You are 100% correct on the learning. I recently trained a guy who was an experienced(10+ years as a lead man) CNC operator, to run a Horizontal Boring Mill. He had no concept of how to do the basics. He was outright scared of the machine because the spindle was exposed. He didn't even know how to use basic measuring and setup tools. What was supposed to be a simple teaching job for me, turned into a complete education for this guy. He has been watching my videos to try to learn everything the tech school did not teach. I commend him for learning more on his own, but I am appalled by what the tech schools are teaching. They are not putting out machinists anymore. It's a sad future for the industry unless some of us skilled guys are willing to teach.
Many shops now days have one true CNC machinist and lots of people who are "CNC operators", Those "operators" are nothing more than labor to feed stock into the machine, push a button, then remove the part before repeating the cycle. Those People end up being easily replaced by robotics. Few tech schools are teaching real skills, the ones that do struggle to find employment for their students as there are fewer jobs for them to be placed in.
@@TopperMachineLLC In some ways it's not skilled labor that's disappearing but skilled jobs that started disappearing first (the cycle of mechanization and automation displacing labor). With significantly less skilled jobs available many of the trade tech schools disappeared creating a shortage of skilled labor to fill the few remaining skilled jobs. I'm starting to feel that the only way to bring in skilled labor is to have a robust internship program at the company to build the skills that are desired in the ideal candidate. Unfortunately, that's a long process and is hard to justify when you need the skilled labor now and not years later.
@@askquestionstrythings I agree. That is why I am part of the Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program. I have a High School kid working for me in the shop and learning as much as he can. Its a great program and is getting kids interested in the trades along with teaching them skills.
As a Moldmaker, learn the manual machines first. This experience will pay dividends when you begin CNC and automated machining. You will learn to choose the proper machine for the task at hand. There are so many operations that can be done so much faster on a manual machine, while other complex surface cuttings are left to CNC machines. You should be running 2+ machines all the time. 1-2 CNC machines cutting cores and cavities, while you prep the mold base on manual mill. I did this for several years. Just like Howee, my career path has been tortuous. I started as a railcar mechanic/welder, back to school, Tool and diemaker/Moldmaker, back to school, biotech/organic chemist, back to school, now a dentist. 35 years later, I CAD/CAM design teeth, CNC mill them, heat treat them, and verify fit and finish. Full circle. It is ALL long-run production tooling.
I started in the sheet metal shop .They had a machine sitting there jumping, punching parts .I said .what makes that work .He said what do I want to know that for ? Right away I knew I was not going to get a answer . I saw a ad in the paper for a cnc machine 200.00 it was broken. I repaired the circuit board. Fanuc hybrid chip. Then I bought bobcad to program it. I now have bobcad35 . I work in a shop just changing parts and pushing one button . I don't care I can come home and make any thing I want.
There’s nothing wrong with being a old guy with a machine shop! I’m my own best customer, how do we save it, how do we make it better? I have a hard time wrapping my mind around how people survive not having a machine shop. Keep sharing your knowledge!
My dad started machining 20 years ago, didn’t know a thing about it. He started out running an omniturn, left that job and went to run a Haas SL20. All he’s ever done is g code. He’s since moved on from machining, but boy he was a wizard with g code on a lathe while he was still doing it!
Start by pushing a broom and changing coolant and seek busy work on manual machines and buy secondhand tools while always trying to learn. The most valuable machine in the shop is the machinist.
Kind of random, but I just watched you guys build that machine to surface molds, and it was very cool. Building that big ol frame, using the Bridgeport milling head, just very cool. Glad you ended up really picking up youtube, people can learn a whole lot from you.
My father taught me a little about the lathe, the vast majority my learning came from RU-vid. Keith Fenner, Joe Pieczinski, Tom Lipton, Keith Rucker, you and a few others. Beware there are lots of knuckleheads on YT also, You can judge by the number of subscribers. After years of following these guys I consider myself an advanced hobbyist.
In the area where i live, if you've got a trade certificate or even a couple years experience, you will never be out of work. It depends where you live. The steel industry is big here but in other areas jobs are hard to find. Having a good attitude is so important too. If you want to learn and want to work employers will keep you and over time, the paychecks will get better.
Having the right idea, with the right financing, at the right time... There is so much truth to that. too many have the wrong ideas, have no financing, and try to do it at the wrong time. I would add that you also have to have the right skills, as just paying for someone else with the right skills to make your idea happen almost always results in your idea failing. The myth of being just an "idea man" is pervasive in society and ruins many people as they just want overnight success without the work... most "overnight success" stories are founded on 20 plus years of building up to that "overnight" success.
The hourly rate for cnc machine time is 125.00 an hour . The repair guy charges 175.00 from the time they leave the shop . I build my own machines so I can fix them . Get old Bridgeport cnc or nc . Junk the old control put a home cnc control on run mach 3 there are other ones out there.
I lost my shop, the new code officer . And the vice president had there hands in each other pocket they suit me in court and sold my building at the sheriff sale. I have an appeal in a higher court.
Yes The world is backwards I always wanted to learn CNC or the automatics help things how to get perfect Parts all the time back in the day I ran a water and Sweezy swayzee war time turrent lathe. 1975 .They got a chucker machine. The guy did not want me around it. Because I hoped stuff up and they cut the rates.
My first year teacher wanted to throw me out of class for not understanding some math problem. I fell asleep with it. He had a a shop .I stole one of his jobs that's how I got even .
Howes has cnc I am sorry he does no know how to put them to work .Many shops go out of business because they don't hire people they don't think can do it. Tie a guy to the making and make him do it. Once they learn a little they will go up the street and be an expert .Time to train the next guy
