On 6/20/2022 4:19 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
I tried to learn machining and welding from books but night school
classes in them were more helpful, to correct my beginner's mistakes and enable me to figure out the used lathe and mill I bought. Machining and welding require a feel for how hard you should/can push that doesn't
come across in writing or video.
And often requires some relearning when going from one machine to
another. For example the little mill drill in the back takes a careful
hand on the wheel, but the South Bend 1028F can go "almost" as fast as I
can push it with the same material.
I could get work done with careful work, prep, chamfering, and ground
bevels on the little Century wire feeder, but it took all day. The
Miller 212 will weld heavier plate with cursory prep at ten times the
speed.
The other thing is every machine has quirks. On the CB1028F, I've
learned if I go under positive dimension by two tenths on the DRO and
then snug the table locks it goes to dead on. There is no way to learn
that except by using that machine or talking to somebody who has. (I'm
not saying the machine is inherently that accurate or precise in net
results.)
The skills translate, but the brain has to drive the skills or things go
bad quickly.
As an aside note. My son can't seem to setup a welder for a job very
well, but once I dial it in he has a much better hand at it. He took
welding classes. I learned the numbers out of a book and off the
Internet. To be fair he doesn't weld much these days, and he is slowly learning when he does how to adjust the machine from the flip chart
settings based on symptoms and performance.
They are examples of the saying that
good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad
judgment. Luckily for me the worst judgment I've learned from was
someone else's, and I could wash off the blood and burn marks. The
scarred carriage of my ex trade school lathe is a reminder to stay alert.
I have lots of good judgement. LOL. Why just yesterday I gained some
more when I realized the 3D geometry I was CNC machining wasn't lined up
with the 2D limit geometry. Today I get to do it right.
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