Mentor needed Omaha Nebraska

[DrDudley]

I possess a doctorate in pharmacy but want to learn how to correctly run my lathe and mill. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am a fast learner and willing to do what ever it takes. Thank you for your time.

[jeep534]

Originally Posted by DrDudley I possess a doctorate in pharmacy but want to learn how to correctly run my lathe and mill. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am a fast learner and willing to do what ever it takes. Thank you for your time.

I recommend this site for the newbees.
look it over in detail..... a tremendous amount of info there.
http://www.finelinehair.com/home/index.htm

archie =) =) =)

[DrDudley]

I just sold my 12 x 36 lathe and am in the process of purchasing a 1 x 40 lathe and a 9 x 26 knee mill which I am going to turn into a CNC mill. I played with micro years ago and found that I couldn't do what I wanted to do. I have the opportunity to purchase a 14 x 80 lathe but I just don't have the room in my shop/lab.
I already have a 6x6 clean room where I do sterile work trying to recover data from non working hard drives. I have a 12 x 12 darkroom also in my shop/lab. Not to mention the miter saw, table saw, router table, and drill press. I still want to be able to work on my '69 automatic Beetle in this space. The miter saw, drill press and router table sit on a 4 x 9 ft bench which has an 1/8" plate of stainless steel on it.
I will just be able to place the 13 x 40 lathe and mill in my shop, but micro just doesn't do it for me. No offense.

[jeep534]

Sorry I guess you missed the point. every thing there except the machine's applies to what you want to do. I have never seen a home shop pictured or laid out so one could understand the mechanics of all the pieces and how they fit together any better than that site.

sorry for the misunderstanding

another site I like to peruse is this one, it gets updated fairly regularly on topics all over the map.
http://www.cnccookbook.com/
and also on that site is bob's workshop. and do not miss his home shop hall of fame http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCHallOfFame.html

Happy Hunting
archie =) =) =)

P.S. just to make you feel a little better (old American iron) my shop pics are posted here
http://jeep534.smugmug.com/Hobbies

[DrDudley]

No problem.

Nice shops and equipment. Someday, Someday.

My whole intent was to find someone willing to give me some direction in the Omaha area. I would like to do it right the first time in setting up my shop this time. I also just wanted to have someone close to bounce questions off of.

[jeep534]

dudley,
It is probably not very apparent from the photo's but I am pretty new to machining metal. I purchased the first machine in 2005. which was the Cincinnati lathe . and up till that point all the experience I had was some night classes at the Votec, the spring of 04. which only lasted for 4 months when work forced me to drop out. I decided at that point I needed my own equipment to learn on. I am getting started a bit late. I will be 49 in dec. and I jumped in with both feet.
a lot of this stuff is common sense and just seeing what works. after my last post I started wondering what you wanted to do with your machines. and also why you want to convert a kne mill to cnc. there are a ton of cnc machines around with dead controls. which would give you a head start on the cnc thing versus having to buy fit and modify everything to work. this issue has been beat to death on the message boards. there are many 1st generation cnc mills around which have everything but some bits and pieces like encoders already there.

as for doing it right the first time I am not sure I understand what you mean. there is no right or wrong way. within my circle of close friends there are 8 shops all of them different. the smallest lathe in the bunch is the 12X36 atlas. which all of us agree is just for doing really small stuff. there are as many shop ideas as there are people. one guy has MS and lives in his shop amongst his tools.

my Idea of the perfect shop has changed a hundred times in the last couple of years. as for looking for a mentor/partner in crime that is probably the best thing you could do. I would not have a shop at this point and would be wandering around in the dark if it were not for the older machinist who took pitty on me and I learned to pay attention to him when he said "well you coud do that" which meant i really had no clue about what I was trying to do.

I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
and add you to my circle of friends if you so desire.

Just remember I was asking the same stupid questions not very long ago. and most of the time had to track down the answers. my mentor lives 140 miles away and I cannot just drop by for coffee.

archie =) =) =)

[DrDudley]

I am sort of in the same situation. I was a geriatric pharmacist and got hurt. I cut three tendons in my left arm which required two surgeries. I subsequently developed a very painful disease called reflex sympathetic dystrophy which I have to take very powerful pain killers to dull the pain. This in turn keeps me from practicing pharmacy.
So I decided to return to college to get my computer and electronics engineering degree. I have a passion to pursue robotics. Which leads me to machine work.

I will turn 48 in Jan. and by then hopefully will have several classes in machining finished by then. I bought my first lathe a mini 8 x 20 which didn't really have the capability to do the things I wanted to do. I sold that lathe and bought a 12 x 36 wholesale tool lathe which was about 30 years old. I was able to make blow pipes for glassblowers and some larger items. I have just sold my 12 x 36 to a friend and am now searching for what I would like to replace it with.

I have the opportunity to purchase a 14 x 80 monarch I believe for $450 but I don't think I really have the room to put it in my shop/lab. I would really love to have a big lathe in which I cold do some awesome art with. But do I really want to take up a big portion of my space.

I am also looking into buying either a Grizzly G3616 or WT 6 x 26 knee mill.
I don't have tons of money to spend so I am trying to keep things in perspective knowing what motors I want to use for CNC and what linear scales and encoders as well as drivers. I also am planning of using CNCBrain with this setup. I am really impressed the capabilities of this
controller. And having the source code helps.
But I am up for suggestions and always open to advice.

[bostosh]

In all sincerity,
not ever wanting to disparage anyones passions for learning.
After a whole career in the machining, tooling, cad cam business from 1966 on,
Why does anyone want to learn this old stuff?
Was it really cool to be a machinist?
I would not choose this for a hobby.

[jeep534]

Originally Posted by bostosh In all sincerity, not ever wanting to disparage anyones passions for learning. After a whole career in the machining, tooling, cad cam business from 1966 on, Why does anyone want to learn this old stuff? Was it really cool to be a machinist? I would not choose this for a hobby.

I stumbled across something I find very interesting, today woodworking is the dijur hobby in the late 60's and early 70's it was metalworking in your basement or one car garage. (popular mechenics)
I do not drink(anymore) don't smoke and I don't chase women Much. when a now friend/mentor showed me I could cut metal like I had cut wood all those years I was hooked. and the hobby has the potential to somewhat support itself. (I never made a dime doing woodworking),also a shop can be built over time to whatever scale/budget one has. and it is better than owning a boat.

after getting a lathe and a drill press it was all downhill from there.

and for us information Junkies the possibilities are endless.

Happy Hunting
archie =) =) =)

[DrDudley]

Originally Posted by bostosh In all sincerity, not ever wanting to disparage anyones passions for learning. After a whole career in the machining, tooling, cad cam business from 1966 on, Why does anyone want to learn this old stuff? Was it really cool to be a machinist? I would not choose this for a hobby.

I myself am returning to school to receive my engineering degree in electronics and computers with an emphasis in mechanical engineering if money allows. I would like to be able to make my own gears, etc for robotics and not have to rely on someone to provide it to me. I am currently equipping my home with solar panels and wind generators to be self sufficient with power.
I find this very interesting and don't see why you find it such a hardship. If you don't like it find something else to do. Unless you have to ambition as it seems by your quote. I may be wrong but I doubt it.