Drill Press

Advice for training engineering students in basic machine operation (mill, lathe, drill press, grinder, band saw)


#Robert Masek

I run a non profit Artisan’s Asylum and we have all levels of members running our machines. We run classes and try to teach people from novice to engineer. Some of my hit list
1. Safety of others first. Then safety of yourself.
2. Listen to the machine, it will tell you if something is wrong
3. You can replace anything but fingers and eyes.
4. Plan extra time for clean up.
5. Buy extra material you will scrap parts
6. Things don’t fix themselves. Tell the shop manager about everything. Broken Drill bits and up.
7. You can do everything 5 different ways. If you are stuck ask an old guy and just pick one.
8. Use goggle video search before doing new operations.
9. Document everything! Take a hundred pictures, they are better than most notes.
10. Leave time to clean up.
11. Clean up between each operation


#Ryan Longsworth

Don’t put your hands anywhere you wouldn’t put your face. That was one of the first things out vocational school teacher told us.

#Parker Gidney

I got dont put your hands anywhere you wouldn’t put your pecker, but I guess face is better for school.

#Lisa Lister

What are some of the biggest engineering pain in the ass parts anyone has ever had while machining?

That’s the gap you need to bridge I think… what people dream up and what particular machines are actually capable of…

Then again, with the technology now, nearly anything is possible… but that doesn’t mean it needs to be a PITA…

#Luke Yount

Won’t try bluffing, also in the past have had the trainer give safety basic break down, then describe operation of each machine individually, brief demo. At end before any can use the machine shop have to create a two parts from prints, one that involves lathe and band saw, and another that involves band saw and mill. Our mill is an older “bridgeport style” turret mill that lacks a power draw bar or a DRO.

Training session is a few hours, following that when they do parts me or another club officer will be around whom they can ask questions/help with parts. We aren’t really a training organization, but since we run our own shop need to teach people proper safety/machining habits.


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