10-21-2015, 07:32 PM
Mike.
I hope someone near you will help, I understand your need but if that don't happen consider this...
Your best teacher is yourself, coupled with the act of doing which is the first step on a long journey of enlightenment, this was proven to me by a man I apprenticed under for 6 years, if this helps let me pass on his first ever challenge he required from me around 40 years ago, which by the way when I completely failed, it helped capture my love for mechanical metal machining and fabrication which has shaped my whole life to date.
He made me cut from a 1'' square stock mild steel bar 3 pieces 1'' thick with a hack saw, ( the 1'' size is of no consequence, it can be any square size but for the purpose at hand this large size will surely be in your favor).. the task before me was to drill a ¼'' hole all the way through the center of this (1'' square cube) and then drill the same size hole all the way through perpendicular to an adjacent side of the cube so both bores meet in the middle perfectly. I was to make one on the lathe, drill press and one by hand.
One other stipulation was I have complete run of the machines in the shop, all the tooling and access to reference material, but I could not seek advice from him or anyone else in the shop until Thursday, this day was Monday and my apprentice project was due on Friday.
My efforts for three days produced nothing more than shear frustration, bewilderment and annoyance at my own ineptness' through lack of understanding, or so I thought.
Come Thursday he sat me down and asked to see what I had produced, he smiled and poked some fun at the mess before him, His only question to me was " what did I do to drill these holes like this?" also referring to the fact it was neither straight, square or centered, so I told him, thats all it took, he spent all Thursday showing me how to do it and all the time I was asking questions on why this and why that, questions I was unable to asked if I had not tried to do it in the first place, it made my learning more potent to which I will never forget.
Come the Friday I still had not achieved my goal, left alone to make more squares and still getting them wrong, at close of shift I had to show him my endeavors, I asked him " what am I still doing wrong as not to get these holes straight and perfect, I am doing everything you showed me" his answer was " your doing nothing wrong! You just need experience and practice" I still drill the odd hole askew today but the difference is I know why which makes it done by design.
Try this same challenge, make your mistakes and come back on the forum and ask why to your findings, you're going to get many answers to your questions, all probably correct as there is always ten ways to skin a cat, I assure you trying to do this will expose you to a vast understanding in metal machining, its not simple to achieve this task.
Let us know how you get on.
Hope this helps .. Anthony
I hope someone near you will help, I understand your need but if that don't happen consider this...
Your best teacher is yourself, coupled with the act of doing which is the first step on a long journey of enlightenment, this was proven to me by a man I apprenticed under for 6 years, if this helps let me pass on his first ever challenge he required from me around 40 years ago, which by the way when I completely failed, it helped capture my love for mechanical metal machining and fabrication which has shaped my whole life to date.
He made me cut from a 1'' square stock mild steel bar 3 pieces 1'' thick with a hack saw, ( the 1'' size is of no consequence, it can be any square size but for the purpose at hand this large size will surely be in your favor).. the task before me was to drill a ¼'' hole all the way through the center of this (1'' square cube) and then drill the same size hole all the way through perpendicular to an adjacent side of the cube so both bores meet in the middle perfectly. I was to make one on the lathe, drill press and one by hand.
One other stipulation was I have complete run of the machines in the shop, all the tooling and access to reference material, but I could not seek advice from him or anyone else in the shop until Thursday, this day was Monday and my apprentice project was due on Friday.
My efforts for three days produced nothing more than shear frustration, bewilderment and annoyance at my own ineptness' through lack of understanding, or so I thought.
Come Thursday he sat me down and asked to see what I had produced, he smiled and poked some fun at the mess before him, His only question to me was " what did I do to drill these holes like this?" also referring to the fact it was neither straight, square or centered, so I told him, thats all it took, he spent all Thursday showing me how to do it and all the time I was asking questions on why this and why that, questions I was unable to asked if I had not tried to do it in the first place, it made my learning more potent to which I will never forget.
Come the Friday I still had not achieved my goal, left alone to make more squares and still getting them wrong, at close of shift I had to show him my endeavors, I asked him " what am I still doing wrong as not to get these holes straight and perfect, I am doing everything you showed me" his answer was " your doing nothing wrong! You just need experience and practice" I still drill the odd hole askew today but the difference is I know why which makes it done by design.
Try this same challenge, make your mistakes and come back on the forum and ask why to your findings, you're going to get many answers to your questions, all probably correct as there is always ten ways to skin a cat, I assure you trying to do this will expose you to a vast understanding in metal machining, its not simple to achieve this task.
Let us know how you get on.
Hope this helps .. Anthony
ieezitin, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun Forum since Jan 2013.