rake60
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2007
- Messages
- 4,756
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A lot of people see machinists as some sort of mad craftsmen practicing
a witchcraft of converting raw metals into perfect parts.
Why? Because they can't do it.
In reality we are able to do what we do because we aren't afraid to try it!
In this trade we work closely with highly educated engineers that can tell
us exactly how things should work. When it doesn't work to their plans it
is because WE did something wrong.
OK Maybe I'm just blowing off steam from a prior experience.
I over heard an engineer talking to a junior machinist about issues on a
job that wasn't going well. His exact words were: "Don't be intimated
by my intelligence. What do you think is wrong?"
Intelligence of that sort is very impressive on paper.
Making the ideas of that intelligence work in metal is a whole different
world. THAT takes the insight and skill of a craftsman.
I don't have a tool to do that, but if I use this in a new way it might work.
300FPM won't cut that material. 200FPM will do it but tear it up. 500FPM
will destroy the tool but will make the part perfectly.
Machining is a craft! You can't put in into a carved in stone book.
Every material and every application is a new venture.
Can an engineer see that? Nooooo.
That's fine! They are a product of the "Perfect World" education.
Can a machinist see it? We have to! It's OUR job to MAKE it work!
And then we have to explain to the engineer why our way worked when
theirs wouldn't.
Smart? I don't know....
All I know is that when the parts I make go into service they WILL do
what they were intended to do. If my manor of producing them upsets
the design engineer I'll be more than happy to step back and hand over
the controls of my machine to his superior intelligence. :roll:
So do you have to be smart to be a machinist?
Yes you do! You have to have the intelligence to see what will actually
work in a real world application. That might not be found in the pages
of a published manual. So the engineer will tell you your WRONG!
When it works, accept being too dumb to understand why, and be
happy with the fact that IT WORKS! 8)
We are just uneducated grease monkeys making the parts, tools, and
make everything that works today a reality.
Of course there will always be an engineer standing there with a proud
smile claiming it was because they gave us the basic foundation to
work from.
I have two words for them. (Those words are not Happy Birthday) :lol:
Rick
a witchcraft of converting raw metals into perfect parts.
Why? Because they can't do it.
In reality we are able to do what we do because we aren't afraid to try it!
In this trade we work closely with highly educated engineers that can tell
us exactly how things should work. When it doesn't work to their plans it
is because WE did something wrong.
OK Maybe I'm just blowing off steam from a prior experience.
I over heard an engineer talking to a junior machinist about issues on a
job that wasn't going well. His exact words were: "Don't be intimated
by my intelligence. What do you think is wrong?"
Intelligence of that sort is very impressive on paper.
Making the ideas of that intelligence work in metal is a whole different
world. THAT takes the insight and skill of a craftsman.
I don't have a tool to do that, but if I use this in a new way it might work.
300FPM won't cut that material. 200FPM will do it but tear it up. 500FPM
will destroy the tool but will make the part perfectly.
Machining is a craft! You can't put in into a carved in stone book.
Every material and every application is a new venture.
Can an engineer see that? Nooooo.
That's fine! They are a product of the "Perfect World" education.
Can a machinist see it? We have to! It's OUR job to MAKE it work!
And then we have to explain to the engineer why our way worked when
theirs wouldn't.
Smart? I don't know....
All I know is that when the parts I make go into service they WILL do
what they were intended to do. If my manor of producing them upsets
the design engineer I'll be more than happy to step back and hand over
the controls of my machine to his superior intelligence. :roll:
So do you have to be smart to be a machinist?
Yes you do! You have to have the intelligence to see what will actually
work in a real world application. That might not be found in the pages
of a published manual. So the engineer will tell you your WRONG!
When it works, accept being too dumb to understand why, and be
happy with the fact that IT WORKS! 8)
We are just uneducated grease monkeys making the parts, tools, and
make everything that works today a reality.
Of course there will always be an engineer standing there with a proud
smile claiming it was because they gave us the basic foundation to
work from.
I have two words for them. (Those words are not Happy Birthday) :lol:
Rick