Basic Skills ?

[Tin Falcon]

Ok folks I know i am potentially opening a large can of worms here.
I am sure it is question that we have all pondered especially the newbies of the forum. I will remind all here that I had the luxury and privilege of learning the basics of machining and welding in a USAF tech school . The class was 3 months long mostly 40 hours a week and off on holidays and weekends. And yes I got paid for going to school full time that summer. That being said :
What shop tasks do you people consider BASIC Machining skills for a Home model engine Machinist??
I will start the list and let's see where this goes.
this is pretty much what was taught in USAF tech school.
1) Math skills/knowledge including basic algebra and trig.Furulas for calculating speeds and feeds.
2) Sketching /mechanical drawing skills.
3) Shop safety knowledge. Knowing the hazards of a machine shop minimizing risks and wearing proper PPE
4) Knowledge of materials and selection, properties of materials and strength of materials.
5) Using precision measuring instruments including how to read a verier.
6) Drill press operation, selecting speed based on drill size.
7) band saw operation vertticle and horizontal. Blade selection and replacement procedures.
8) Lathe operations- nomenclature
a) sharpening of HSS bits.
b) Facing to length
c) turning on centers
d) making a hat bushing
(1) drilling
(2) boring
(3) turning to a shoulder
(4) grooving
(5) deburing on lathe
(6) Parting
e) Using a 4 jaw chuck
f) Turning tapers
(1) Tail stock offset
(2) compound
(3)Taper Attachment
g) OD and ID single point threading.
h) filing and polishing
9) Milling machine
a) Tramming the head
b) squaring a block
c) machining angles
d) machining key ways
e) using a indexing head
There are a few I missed here but a good start.
So lets see what you think
Tin

 

[mklotz]

I guess I don't see the point of your post. (Not a slam - simply an observation.) An exhaustive list of *what* to learn doesn't help the newbie to actually *learn* those things. There are some non-obvious safety things that bear enumeration but, for the most part, what one doesn't know, and, by intimation, needs to learn, becomes patently obvious as soon as you try to do something.

This is why photo-documented build articles and process descriptions (e.g., how to center in the 4jaw) are so valuable. They show real work being done by a knowledgeable worker and, by induction, what the worker needed to know to perform the task.

That said, I would add to your list:

The ability to plan the sequence machining operations in an order that permits safely and accurately holding the part to achieve the final shape.

Allied to the above is skill in designing and building jigs and fixtures.

For the non-professional (that's most of us), knowing how and when to deviate from the design to;
adapt to available tools, materials and machinery
simplfy fabrication to within the skill envelope of the operator
recover from mistakes
improve visual impact (bling if you want to use that annoying term)

Knowing how to learn about the craft. This is a many-faceted personal psychology issue too long to discuss here. If anyone is really interested, I'll elaborate elsewhere. One of the most satisfying and most unnerving aspects of what we do is what it teaches us about ourselves.

 

[Tin Falcon]

Marv:
I guess the point here is to get some discussion going here on basic skills.
I realize there is a lot of variables from shop to shop and the the newbie is faced with many open ended questions like what is the best lathe to start with or how do I start in this hobby.
I also know that some of the items on my list are skills that the HSM may not use or pick up for months or years after they start.
Your additions on the list are great. and things that should be taught in basic courses but as far as I know are not.
Also in the home shop it may be advantageous to do a project and acquire skill as part of the project rather than learn a set of tasks for the sake of learning task that may be applied later.
Tin

 

[Loose nut]

Being able to hit the mark, basic accuracy wise, is more important than some of the more advanced skills. Knowing how to get a good accurate finish on the different types of material IE: finish cuts on free machining steel as opposed to 4140 or brass, each one has it own quirks and require different techniques (depth of cut and speed etc.) to achieve a proper dimensional finish. Once the amateur has these it will be easier too go on to more advanced techniques they will need.

 

[Bernd]

I'd like to add my 2 pennies to this.

Learning the proper way to hold and use a file. Being able to file a square corner. What the difference is between deburring with a file and rounding the corners. Also the proper way to file round corners so they come out round. Basic hand tool skills, I guess is what I'm saying.

Bernd

 

[BobWarfield]

- Speeds and feeds are very important.

- Taps and dies.

- Cutter types: # of flutes, carbide vs hss

- Lots to know about making holes including how to accurately locate them, transfer punches, transfer screws, spot drilling, reaming, boring, etc.

- Use of coolants. Different operations and materials have different requirements. It's a short, but useful topic.

- Use of a boring head on the mill

- I'm sure you include this in your use of measuring tools, but marking out is kind of a subject unto itself.

- Use of DRO is perhaps a "second semester" but there are tips and tricks.

- Workholding is hugely important. My head got spinning so fast when I first started that I made up a whole page to organize how to think about workholding on the lathe:

http://www.cnccookbook.com/MTLatheHolding.htm

I found the table at top of that page to be very helpful. I made it up but never saw a similar table elsewhere. I should do a page for the mill, but haven't gotten around to it. There are a lot of basics around use of the Kurt vise (especially if you like making special jaws) and table clamps.

- Fixturing: Definitely second semester, but hugely useful. BTW, Carr Lane sells an excellent book on this subject.

- Sanding, grinding, and polishing. The next steps past deburring.

- Metal finishes such as black oxide and anodizing. Probably second semester.

- Brazing and welding: Must-have for a machinist. Possibly second semester.

- Fasteners. What are the basic types, how do I locate versus clamp? Bolts are typically not for locating, etc.

That's probably getting too long, so I'll stop!

Cheers,

BW

 

[kellswaterri]

Just a few thoughts to add to the already excellent list of contributions...most of us when in the shop are working alone and with usually quite powerful machinery...now like any wild animal unless TAMED they can bite, so I wonder just how many of us know the fastest way of closing down our machines in event of emergency... how many carry a MOBILE to the shop to summon help...how many shops have a WORKING fire extinguisher...most of us use coolant and know [OR SHOULD] of the hazards if not kept in good condition, but do we also know of the hazards to ourselves of not wearing the proper clothing in the shop...ie/ overalls ...coolant spraying off of a job onto our clothes over a time can cause very serious skin problems ...notably DERMATITIS...for one, and NOBODY wants that... also those nasty little curly cuttings that creep about our socks and end up in the ODDEST places : some thing worth thinking about.
All the best for now,
John.

 

[Mcgyver]

I'd say one of the most important skills to advance the HSM and one to which far too little effort is made is reading

presented tongue in cheek but not an unfair point i think - someone who went to the trouble of buying a lathe or mill, bench and vice would dramatically improve their efforts by reading say, The Beginners Workshop, The Amateurs Workshop and a good Sr high school machine shop text. If you'd like to get more from your efforts and haven't read these, consider it - 90% of what you need to know is there and you'd be doing something hugely beneficial most won't bother to do. In a commercial shop, there's tradesmen around to impart wisdom - we don't have that luxury but can make up for it with a decent library.

I like that this hobby is a bottomless pit of knowledge and learning - that for me is what makes it fun. Thing is though, its sort of progressive thing - doing the more complicated requires sound basics. As it gets more fun as it gets more complicated, imo people will find more enjoyment from the hobby as they try to educate themselves.

....and what Bernd said - learn how to file!

 

[compound driver 2]

Hi
before anything else is looked at a good understanding of working with a hacksaw and a file should be the order of the day. Shortly following on or at the same time marking out and reading drawings.

No point starting on a machine before the above can be dealt with. The first six months of my aprenticeship all the tools I had access to were a file a hacksaw and a tea pot.

Cheers Kevin

 

[Loose nut]

I'd say one of the most important skills to advance the HSM and one to which far too little effort is made is reading

Very true.

Check out the Internet archive, everything you could possibly want to know about machining is in there, hundreds of books on machining and related subjects. They may be old but are still relevant.

 

[shred]

For the HSM, I'd go for "willingness to experiment and make scrap".

So long as you're safe, it's all about making chips. That way when you read about a better way to do something, the light really dawns.

 

[Bogstandard]

This is a very good post, anything to get people working safely, accurately and enjoying themselves.
But I think a few are missing the point. It is ok in an ideal world to say what your are saying.

But just think about the audience.

Some may not be as nimble minded as others, some might not be able to read well, some might not have the money to go out and buy the latest book or gizmo. Every eventuality has to be taken into account, not just for the perfect in this world, but the ones that are challenged as well.

Kevin rightly pointed out, the basics are what is needed to begin with, the building blocks. It is no use starting to build a skyscraper if you've got no foundations in to begin with, they tend to fall over.

But it must be put over in such a way that even the challenged can understand it, even to the detriment of the gifted.
Maybe the people where English is not their first language if things get too technical, all eventualities have to be taken into account and any thoughts of instruction have to have these guidelines in place. A very difficult thing to do well, they have been trying for years in educational institutions. With not much success.

All the technical things can be obtained from the internet, screwcuting etc. and can be pursued at leisure if a person so wishes. It is the very basics that are missing from what we do on this site. Things like what machines, and why?, what materials, and why?, what fasteners, and why? and the list goes on.
Get them to a stage where they can make something, and natural progression and willingness to learn takes over.


John

 

[bentprop]

As a relative newbie to anything machining wise(5years or so),I would have to say that a lot of skills mentioned in Tin's list aren't necessary if you are a home shop machinist and want to build engines.
For instance,taper turning doesn't seem to be required too often in making an engine.Drawing,calculation,etc.are nice skills to have,but in no way vital.I couldn't draw to save my life,and I was never very good at algebra either.
I believe the internet has proven a boon to amateurs like me,as most of my skills I have picked up through reading and viewing other people's work online.With access to thousands of "teachers",my skills are bound to improve all the time.
Of course,my subjects are wider than just engines.I'm building a railway live steam loco,I make a lot of tools I can't afford to buy(QCTP),in addition to the odd repair job for friends or family.I love to see and hear running the beautiful radials,V8's and so on,but I know I will never be able to match those skills.I simply won't live long enough.
But I'm learning all the time,and will continue learning until I breathe my last gulp of air.

 

[Cedge]

Bentprop
You and I have come to the table by the same route. I envy those who mention Mentors, apprenticeships and years of on the job training. All the skills I have managed to earn have been acquired alone and often through much trial and error. I'm math disadvantaged to a fair extent (something akin to dyslexia but alpha/numeric in nature) and some of the methods I use to arrive at usable answers would either make Marv cry like a baby or spew root beer out his nose in laughter. You'd be surprised at how often I'm spot on, even without the ability to do the oriental math gymnastics I admire but can't mentally process.

The thousands of teachers you mention are the same ones who I've tracked down on the net. I owe them and the guys on this board a real debt of gratitude for their willingness to share tips, tricks, secrets and anecdotes. They've allowed me to pick up skills, some basic and others more advanced than I would have learned, struggling alone late at night. The bottom line is I've learned new skills as the need arose. With no access to formal training, that is just how the magic happens.

Like you, I'll probably never master all that I would like, but my last day in the shop will, hopefully be one more day of learning something new.

Steve

 

[Bogstandard]

Looking at Bentprops and Cedges posts.

Rather than trying to explain a lot of items, and setting up a curriculum for learning, maybe a dedicated list of links under ALL the headings that have been discussed.
This would allow people to easily access the information available, as and when they feel the need, without having to trawl thru multitudes of internet listings. There are sites out there that cater for everyones learning needs, from very basic to very technical.

If when you are surfing and come across one not already in the list, pop it under the correct heading, no explanation necessary, other than beginner, intermediate or technical, and it would be there for instant access.

It would take a fair amount of time and effort to set up well, but Tin's vision, I think, could be achieved, and even newbies could get involved in teaching us oldies new things. I could see this, if set up correctly, being the most visited area of the site, instant knowledge for the taking.

If when doing your own tutorial, try to keep it as light hearted as possible, put a bit of humour in if possible, even if it has to be made up. Use laymans terms as much as possible, the techies amongst us will still be able to understand it, but a newbie more so.

Rather than, start feeding the drill in at 2" per minute with drip fed coolant at the rate of one drop every ten seconds, put down, feed the drill in slowly with a bit of coolant dripping onto it. The second explanation is a lot more understandable to a beginner. This is just an example, but shows the idea. Keep it simple. That way maybe I can eventually learn something.

John

 

[deere_x475guy]

Here is a link that to a site I used when I first started out.

http://www.mini-lathe.com/

I joined his Premium Content ($25.00 I believe). I gotta say it was the best money I ever spent. My first project was his tutorial on making a Tap guide. It came out great and I used this tool all the time. I also printed out all of his tutorials and put them in a binder. I can refer back to them when ever I need.