What is wrong with the (machining) industry today?

We hate to start on a negative note, but this 8-word post quickly generated over 750 comments in the group…

Top Comments include:

• “People in charge that have never actually machined a part”

• “Too easy to email a print to China and get it cheaper including shipping than having it made here. Hope that changes soon.”

• “CAD files that can be directly input to a CNC control, then a button pusher comes along, loads a piece of stock, and pushes the button. The artistry has been taken out of machining, making it, on average, a semi-skilled job. And for all you naysayers, for Christ's sake, I managed a 32 CNC machine shop and used this process. If YOU can't do this on some simple turning parts, there is either archaic machinery or a problem with your process.”

• “Everyone reading this is on the toilet”

• “Clinton sold out manufacturing in the 90’s . Regulations choke out new business . US businesses want the largest margins so sending manufacturing to countries with more laborers available at little to no costs . Hopefully the high tariffs being implemented will bring manufacturing back to the states . Pray for a profitable next term . That is the foundation of a strong country / economy .”

• “The old boys club. AND today's apprentices.

  One group is leaving the trade in shambles, the other group is too stupid and lazy to pick up the pieces.

  Good news is, there's a bunch of us in our mid 30s and early 40s who are going to make a TON of money over the next couple of decades..”

Viral Post 🚀 🔥 📢

Surface Finish question posted on Jan 10. This one generated over 655 comments and reached over 141K people.

Some of our favorite comments include:

• “Why did you machine this in a mill? Should have done this on a lathe . Your finish pass use a .015 radius facing &/or turning tool. Your present surface looks like you took it to size with a roughing corn cob end mill.”

• “Parts don’t have to be round to turn if you have enough swing. Gotta think outside the box”

• “The milling marks looks like three protrusion/handles. As long as they're not too large you can even use a 3 jaw and clean up virtually everything that we can see in this picture”

• “Ball nose for the radius, and truthfully I’ve run those chamfers with clean spot drill and would get a beautiful finish, but obviously there’s better tooling for that operation.”

• “I agree with the turning but you should be amble to get a better finish than this with milling. Either a rigidity issue with tooling, machine, taking too much DOC, etc, but even the threads have chatter which leaves me to believe maybe to tool was too small or too much tool extension”

• “I usually leave .01" on floors and walls with my rougher and take 2 passes at zero with my finisher. Its better if your finisher has a bit of a corner radius too. You could always stone it a bit to get it smoother if you already took the part out of the machine.”

  Join the Conversation Here

👷‍♂️ hireCNC Featured Job - Indianapolis, IN

Any CNC Programmers / Machinists in Indianapolis looking for a high paying role?

• $40 - $50/hour

• Day shift (Monday - Friday)

• OT available

• Mastercam, Fusion 360 or NX experience preferred.

• The ability to program, setup and operate 5 axis Mills would be huge.

One dude in the group asked:

A few of the answers…

• “Thorogood American heritage wedge soles. I have been wearing mine for over 4 years. But I would say 2 years solid for work.”

• “I have been wearing the keen Detroit steel toe for about 10 years, with good success. Slip resistant and very comfortable”

• Love my Danner Vicious boots, composite toe and super light. 10 months in a super clean shop followed by 5 months in a job shop walking all over lathe chips all day and this is what they look like… I also wear them out in the yard or doing errands…. Or family photos.”

• “Worx from Red Wing are great for me”

• “I wear Timberland Pro. Composite toe. Have worn red wing, wolverines, Ga boot. Timberland Pro’s are amazing. Easy break-in. Remember, you get what you pay for. Your company may give you an allowance for boots. Use it, but add the difference and get a good pair of boots. On your feet , walking on cement for 8-10 hours a day”

• “Redwing 2406. Only boot I’ve found that lasts a long time and the sole doesn’t pickup every chip on the floor. I’ve tried keen,timberland, Justin’s, and ariat but keep coming back to the 2406. They went up in price again but USA made with USA materials.”

• “Find what fits your foot. I tried about every brand on and Red Wings fit my foot the best. I ended up falling in love with their Irish Setter brand of boot, specifically the Crosby model. It has the composite toe so it’s not as heavy, plus it has this rubber over the toe that makes it last longer. And they’re water proof.”

Impressive Picture of the Day 🤩

Funny Post of the Day 🤣🤣🤣

“Machinists with questions or advice 🤔

⁉️ How would you hold this on a lathe?

✔️ A couple dogs in this shop

⁉️ If you had to start over, would you still choose to be a machinist?

⁉️ Ever lose your sh!t on an inspector?