You know you're a machinist when....

[sp4i6]

- the shop's calendar contains either naked women, cool cars with naked women on them, or naked woman holding a chuck
- after you complete a job and anodize, the client suddenly notices a change they want
- everyone in the shop smokes
- swearing is the most common form of communication


and some more from American Machinist:

• You help your kid do her math graphing homework and measure the points with a caliper.
• Your girlfriend pulls in for a look at the junkyard without even asking you.
• Your wife finds a chip in her bra and threatens to put some in your underwear, and that doesn't faze you.
• You can't remember your wife's birthday or your wedding anniversary, but you can name all the tap drills up to 1 in.
• You realize your not 1/10 as smart as you thought you were after one year on the job.
• You let a young guy in your dept do it the wrong way first so the principle you show him when he asks for help is cemented in his noggin'.
• You take your scale out of your pocket to stir your coffee then wipe it on your pants and return it to your pocket.
• Someone from the front office asks to borrow your "ruler" you tell 'em you don't have one because you didn't realize they were talking about your coffee stirrer.
• You lay down to go to sleep and wake up with the solution to a difficult setup you are working on...and it happens on a regular basis.
• Someone asks you to build something that has never been built before, and you know what part to make first.
• You curse whoever designed that new tool you bought. Then you redesign the faulty part and make it.
• You go to a trade show and get annoyed because the booth babes are standing in front of the machines.
• You tell someone they can't use a machine not because you're worried they'll cut their finger off, but that they'll break the machine and you'll have to fix it.
• You can hear a shop full of equipment running and tell which one is having a problem.
• You see the fractional tolerances of carpentry and you shake your head.
• You can feel 0.001 in."
• Friends you have not seen for a while drop by for a visit with a "sketch" of something they need made.
• You dare not walk on carpet because of the blue chips wedged in the soles of your shoes.
• You decorate the Christmas tree at work with long metal shavings instead of garland.
• You can think of six other things you are qualified to do that pay more, but you don't even try.
• Your heart fills with joy when someone hands you a freshly hardened piece of 16MnCr5 with a fine grey surface texture.
• You ride a roller coaster, and the first hill gives you the same feeling as watching the first rapid Z move on a new program.
• You grab the Machinist Bible to look something up, and you spend some time just thumbing thru it reading things you find interesting.
• You answer naive questions by saying: "If there were no machinists there would be no machine tools, or machines that make stuff, or stuff to buy. Everything depends on a machinist for their manufacturing or processing. Without them the economy would collapse. Nothing of our culture would survive the next generation."

...feeel free to add your own!

[mc-motorsports]

Yeah, that's about it! It's either in your blood, or you move "up" to sales...

[Eurisko]

-You mentally estimate the rpm of every spinning object you see.

-Your supervisor has an idea about running aluminum dry to save time, and you just smile and say you'll give it a try. Knowing damn well that you won't because he's an idiot.

-You know the decimal values of the reciprocals of the powers of 2.

[mc-motorsports]

- You damn near cut your finger off, but you don't realize it until you see blood everywhere and have to look and see what finger is bleeding...

- "Super Glue" is your replacement for stiches

[dertsap]

and the only reason you put on a band-aid is so you dont bleed all over the parts

[DareBee]

You take your scale out of your pocket to stir your coffee then wipe it on your pants and return it to your pocket. You lay down to go to sleep and wake up with the solution to a difficult setup you are working on...and it happens on a regular basis.

These are my 2 favourites and very very true, however my solutions always hit me while I am soaking in the shower.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by DareBee These are my 2 favourites and very very true, however my solutions always hit me while I am soaking in the shower.

You are lucky, mine is nearly always about 2:00 am and I never get back to sleep and am so tired when I get up I forget everything.

[DareBee]

LOL

Men your age tend to get up at 5am for no apparent reason anyway

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

Eventually You will too!!! (if you live long enough. No threat, just fact.) LOL

Dick Z

[Eurisko]

- Your favorite reading material is an Enco catalog.

- You avoid going to stores that don't have a hardware department.

- You spend 40 hrs a week at work, and another 20 hrs online talking about it.

- Your friends don't understand your obsession with CNCzone.

[vlmarshall]

Originally Posted by sp4i6 You can't remember your wife's birthday or your wedding anniversary, but you can name all the tap drills up to 1 in. You take your scale out of your pocket to stir your coffee then wipe it on your pants and return it to your pocket. You see the fractional tolerances of carpentry and you shake your head. You can feel 0.001 in." Friends you have not seen for a while drop by for a visit with a "sketch" of something they need made. You dare not walk on carpet because of the blue chips wedged in the soles of your shoes. You grab the Machinist Bible to look something up, and you spend some time just thumbing thru it reading things you find interesting.

I'm picking these out because they certainly apply to me! Great list!

I had to reply, I want to watch the new additions to the thread.

[aaron p]

Glad im not alone! lol

Need to make a shirt with these on it.