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Author Topic: How I hope to learn CNC  (Read 2402 times)

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How I hope to learn CNC
« on: November 16, 2017, 04:04:05 PM »
Hi guys,

I bought the 40 pound book as recommended here, the one by Peter Smid. By the way, it is a easy to read book and well written. That is my first impression.

The other good news is the local machine shop has agreed to teach me some stuff. I agreed to work for them for free to pay for the schooling.

As I am retired I don't need or want a "job" this looks like a good opportunity to learn and see the industrial world of CNC. I am not sure why any shop would agree to let me hand around or why someone my age would even want to learn to be a machinist to begin with...lol  

Well...at least I have a few pairs of overalls left and steel toe boots from a past life...lol The machinist likes to fish and I have a really nice boat so I think it will be a good trade.    

Cheers,

Billy
Re: How I hope to learn CNC
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2017, 04:20:49 PM »
Hi Billy,
that sounds kool.....backs scratched all round.

Craig
'I enjoy sex at 73.....I live at 71 so its not too far to walk.'
Re: How I hope to learn CNC
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2017, 04:58:30 PM »
Hi Craig,

Yep..looks like fun. BTW, I been cutting a few small parts from 304 SS on the Sherline mill. It don't like it much but it can cut SS. SS stands for super slow in this case...lol

I been taking very light cuts at a fast feed rate. May not be the way to do it, but I am not breaking anything.

Billy
Re: How I hope to learn CNC
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2017, 06:18:46 PM »
Stainless on a small mill - If it cuts and nothing breaks that's about as good as it gets. Change nothing :D

Offline beefy

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Re: How I hope to learn CNC
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2017, 03:25:11 AM »
Hi guys,

I bought the 40 pound book as recommended here, the one by Peter Smid. By the way, it is a easy to read book and well written. That is my first impression.

The other good news is the local machine shop has agreed to teach me some stuff. I agreed to work for them for free to pay for the schooling.

As I am retired I don't need or want a "job" this looks like a good opportunity to learn and see the industrial world of CNC. I am not sure why any shop would agree to let me hand around or why someone my age would even want to learn to be a machinist to begin with...lol 

Well...at least I have a few pairs of overalls left and steel toe boots from a past life...lol The machinist likes to fish and I have a really nice boat so I think it will be a good trade.   

Cheers,

Billy

Hey Billy,

you are not alone LOL.

I did my apprenticeship as an industrial electrician, then got on oil rigs doing that.

When I came to Australia I got into excavation and did that for 17+ years.

Now I've just done 2 or 3 weeks in an engineering job shop (paid). The guy knows me from social circles (he knows I built my own plasma table and have a lathe & milling machine) and offered me a job about 3 years ago but it didn't pay enough to cover my expenses back then. The pay is pretty basic but now I can JUST afford to get by on this wage. Hopefully I can make some on the side income to make up for the shortfall.

I've also just bought that same book and another CNC book, but it doesn't look like I'll be getting involved much with the CNC machining centres and CNC lathe, apart from loading material and pressing the go button. Still the Peter Smid book is good for learning gcode better. I spend more time on the manual lathe and Bridgeport mill, and also plenty of dogsbody part cleanup work, which is what I consider the price I pay for being lucky enough to get a job in an engineering shop and learn some skills I can use on my own lathe and Bridgeport style mill at home.

I'm 51 by the way with a wife and 2 kids. I always got crapped on in the excavation game, was always in the rain or hot sun, cold, etc, always taking on liability for little reward, etc.

Good luck with everything.

Keith.
Re: How I hope to learn CNC
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2017, 07:33:39 PM »
Hi guys,

Well...the first day in the machine shop went well. I am learning how to program a Fagor 8055i MC. I hope much of what I am learning will transfer over to Mach3. The machinist is teaching me manual machining as I have no real experience at all.

The first task today was to extend a key way slot on a 2" shaft about 10' long by 6". All of the setup was pretty logical to me and I got it done without issue. The slot was .5000 and ''wow" I can take a .0500 cut at a apx feedrate of 20 IPM. Big industrial machine...no fooling around!! The shaft was kinda heavy for an "old man" to pick up...lol

The second task is to drill 1.125 holes on 12" centers in a 2.5000 dia 20 foot pipe. I have not figured out how to keep the pipe vertical as I move it through vice. The holes receive a 1" pipe to be welded so drilling the holes in a perfect line is not critical but I need to know how to do that if it were. Still thinking.

Fun first day.

Billy
Re: How I hope to learn CNC
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2017, 07:26:39 AM »
For the pipe problem, clamp something on the far end of the pipe like a U-bolt or a big exhaust clamp and either reference it against the bed of the machine or put an inclinometer on top. The first method gives better accuracy but is a bit more fiddly ;)
Re: How I hope to learn CNC
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2017, 04:34:50 PM »
For the pipe problem, clamp something on the far end of the pipe like a U-bolt or a big exhaust clamp and either reference it against the bed of the machine or put an inclinometer on top. The first method gives better accuracy but is a bit more fiddly ;)

Yes, I see where you are going with both ideas. A 20 foot long pipe is a bit hard to deal with unless you have a 20 foot table to work on.

Thanks,

Billy
Re: How I hope to learn CNC
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2017, 03:41:40 AM »
I see the problem now. twenty feet of pipe. Ok, spirit level it is, clamp the thing on one end and leave it there until you're done.