and other times I'm astounded at the brilliance of the design, and can find no fault in it. Generally speaking, the simpler the design is to accomplish a certain task, the better and more reliable it is.

My 5 cents, because it was a little longer than 2 cents worth.

Marcel


Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
xalky said:
I tend to think that some people are born with an innate mechanical ability. I believe I'm one of those. I remember being a young kid, taking things apart to see how they worked and putting them back together for kicks.

I went on to building bicycles out of 2 or 3 junk bikes, then moved on to mini bikes and go carts, lawn mowers garden tractors then cars etc... By the time I had graduated high school I had already rebuilt a totaled out car and rewired the entire wiring harness which had caught fire in the accident. This car had power windows, locks, seats, and everything else. I taught myself how to read wiring schematics, weld, do body work, on that car.

I went on to college to pursue a mechanical engineering degree but found it to be too dry. So,I changed my major to manufacturing engineering which lent itself much better to what I was good at, making things work.

I worked as a manufacturing engineer right out of college, but really, I became the plant "fix it" guy, and built and rebuilt machines to fill in my time when something hadn't crashed. In the plant. There I learned all about high voltage electricity, steam fitting, hydraulics/pneumatics, electrical control circuits, relay logic, limit switches, welding and machining. I learned from the old timers, I rarely asked questions but I watched them like a hawk.

Like someone else said, God gives us certain talents, it's up to us to develop them. The younger you are to start developing those talents, the sooner you become a master. I'm not a master of any particular discipline but I'm pretty darn good at most of the ones listed above. I can build or repair just about anything. I've only met a few people like me in my life, what sets them apart is that they're not intimidated of attempting anything.

My 5 cents, because it was a little longer than 2 cents worth.

Marcel


Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I think the part about not being intimidated by machinery... whether it be mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, etc (well other than electronic)... is a significant part of this.

Sadly... the electronics controls part is the one I struggle with... :)
 
GA Gyro said:
I think the part about not being intimidated by machinery... whether it be mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, etc (well other than electronic)... is a significant part of this.

Sadly... the electronics controls part is the one I struggle with... :)
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's my weakness too. I can r and r electronic parts and build personal computers, but that's just putting parts together. I never really learned electronic circuits other than being able to spot a burned out capacitor. I suspect it might be the generation we were born into, I was born in the mid sixties, I was never really exposed to that stuff until the nineties. I've had some successes just cleaning electronics to get them back to life, but that's about it.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
I use the seat of my pants for sittin' on. How do you use it for machining?
 
WalterC said:
I use the seat of my pants for sittin' on. How do you use it for machining?
Click to expand...

Same way you and I use it to fix HVAC... <grin>

Sometimes that part of my anatomy thinks clearer than the other end... LOL

And yeah... acquired the avatar pic from the guy at the HVAC forum... :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top