"Must Have" Tools for Christmas

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 12:02:34 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article UuAqf.67976$sg5.36718@dukeread12,
"Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired" wrote:



So when are ya gonna get the good stuff like Central Machinery?
Y'know, I could get hurt asking questions like that

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

I really don't know anything about the hobby machines, but I've always
been curious. In many cases I'm sure I could live with some reduction of
power and precision, - at least for making airplane parts - but I'd
suffer without the automation.

When I studied that stuff we didn't have automation. No CNC, it was
set it up and one cut at a time, unless you had a turret and then you
*might* do up to 4 or 5. :-))

From what I've seen, for a "one off part, or even a couple, it was far
faster than setting up a CNC machine.


When digital readouts came along, I thought we were in tall cotton. Then
we got the Bridgeport EZ traks (cnc) and we felt like we'd emerged from
the dark ages. I don't think I could dial off a bolt circle anymore, let
alone use a rotary table to make an arc. And I can't remember the last
time we rotated a rotating vise.

The rotation isn't all that difficult, but cutting an arc with a
continuously varying radius is something else


I don't think the machining center is going to have an advantage over
the EZ trak for making one or two parts, but it'll sure speed up
production work.

That's where they really shine.


Anyway for now, I don't have room (or money) at home for a machine, so
I'll have to continue to make the 3 1/2 mile drive down to the shop when
something that can't wait til Monday needs more than a file or a hand
drill.

At least you have access to a shop. When I worked as a technician oh
so many years ago before going back to college (after 26 years) I
could us all the tools in the shop and I could get scrap metal from
the junk pile.

After going back to school I didn't have access to the shop, but I
also worked nearly 7 years with only 3 days off. I still managed to
fly abut 130 years, but the other stuff was put off until retirement.

I had the order made out to get both a precision lathe with a 50 some
inch bed and a good floor mill. I should have sent it right away as
the stock market tanked about two days before I was going to send it.
I was also set to purchase a new K1A5, 300 HP IO-540 Lycoming an one
of the custom shops was going to redo it for me. Unfortunately....
I now have a core in good shape to rebuild though :-))

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Roger Halstead wrote:
I should have sent it right away as the stock market tanked about two days before

Shsh... I know what you mean Roger, I lost many of my dreams, along
with my savings when all that mess took place.

The Monk

In article ,
Roger wrote:



When I studied that stuff we didn't have automation. No CNC, it was
set it up and one cut at a time, unless you had a turret and then you
*might* do up to 4 or 5. :-))

From what I've seen, for a "one off part, or even a couple, it was far
faster than setting up a CNC machine.


Did you have to whittle your own cutting tools, out of stone?

For milling, I've found the the Bridgeport EZ traks to be excellent for
one or two parts. There's really no "set-up" involved. In a few seconds
you can program the machine to make a hole pattern (It will do the math
for you,) mill a circle or a rectangle, or whatever.

On Mon, 26 Dec 2005 09:09:05 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
Roger wrote:



When I studied that stuff we didn't have automation. No CNC, it was
set it up and one cut at a time, unless you had a turret and then you
*might* do up to 4 or 5. :-))

From what I've seen, for a "one off part, or even a couple, it was far
faster than setting up a CNC machine.


Did you have to whittle your own cutting tools, out of stone?

It hasn't been all that long ago, BUT one test was to give you a file
and a chunk of metal. You were expected to make a sold cube using
nothing what you had been given. I've forgotten the tollerances, but
it was only a few thousandths.

In one class we ended up making our own files.
I was going to say we didn't use stone, but we did for sharpening.


For milling, I've found the the Bridgeport EZ traks to be excellent for
one or two parts. There's really no "set-up" involved. In a few seconds
you can program the machine to make a hole pattern (It will do the math
for you,) mill a circle or a rectangle, or whatever.

I'm looking for one of those as there were a couple of machine shops
that went out of business within 30 miles of here.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com