I Wish Some Of You New Guys Were Closer.

Bill ,have you ever thought about teaching at a CC
No machine tool classes around here, just electronics
Texas was/is good spent 25years just outa Austin
Lots of friends there.
 
Most of the schools that still teach machining just teach CNC now.
 
Bill, most any digital camera made in the last 6-7 years can do high definition (high pixel count) video. The quality varies, especially in poor/low light, but a camera from a pawn shop for $40 could get you there. It won't give you editing or the shiniest production values, but those of us who watch a lot of trade videos on YouTube are quite understanding and appreciative of amateur video of expert work. And we don't mind watching 40 minutes of someone who knows what they're doing, even if what they are doing is repetitive and would bore the masses to tears. Even my 5-year-old son enjoys watching that stuff with me. He can't wait to get his hands on every tool I have.

The files saved by those basic digital cameras can be uploaded directly to YouTube. Just create a channel with the name of your choice, give each video a descriptive title and, well, description, and before long you will have a community of loyal followers itching to see what you do next. It might not be hundreds of thousands of followers, and no matter what you post there will always be morons there to detract from what you're doing, but why should online interactions be any different from the real world? ;)

Just grab a Canon, Sony, Panasonic or Panasonic digital camera that records 720p or 1080p digital video, the largest memory card that camera can take (look for SDHC or SDXC on the memory card door, or a label inside the door, then buy the largest of that type on Amazon. Memory is insanely cheap these days. Get a dirt cheap tripod (it just has to hold a tiny camera still, you're not filming a big budget movie), and start teaching. Post a link here when you have uploaded something to YouTube and you will immediately have a following. :)

You'll learn more as you go, but getting started is better than waited until you know how to do it perfectly. Sound familiar? :-D


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Oh, and if the camera at the pawn shop doesn't have a battery charger, offer less than they're asking and then get a combo pack of two batteries and a charger from Amazon or eBay for $10-15. Just search by the camera's model name. Never pay retail store prices for that stuff. It's usually 5-10x higher at Best Buy or Target or whatever. I understand retail costs more than an online store, but that stuff is outrageously marked up.


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intjonmiller ,

I am barely paying my bills with what my disability income is. On a good month I may have maybe $100 extra and there are other things I want or need. I do have a digital camera for pictures but it doesn't do videos over 3 minutes and kills the batteries fast. My phone is an old flip phone with no camera which will not be working soon unless I upgrade to a newer one. Also, Lately it seems like everything is suddenly in need of repair. Maybe once things settle down here I can do something. First thing I am going to do is start my 7x12 bed extension to make a 7x20. That I will use my camera for to post an article on this site.
 
I'm sorry to hear that. I wasn't aware of your specific situation. As a photographer (day job) I have a number of cameras around. I'm trying to think if I have something that would do halfway decent video. Most that I don't use regularly do not. I'll look over the others and if I have one that would make sense I would be happy to send it to you. Of course that's selfish of me because I really just want to learn everything I can from anyone willing to teach. I developed an interest in all of this too late to go to school for it (with a family to support and be with, and with crushing debt from an ugly divorce and custody dispute, it's impossible for me to go back to school in the foreseeable future), so I use forums and youtube as my "school".

I lived in Norwalk, CT for the better part of a year in 2000-2001. It's a shame that wasn't at a time in my life when I could come and learn firsthand.
 
I know I amaze some of my friends with what I make for bikes and stuff with an old walker turner drill press and a cross slide to mill with. Plus my mini lathe. I have turned things where the diameter just clears the bed of the lathe. I can machine parts on the old walker turner as close as .003 and if needed I can then bring them in closer by hand.
Most of my learning has been by jumping from shop to shop when I was younger. I always found the old guy that seemed to know everything there and get him to teach me. I learned that from my first job which was broaching IBM rollers. The guy in the grinding room asked me one day if I wanted to learn grinding. Well I learned surface grinding and centerless from him. Then one day he told me it was time for me to go somewhere else and learn more as he couldn't teach me any more than what work they did there.
I use to joke with apprentices and tell them I have been working so long with almost no tooling that I can anything with nothing.
 
I believe the saying goes....I've done more with less for so long I now can do everything with nothing !

My favorite though that I used to tell an estimator and buddy ( he moved off the shop floor to his position) was....

The older you get , the faster you were !! ( He just gave me that funny look if you know what I mean )
 
Hey Bill,
I just recently got transfered from disibility to straight SSI. I know where you are coming from. I don't know if it will help you, but I have a LMS (Sieg) milling attachment used once that I could give you. I have the MT3 3/8" end mill holder and drawbar to go with it also. I made the mounting plate from LMS drawings to move the attachment over for more travel also. I'll send it to you free if you can use it. I'll pay the shipping. You would need 3/8" shank end mills.
Maybe someone else here has some end mills they could donate. Let me know.
Roy
 
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