How common is it for a machinist (by trade) to not know how to thread on a lathe?

[Rbeckett]

I used to be a driver trainer for a large trucking company. We got three types of applicant. Those that could learn, those that would never learn and the natural born driver. Machinists are the same way. A natural born machinist will far exceed any training he or she ever gets. Some can be trained every day till they retire and still not "get it" one who is trainable will get it after a few lessons and a few tries. Unfortunately there is no apprentice ships like there were back in my youth and my fathers time. He learned to print as an apprentice and so did I. It was tough but good. I also learned to be an auto mechanic as an apprentice. I bled a lot, I changed a lot of oil, but I learned and never messed up a car in 30 plus years working on em either. Just shows how a trade is being replaced by a button pusher and nothing more. There is no loyalty to the companies or from the companies to the employee any more. Hypertherm is one company who still does it the old fashioned way, and they have an average of 19 years across their employee pool. Speaks volumes doesn't it?

Bob

 

[strantor]

There is no loyalty to the companies or from the companies to the employee any more. Hypertherm is one company who still does it the old fashioned way, and they have an average of 19 years across their employee pool. Speaks volumes doesn't it?

It speaks, but in 2013, I wouldn't say volumes. As you say, there is not loyalty in either direction. It's become obsolete, gone the way of hard work. People replaced by automated machines; loyalty reaches as far as a dollar reaches, or a little less. What incentive, other than sentiment, does a company have to keep an employee around for 19 years? The longer they keep them on the payroll, the more they have to pay them. And God forbid they keep them around until retirement age, lest they have to pay a pension - oh wait, never mind! Make the job require less and less skill, then you can hire less and less skilled workers and pay them less and less. Flush the highly skilled, appropriately compensated. What benefit does Hypertherm realize from their employment practices? Are their profits higher than others as a result of their 19 year average? If the answer is yes, then why have the majority of all the other companies shifted their tactics toward hiring bottom dollar imported engineers and unskilled "skilled" workers? THAT's what speaks volumes: when entire industries do 180 degree turns in the way they handle employees and all follow one business model. The "dog eat dog" model, the new norm. Learn to love it because we are never going back. Hypertherm and any other remaining stragglers will conform or die.

 

[Cheeseking]

Those of us that have manual lathes in our shops - are you able to cut threads?
Yes.
Yes but....
No.
Its on my list.

I fall into the Yes but.... Category.
Mainly due to the fact Ive only tried a few times and had reasonable success. First time I made beautiful LEfty threads but not intentionally
Recently I did some 5/8-11 threading practice on nice free cutting brass with a big relief shoulder. Not perfect but not bad.

 

[strantor]

I'll say "Yes, but.." but that's being generous. I just started trying last week and have a 100% success rate with the 2 times I did outside threading, and currently working on my second try at inside threading - I screwed the first one up. Small accomplishment, but I owe it to tubalcain.

 

[itsme_Bernie]

Another "Yes, but..." ... I don't know if this is the same as landing a plane, as pilots commonly say "You never get used to landing a plane- it is making a flying vehicle into a land vehicle" ... Well, I never "get used to" inside threading. Always nervous as I reach the end of the cut! Hah

Bernie

 

[Uncle Buck]

It is a sign of the times. The majority of work anymore takes place on CNC machines. For companies where the majority of their production comes from CNC equipment those with the skills to get the most out of that equipment would be in greater demand. Even in shops where only one manual mill and lathe survive there are generally one or two "old timers" employed that know their way around manual equipment. Unfortunately for most CNC guys a lot of manual operations are simply Greek to them and in reality not of great enough importance to the production objectives of the employer to warrant developing those skills in the CNC guys. I would say the metal shaper is a like comparison, or the horizontal mill. Early on I am sure virtually all machinists were skilled in operating both of those, however technology progressed and relegated both machines to a situation where I am sure a good percentage of machinists might not know a thing about a metal shaper (nor want to know for that matter) or they are likely not as comfortable with a horizontal mill as they are a vertical milling machine. (and that is speaking of manual operators) If you go visit a real progressive trade school program you will see CNC knowledge and machine use being taught as much if not more than manual skills.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

The last time that I cut threads on a lathe was 18 years ago. It would take me a while to "relearn". For many years my work lathe was slightly broke, and the automatic feed wouldn't engage, so threading was out of the question.

When I need a threaded part, if the design will allow it, I will tap the part, insert and Locktite threaded rod, then trim the threaded end to length. There is usually more than one way to achieve the desired end.

 

[Ray C]

Yes. Many times per week. Inside, outside, left & right hand, SAE, Metric -and many combinations thereof. Only thing I haven't done is thread a tapered shaft but the need hasn't arisen. I know how I'd do it if needed.

Once you get the technique down, screw-ups are rare -but they do happen sometimes. I killed a part Saturday morning. -Happens...

Ray

Those of us that have manual lathes in our shops - are you able to cut threads?
Yes.
Yes but....
No.
Its on my list.

I fall into the Yes but.... Category.
Mainly due to the fact Ive only tried a few times and had reasonable success. First time I made beautiful LEfty threads but not intentionally 
Recently I did some 5/8-11 threading practice on nice free cutting brass with a big relief shoulder. Not perfect but not bad.

 

[Bill Gruby]

Guys, especially you who have worked as machinists, can someone really call themselves a "machinist" if they know nothing but how to program a CNC machine? I'd call that a machine programmer or operator but not a machinist.

-Ron[/QUOTE

That's a tough question to answer, especially the way it is worded. I know CNC people that came up from being machinists. They are the real deal. Now at the same time I know those that can only run CNC, to me they are not machinists.

"Billy G"

 

[Uncle Buck]

Unfortunately, these days I think both are machinists. By that I am saying that guys limited to manual equipment are certainly machinists. But really, when you accurately analyze it if a guy can take a chunk of material and turn it into a product using nothing more than a CNC machine does that really make him any less a machinist? Both guys are limited to either manual or CNC machines but in the end they both have the ability to create a part or something of value from what was originally a solid mass of material if you will. I have no dog in this fight but to me in the end if the guy can produce a part or something of value then they just took different paths to reach the same goal so yes, to me they are both machinists. With that said, I would never have any interest in CNC stuff, that too me would be real bloody boring. Gotta have my hands on the wheels myself.