Your machinist personality

[chris.trotter]

So another hobby of mine is aquaria (freshwater), and in my varied travels throughout that realm I came across 'Mr. Saltwater Tank' who has an actually really nice way of introducing people into the saltwater aquarium world. He calls it 'know your tank personality', and the gist of it is that by answering a questionnaire, you can properly orient yourself, set proper goals, and (most importantly) set proper boundaries.

Has anyone done something like this for the machinist world? Cuz it's exactly the same depth of rabbit hole, and exactly the same expense factor (you would not believe where saltwater aquariums can go).

For example, my 'machinist personality' would be:
- Here's my budget, time commitment, space available, I am a hobbyist (not income generating)
Therefore...
- Limit yourself to 120v tools
-> Which limits you to small endmills, vises, collet sets, etc
- Limit yourself to ebay or used tools/metrology
-> Which limits me to certain surface finishes, tolerances to expect, etc
- Don't expect tolerances better than 0.001"
- etc etc etc

Just curious. Over the years of me figuring things out, researching, dreaming, etc, I've come to learn what my 'tool personality' is and therefore set expectations accordingly. For example, we limit our budget due to religious/social commitments - so I shouldn't have spent countless hours learning about Bridgeport knee mills - because it's not part of my machinist personality. We don't want the expense of adding 220v power to the garage, so don't waste time looking into those tools - and recognize the limitations around what my capabilities will be. I am big into fabrication, but I have 3 small children to raise, so I should limit my expectations/tool purchasing accordingly.

Etc.

Anyways...thoughts? After writing this out, seems like you'd need to be in the right stage of life to honestly answer yourself...so maybe not helpful.

 

[Terrywerm]

I think there is some validity to what you are saying, but the first thing that I learned is that our needs and especially our capabilities change as time goes on and we learn more. As our capabilities improve, our needs also increase. It's something of a snowball thing and the pit grows ever deeper as time goes on.

 

[chris.trotter]

Haha, I think that's kinda the point of the personality test though - when you find yourself pushing against the boundaries, you revisit the test, re-evaluate, etc. It's human nature to take things to the nth degree, even when it's not good for us, so this would be just a simple framework to guide purchasing, temper expectations (I saw this exact phrase earlier, haha), etc.

It's not to say that you cannot grow, it's just a way of clarifying needs.

For example, now that I know my personality, I should most definitely not go out and buy Starrett equipment. I should not hunt down deals on 220v equipment. I should buy X/Y/Z starter tools and begin learning on the mini-mill. I should slow the pace of tooling purchases simply because I haven't the time to use them. I guess high level it's a 'don't waste your resources' kinda thing? Know when to hold 'em?

Haha, what do I know? Curious to see how others have arrived at these answers.

 

[den-den]

My "machinist personality" is not much different (also non-income producing hobby). My "limits" are different, 240v single phase is fine, VFD powered by 240v single phase is also not an issue for me. I very rarely expect better than +- 0.001 and on those occasions, I also expect some scrap. I do buy inexpensive equipment and work around its limitations.

 

[cg285]

just to clarify people have both personality and temperament.
temperament is core, personality is a front
don't know how that relates to what the op is saying because i don't understand what he's saying

 

[jlsmithseven]

One thing about this hobby is the size of your toolbox. It will start as a 3-drawer box and it might end with a 24-drawer double-stack. It's not hard to accumulate nice tools and keep them when you know they do what you need them to do every time. Good luck!

 

[PHPaul]

Same as with all my hobbies: I have a full blown CNC personality and a budget that will cover a broken file and a ballpeen hammer with no handle.

 

[markba633csi]

My personality: skin flint, penny pinching, waste time fixing something instead of buying new, then buying new. Then taking back the thing I just bought because it's not as good as the one I bought 15 years ago (insert time period of your choice here if it's not long enough)
Did I pass the test? LOL
Mark

 

[Eddyde]

240V single phase (for now) get as big and as many machines as I can afford and fit into my shop... Accuracy as necessary to fit the job... for hobby and for hire... Boundaries, what's that?

 

[chris.trotter]

just to clarify people have both personality and temperament.
temperament is core, personality is a front
don't know how that relates to what the op is saying because i don't understand what he's saying

It's not meant to be a philosophical treatise, just to point out that it's really easy to fall down the rabbit hole, so follow such and such guidelines for maximum enjoyment/minimum frustration.

On the philosophy note, we (as a society) certainly do a good job promoting no boundaries or self-control. My intent with the 'machinist personality' idea was to provide paths for newbies to best get started, and to provide seasoned folks with a way to get their bearings periodically. If you're in the profession, it kinda doesn't apply.

Just food for thought as it turns out.