How much does an average machinist make?

[handlewanker]

Hi blackhollow, I take it you're a consultant now? Ideal position to have, if there's a demand for your services.
The bit about the Mercedes was a tongue in cheek view of the diminishing long served tradesman with all the tricks learned and able to name his price.
You're right it does take a quantum leap to get out of the rut and play your own tune.
If you don't do it you'll work till you hang up your overalls and be put out to grass.
In OZ the dream is to retire at 50, owning your own home, kids all married, and getting set to do a round trip of the country.
I was lucky, I got retrenched at 60, and a golden handshake made the world seem like a different place.
The nearest I got to calling my own tune was setting up a home based sub-contract business part time, getting the contracts from the firm I was employed by, that is after working hours and at week ends and holidays, 15 hour working days and 4 hours sleep when the pressure was on.
There were quite a few of us, doing the same thing and the contracts were supposed to be confidential, but we all knew what the other guy was quoting.
The "old boy network" was certainly alive and kicking here.
I knew I couldn't make it pay by itself, but for the 7 years It lasted, it was all quite lucrative and all go.
In my experiance I was riding on the back of a giant, for as soon as I was retrenched, the contacts dropped away, and I called it a day.
I weep for those guys that are hard pressed to make ends meet, and so think that the only way out is to do it yourself, because the boss is making a packet and only paying you a pittance.
That's OK if you've got the wherewithall to sustain yourself for those times when the work just doesn't appear.
Ian.

[wolfgang314]

The best advise I even heard and followed through on: Don't try to climb the corporate ladder, OWN the corporate ladder!

This is very good advice, one that was instilled into me before I was even old enough to work. I had a very unsual childhood to where I always had people telling me where to go (live), what to do, what the different rules where,...ect. I remeber sitting down one day, only about 13 at the time, and saying, "man, one day I'd like to make my own rules,... and be in control of my own life".

18 years later,... with Hard Work (understatement), Dedication, Sacrifice and Belief in myself, I'm now living that dream. Running your own company is NOT for everyone. I'm building my business right in front of my friends and they still can't fully comprehend how I make everything work, how I'm able to keep my head up out of water, but it works, going on 3 years now and I wouldn't change anything in the world, messed up childhood and all

My advice to people: Keep your head and dreams high, Don't look too far ahead, and NEVER LOOK BACK.

[tbrasstam]

Hi out there I've just joined your forum.I'm based in Scotland UK. I say UK because while in Canada last year I was asked if scotland was a part of London.Anyhow your talking wages. Over here Aberdeen wages (oil)are probably pretty good.$25.00 to $32 / hour.Plus overtime. However it's one man one machine back to back on shift work. If your CNC machined trained you don't weld. Out in the sticks as we say over here you can expect a drop to as low as $20.00/hour
Skilled labour over here is in very short supply so we tend to move about a lot to get bigger wages. If your are a exceptional machinist you can demand high wages or if your brave enough go it alone. Or if your daft like me and go into management.
best regards.

[ruger22com]

average wages around here (south alabama) for a 1st class machinist run $17-19 an hour, If you have all your own tools, gauges, boxes, etc...in job shops and shipyards.

On the other hand, property taxes on my house run under $300 a year, where it would easily cost me $8,000 a year in michigan where I used to live.

[handlewanker]

Hi Ruger, that just about sums up the work for pay scenario.
The more you earn the more tax you'll pay.
Sombody has got to suport the bureaucracy that lives and thrives on us.
Ian.

[sendkeys]

10-50th starting - 13.00
50-90th mid range 19.50
90th highest 26.50
So says the wage stats website

Still going to be fun trying to buy a house with room for a shop at 20 bucks a hour.

owning your own shop still reminds me of

That joke about the machinist who won a million dollars in the lottery and when asked what he'd do with his winnings said "I'm going to open a machine shop and run it until the money runs out."

Shops around here cost 60 or less a hour. They have to cover tooling,machine wear,insurance and wages for the workers.(rent,power,gas ect)

Heck just private health insurance is a arm and a leg. Owning your own business might be great but they're not making hand loads of money. If they were others would be doing it. Atleast in most cases.

[Dadeslot]

I am at the top of the scale in upstate Ny. and I started at 7.00 and learned the trade thru a 4 year apprenticeship then applied that to the CNC now I am resposable for progaming 5 cnc machine all long hand we have no cam systems or any thing like that I am able to walk out and into anouther shop for the same rate. ( I have been at the same shop for 7 years) The only problem is that at the high price you also are usally the first to go when things get slow. At the moment I am looking to relocate to a warmer climate but the mom and pop shops don't advertise on monster.
Dadeslot

[L.Estey]

If you want to know how a company pays, check the condition of the cars in the parking lot.
Lou

[Geof]

If you want to know how a company pays, check the condition of the cars in the parking lot.
Lou

I'm not sure how valid that is. Until six months ago the oldest one there, with rust holes through the roof and sides, was mine; a 1985 Kia Van which I bought in 1993. And I own the company. The newest vehicle less than two years old was owned by almost the lowest paid employee.

[handlewanker]

Hi Geof, I seem to recall a saying about 'the best mechanic usually has the worst car', or was it the 'best cobbler always had the worst shoes', something like that.
I can't think why, but then I suppose it takes a fair bit of skill to extract the best from any bit of machinery, and keep it running till the bitter end.
That's one of the perks of being in the rarified ranks of the skilled craftsman, there's nothing that he/she can't fix and keep going.
One thing's got me worried, how did you keep the rain/snow out of ya' van with all those rust holes in it.
I've been down that path in UK, but it was a '54 Morris Minor with rust holes in the flooring, couldn't go through puddles or you'd get a right shower.
Ian.

[Geof]

....One thing's got me worried, how did you keep the rain/snow out of ya' van with all those rust holes in it....

Hole in top...hole in bottom. What's the problem?

[handlewanker]

That reminds me of a raincoat I once had in late '68.
It was one of those 3/4 length jobs, looked real cool.
The waterproofing liner in the shoulder area had rotted away and shredded out. Water got in big time but didn't get out.
I only wore it in the car when the rain was too bad.
The very first job I got after I finished my time was with a small firm making gear blanks of all sorts.
I was put on a 10" swing lathe, if you can call it that, to blank out various gear blanks from chain sprockets to bevel gears etc.
Now the lathe was coupled one end to the wall 3PH socket by several lengths of wire that just fell in a heap on the floor, and the other end was connected to the lathe switch box.
As soon as the lathe was switched on the belts flew off, and I soon learned that you had to pull the chuck round to get it going and then drop the switch, to offset the torque reaction of the motor.
Once the chuck was turning, the lathe moved around with the vibration, so you had to grab the end legs and move it back again to the starting position.
The coolant system was just a large drum in the middle of the shop floor that everyone went to with a jam tin to get some coolant, which was poured on the work, oh , and there was no drip tray for the swarf or waste coolant, so it just formed a puddle on the floor.
This was not a problem, the boss got one of the labourers to chisel a groove in the concrete floor to lead to the back door. It was known as the river of no return.
I lasted there for two weeks, with swarf almost knee deep some days, no duck boards, and feet so wet from the coolant that I had to throw my boots away, they fell apart anyway.
That was in South Africa in 1962, and I came in one morning, after two weeks to find a bare spot where the lathe had been.
That was it, the boss just said," I'm going to have to let you go, I've just sold the lathe". Was I glad to get out of there.
Out of ten other workers, I was the only one who was a skilled fitter & turner.
The others ranged from an unskilled Polish fitter, who kept trying to borrow my tools, to a young farm worker, with a low IQ, who just went round oiling anything that moved.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then.
Ian.