Shop Time w/T.W. Friends. Where is your wallet…..poll

Basic shop tip; when you remove that drill chuck or collet whatever you have in there, always try to keep that taper clean both up inside the spindle and the collet or drill chuck. Those tapers have awesome holding power so long as they don't get all boogered up from having chips mashed up inside there.

 

They keep sending it back

 

And when you have air power instead of using a wrench sometimes you have to whack the tool with a hammer to break that hold


Two of our mills have manual air changers

 

Yes.. I put a block of wood under the drill chuck when I knocked it out and the end mill and collet were put together on a different bench and inserted into the mill clean. The drill chuck needs a holder made for it but for now it's wrapped in a rag and in the drawer. So handy those things have become already!

 

You know what your doing and we all make mistakes from time to time. If we're lucky we learn from them. I've been lucky too with some of the supplemental help we get in during shutdowns. Some of the guys have even more experience and just vast knowledge of various machining operations.
I think a guy in the correct frame of mind can learn his entire life in the field. Especially as technology advances.

 

Well when you get the spaceship built just remember us on the charter flight

 

That was the game from a few weeks ago. I'll spoiler the final score in case you don't want to know how it ends.

Spoiler

 

Haha the manual said use a plastic hammer but all I had was a rubber one! I can't believe I failed so badly!

Ironically it gives me almost 3 more inches of Z axis ... after I converted my second vise by taking off the base to get more room for a different part late this afternoon.

 

Years ago my boss got some 2 flute 3/8” end mills with a special coating for a job close to $100 each. I was taking one out of the mill (it uses 50 taper holders) and I dropped it when it came out of the taper. I tried to catch it to protect the end mill.

Turned into a workers comp case with me getting 4 stitches. I’m sure that cost more than the end mill.

 

Safety first!

And I liked your post because you shared an experience that everyone can learn from.

Machines and tools and parts can be replaced... fingers and eyes and people not so much.

 

I have lots of stories, mostly from me not paying attention.

Like you said, safety first. Respect the machine like you do an automobile, or whatever can hurt you

 

Another shop tip for safety; if your milling or drilling or boring and them pesky chips get in the way...never ever try to wipe them away while the spindle is running. I know this sounds like a no brainer but my B-I-L been in the trade for many years and he tried to CAREFULLY wipe a few chips away and that end mild grapped the rag...he was very lucky that day and it just cut his fingers a little bit.
A lot of shops use a cheap little paint brush. I personally don't care for brushes because we have compressed air. Just have to be smart about where and how your clearing chips with air.
The thing with me and brushes is finding the darn things all over the place.
A cheap little shop vac will come in handy for you to suck up the bulk of your mess. That way your not blowing it all over your shop.

 

We used to use brushes, we use air now.

My brother worked with us for a couple months many years ago and I told him not to use a rag. Well, he didn’t listen and thank goodness when the end mill grabbed the rag it didn’t get his hand.

No gloves either.

I got a flannel shirt hung in the lathe once around the bar that fed the cross slide, luckily I was threading and it was turning slow and I was able to put it in reverse when I felt it pulling on me. No more long shirts for me at work after that.

 

I thought you was messing with me, until they skipped halftime

 

I think many shops the air is forbidden for fear of getting a chip in a eye, that and someone that might not know better and blow chips up in the direction that they get past the wipers on the ways.

 

Understandable, I’ve blown a lot of chips in my eyes over the years even with glasses on. My bosses dad didn’t like it when we used air but he got over it.

He also didn’t like machining cast iron cause of the dust getting on the ways.

 

Do you have ESPN+ or whatever it is? I don't and without it I can't watch their national championship game tomorrow.

I was trying to find a loophole going through my internet provider but that didn't work. I did discover that there is a copyright violation on my ISP account from 2018 (I swear I as never informed of it before) because someone (I'm assuming my niece) was downloading The Incredibles 2 from a torrent site.

 

I’m not sure if we do or not, I’ll have to look.