Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

I started machineing this year. We have a class at our school and are very lucky to have 10 lathes, 6 bridgeports, several grinders and buffers and 2 metal saws and a band saw. we also have a HAAS 3 axis CNC lathe and mill and a mini mill. THis was gained by our school through the chesire center. For me there is nothing better then the smell of burning steel and then relizing u didnt put any collant on lol. yea good times
we are the ones that keep FIRST movin
i am certified on Lathe, Bridgeport and bridgeport acu-right

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

me too i cut most's (90%) the parts for 340 and any other job at our school my team's 340 and 424 have a really bad lathe that i have fixed up so it can cut blind at least we also have a prolit mini cnc and chiron cnc with out a transformer so:mad: and a big great 5hp Bridgeport prototrac really old spend most of my time on the Bridgeport-prototrac but do many of my easy parts on the mini cnc with feed of .5ipm wow that so slow i'm really glad to hear that there other firsters who love this stuff the best smell is that big old greases mill it is the best smell ever it cool to be better than most teachers in our tech wing i found one cut alum 1/4 plate at 340rpm's then he broke a 50$ indicator after he drop it

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

im very happy to hear somany responces, while we all agree burning steel has somthing about it, i have to throw out the most untolerable smell in the shop ever...

I dunno if anyone hase taken time to take apart machines, to repair/ referb. but there is always that one screw that upon being cracked releases a putrid stench unlike nothing you have ever smelt before.

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

I got trained on the Lathe today. Tons of fun. have to keep in mind bit angle, feeding speed, headstock and tailstock position, etc. It's great fun. I got to machine a couple pieces of extrusion down to 2.980 +/- .001. Used top-quality dial calipers and machinists squares and everything.

All this machining makes me want to reconsider my career path... I want to be an auto mechanic but dealing with precision measurements and working machines to get good fits and finishes is just way too fun for it's own good. Hell, I broke out my Grizzly catalouge and I got all worked up looking at calipers and mill vices.

Now I have to go drink some caffeine and calm down or something. D=

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

One of the guys in the shop class I was in used some of the time to make parts for his truck's clutch. Who says being a mechanic and being a machinist are mutually exclusive?

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

I started FIRST a while back not knowing CAD or machining. My tolerance was jigsaw and +- 0.050

Then I got some experience, made some plates and learned to mill on a junky benchtop mill. Tolerance +- 0.010

Later as a student mentor I got into shifting gearboxes, press fit bearings, the works. Used a Bridgeport with a DRO / rotary table / boring head. Tolerance +- 0.001

Then came hydraulic valving in college, grinding, precision cnc, etc. Tolerance +- 0.0005.

Now... microfluidic valving. Tolerance? Hah! +- 0.00004

The more you learn, the more awesome the stuff you work with becomes.

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

While i love doing CNC work, days like today when i spend 4 hours trying to get one part made because he CNC is having issues, really makes me hate them. Today I ended up saying forget the CNC and when over to the bandsaw, drill press, and grinder and did it by hand. Tomorrow with a new bit we shall see.

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

Through robotics I've learned to run a mill, lathe and now (through school and inspired by robotics) CNCs.

I mainly want this information to expand my knowledge and skill set for mechanical engineering, I don't want to become a machinists by trade.

But, I must admit; finishing parts with decent tolerances is very satisfying.

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

Hey! It's my kind of thread! As a junior mechanical engineering major, I can attest to the immense help that knowing how to use machines and tools to make things has been. It's not just about knowing EXACTLY how to use this tool, or that one, it's also about having enough practical experience and knowledge that you can make things up on the fly, and figure out a way to use the limited number of tools you're given to make a finished product.

I've found that my background in machining, manual mill and Cadillac lathe, and Haas CNC VF2 mill and SL-20 lathe ( :D with live tooling!! :yikes: ), have even improved my skills at everyday engineering problems. From the sense of touch, to just being able to understand how pieces of metal are coming together, I wind up often leading my peers in all sorts of tasks. The phrase my dad taught me is that "you just have to know how to use the proper application of force" to make things work. The more time I've spent building things, the more I realize what he was talking about. Tight tolerances aren't always about beating the sprockets on to the shaft with a hammer... but removing the small bur on the keyway so it slides on perfectly by hand. Rock on!

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

I like working on the lathe. I must admit that I'm not too accurate, when in hurry though. I'm not going to claim to be an expert at it, but it's fun. I hope to pick it up as a hobby.

Re: For FRC Student Machinists
 

Mmmm. Give me a pair of calipers, a square, some stuff to lathe, bits, a lathe, safety glasses and a hair tie (and a measurement to get the piece to) and I'll be happy for ~30mins or so. I've actually been known to find things that need machining to calm myself down or entertain myself. Music is usually nice too, but the whir of the mill/lathe and the sound of the bit cleaving the metal and removing small, almost uniform chips is definitely a sound worth hearing.