Projects? Tool improvements or real projects?

[GeneT45]

It's amazing how diverse the world is eh?

And it's amazing how much one can get done even without the creme de la creme... One of the most accomplished machinist's I've known (member of the local machinist's club) worked out of a space that I'd guess was 8' x 20'. Based on his work, I think he could have built a bulldozer or dump truck in there - somehow. He was a master at making small machines do big stuff. He was living proof that it's not the tool...

GsT

 

[David2011]

Were the same/similar where I work. Engineering anymore just comes to me with the concept and I run with it. They have the company card so I have to make a list and have them order the materials, but that's OK as I usually need some type of new tool to help their projects along every couple months.View attachment 491036View attachment 491036View attachment 491037


As to the part in bold, we get that too.

My favorite part is when I have to tell them NO. They go into fits thinking their the final word on everything because their management, but the higher ups know we run the shop, not production bosses or even our direct supervisor.

Its widely understood that if we need to tell them no there's a good reason for it. Those who push things soon come to realize if they push too hard or too often we can always slow walk things. That's not to say we simply don't work, just that other projects take priority, its how the power balance can work in our favor.

A friend is an engineer and bona fide rocket scientist who has some machining skills. He took a piece to a machinist to get a hole made. Started discussing how to make the hole. The machinist made it clear to tell him where he wanted the hole; not how to make it.

We had an art director that overestimated his understanding of photography. I was the still photographer in the art department of a television station. He would dream up a project and present it to me with a lengthy detailed description of how he thought it should be done. Since his understanding ended at pushing the button and focusing the camera was not his best skill, his ideas were based on the fantasy world where he lived and were never workable so I had to tell him that it wouldn’t work. After thinking about the proposals for a while I came up with ways to get the pictures he wanted with workable processes. These weren’t point and shoot pictures; they were involved setups and complex lighting usually shot on color transparency film and often with multiple exposures so everything had to be perfect.

My reward for making his messes into finished images was to write in annual reviews that I tended to say “no” and reconsider later. We eventually got him run off because he was so insufferable.

 

[projectnut]

And it's amazing how much one can get done even without the creme de la creme... One of the most accomplished machinist's I've known (member of the local machinist's club) worked out of a space that I'd guess was 8' x 20'. Based on his work, I think he could have built a bulldozer or dump truck in there - somehow. He was a master at making small machines do big stuff. He was living proof that it's not the tool...

GsT

My father-in-law was a craftsman of that caliber. He put himself through Engineering school working as a machinist at a local foundry. When he entered the engineering field, he no longer had access to metal working machines, so woodworking became his main hobby. He mainly built furniture and cabinetry.

The tools he used looked like They'd been found in a bombed out building from WWII. They were nasty looking and barely holding together. However, the quality of his work was outstanding. When he retired several family members went together and bought him some high-end woodworking tools for Christmas thinking he would appreciate the difference in quality.

Several years later when he passed away the wife and I were assigned the duty of going through his shop and sorting out what was to be saved, what was to be sold, and what was to be discarded. In the very back of one of his tool cabinets were the still unopened boxes of high-end woodworking tools. He enjoyed the tools he had and saw no reason to change for the sake of change.

Does this count as a bulldozer? I made it in my garage a few years ago.

 

[rwm]

My father-in-law was a craftsman of that caliber. He put himself through Engineering school working as a machinist at a local foundry. When he entered the engineering field, he no longer had access to metal working machines, so woodworking became his main hobby. He mainly built furniture and cabinetry.

The tools he used looked like They'd been found in a bombed out building from WWII. They were nasty looking and barely holding together. However, the quality of his work was outstanding. When he retired several family members went together and bought him some high-end woodworking tools for Christmas thinking he would appreciate the difference in quality.

Several years later when he passed away the wife and I were assigned the duty of going through his shop and sorting out what was to be saved, what was to be sold, and what was to be discarded. In the very back of one of his tool cabinets were the still unopened boxes of high-end woodworking tools. He enjoyed the tools he had and saw no reason to change for the sake of change.

Does this count as a bulldozer? I made it in my garage a few years ago.

That's amazing. You should do a whole thread on that. I would like to build one.

 

[David2011]

And it's amazing how much one can get done even without the creme de la creme... One of the most accomplished machinist's I've known (member of the local machinist's club) worked out of a space that I'd guess was 8' x 20'. Based on his work, I think he could have built a bulldozer or dump truck in there - somehow. He was a master at making small machines do big stuff. He was living proof that it's not the tool...

GsT

There’s a YouTube channel, probably from Indonesia, Philippines or somewhere in that region. The machinist had two tools in his lathe; both shop made brazed carbide. He did everything with those two tools. Turning to diameter, chamfering, facing and even putting radii on corners by manipulating the cross slide and carriage together. It’s very humbling when I consider how many tool holders and different tools I think are necessary.

 

[jwmay]

Most of my shop time is devoted to repairing some piece of junk I drug home. After it’s done, and after I have concluded nobody wants it, I toss it in the scrap for the junk man.
I had big dreams of being one of those friendly neighborhood fellows that people call on to fix their family heirlooms. I’m imagining working at a place like that TV show https://www.google.com/search?q=rep...oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#fpstate=vclbx Repair Shop. Perhaps build a small side hustle out of it. But as time passes, I find that I don’t know a single person in real life that doesn’t just throw away and buy new. Not only that, but my skills never materialized. Lol.
I personally abhor making a tool to make a tool. I hate it as much as lawn care. Which may be part of why the skills never really went beyond amateur. Lol

 

[ChazzC]

I am envious of those with larger, more capable machines, and admire those with the talent to make wonderful things to tight tolerances. However, I also (usually) understand my personal limitations, and am content with what I can do with the equipment available to me.

That said, one of the ways I satisfy my desire to build (or “make” as they now call it) is buy affordable things and modify them to suit my needs/wants. I also look for ways to find components to start from rather than a chunk of metal.

 

[woodchucker]

Before I moved I had what I called my "Museum of 80% completed projects". Moving all my crap forced me to determine what was actually going to *ever* be completed, so my wall of shame was diminished. But I'm working on building it back up!

GST

I have a few of those.. maybe a few more than a few.

 

[woodchucker]

And it's amazing how much one can get done even without the creme de la creme... One of the most accomplished machinist's I've known (member of the local machinist's club) worked out of a space that I'd guess was 8' x 20'. Based on his work, I think he could have built a bulldozer or dump truck in there - somehow. He was a master at making small machines do big stuff. He was living proof that it's not the tool...

GsT

take a look at some of the youtube videos we post from India, china, indonesia, etc. People working on the floor, on dirt, without any protective equip, with some real junky tooling, and they are able to produce some nice stuff. No not satellites , but some good work from nothing.
I like the Japanese woodworkers, they work on the floor, use their bodies to hold things many hand tools, and can make the most beautiful things. It's not the tool, its the person. I could go on, but I am just trying to support your point... those that try and keep trying, will succeed. Those that think about it, and spend more time thinking of what tools they will need to get it done right, will never get it done.

 

[ChazzC]

Before I moved I had what I called my "Museum of 80% completed projects".

GST

I worked for a company 20 years ago that had what was referred to (not by upper management) as MOBI: Museum Of Bad Ideas: this was a collection of bits & pieces, partially built equipment and completed projects that didn’t work as planned. They didn’t get rid of anything and several times during my tenure I tried making some of them work and used others as starting points for successful projects.