We have 80% lurkers!

I joined because so much has changed since I worked as a Machinist 40 years ago. The coatings on mill bits have entirely changed the math (speed, feed), as well as variable twist mill bits too. Digital Read Outs were just beginning to appear on the scene back then, and were largely reserved for mills. For some reason they were considered silly (and too costly) on a lathe. Quick change tool posts hadn't been imagined yet, or if they were, had not penetrated the market. Nobody would have imagined where we are today with some of these mini-lathes and mini-mills (some existed, but they were typically not as functional as what is seen today, or they were larger). When I left the field, CNC were "big boy toys" which only the best funded and largest scale operations could afford to buy (and maintain). The guy who maintained the CNC lathes at one shop I worked at, made over 35 bucks an hour (this would be in 1979/1980 dollars, which was a princely sum; he drove a Porsche). The arrival of CNC lathes spelled the eventual demise of the Turret Lathe, which had ruled supreme in production shops for 50 years.

Machining is a strange field, where you will see a Fluke Multimeter on the bench next to a 100 year old Browne and Sharpe Machinist's square.. and it does not seem out of place. Imagine if you went into a doctor's office, and saw him with a mix of instruments, with some being a hundred years old.. you get the point.

Probably in 40 years, the machinists will not be able to imagine what it was like to cut with Carbide, when laser and molecular beam tools cut a much finer surface, and without any risk of chatter. The 3d printer guys may be making metal gears out of sintered VG10 steel, which is superior to what they could reasonably machine (all on an inexpensive desktop machine, coded on their smart phone, or implant chip).

In short (too late), I joined this forum because the field of machining, although familiar, had marched forward. A large gap existed between what I had learned, and where the craft is today. I will throw in that some old techniques have apparently fallen out of vogue, or have simply been forgotten as well. I get amused when I see one of those "this is impossible to do" posts. Yeah, we had to do the same kind of part, but we had work-arounds which achieved the same result. In some cases, entire products were carefully engineered, so they could be crafted with simpler tool set-ups. High-strength injection molded plastics have also changed the field, as previously "impossible" parts can be made. It also means that crafting replacement parts in metal for those broken/worn "impossible parts" has become more complex.

For now, I tinker with my shop toys, and smile at the thought of the avenues which are now open to me.
 
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Well, I have not passed or gone to jail, but I do "lurk" here quite a bit. I have learned so much by regularly reading the posts. I never knew what I didn't know. Some of us are more chatty that others, I am a better listener than talker. I am a paid supporter of the site and have received much more than I have contributed financially. Being recently retired I have enjoyed my time in the shop with an expanded skill set.

I am working on a bandsaw restoration that I will have to post some pics and share, depends on how it turns out...
 
I was a lurker for many years. You don't need to join for information, with today's internet, most things can be found via search. The reason l personally joined is for community, those who share similar interests. I came to find idle chat about stuff I like. Purely selfish.
 
Unfortunately I do a lot more lurking than machining. I wish it were the other way around, but all the time at work just gets in the way of the rest of life.
 
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