aj8155

hi everyone, my name is andy and this is my first post, i'm 44 and i have always made models since i was a child, i am a cnc setter/programmer by trade, if anybody ever needs any advice on tooling or machining in general please just ask.

maninblack

hi mate
a big welcome to you...very helpful site.
do you machine /turn alloy??
cheers
maninblack

aj8155

hi maninblack, we machine all sorts, everything from alloy, alloy bronze,stainless, titanium, brass, to the very hard alloy's such as 825, 625, duplex, hastalloy, 99% of my work is cnc, but i also do a fair bit of manuel turning and milling.

maninblack

hi andy
i,ve inclosed pic of item.
its 45mm long..21mm across, measuring straight across and with "4flutes "
if you can do them could you please give me a price for 2 of them?
cheers
mick

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peter22

Hi Andy
Welcome - But as usual i'm to late!! - just finished turning 32 cannon barrels and almost finished 64 axles and wheels. But if I ever start screw cutting i'll be in touch,
thanks for the offer of help
peter

aj8155

hi maninblack, looks quite easy, have you a detailed drawing of what you want ? sorry to ask, but i'm used to working in microns, my e-mail is aj8155@hotmail.co.uk, is that an interior cone on the first end ? cheers andy.

aj8155

hi peter, thanks for the welcome, what you have just turned is very impressive, have you any pics ? regards andy.

peter22

Hi Andy

Pictures enclosed

peter

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maninblack

pm sent mate
mick

bogstandard

Andy,

My heart bleeds for you. You have opened a big can of worms.

I have been machining for more years than I can remember.
When making offers to help, you should always include 'A GOOD DRAWING WILL BE REQUIRED IF YOU WANT ME TO MAKE SOMETHING FOR YOU'.

I call them 'just' jobs, as in 'can you just knock me up two dozen of these', usually accompanied by a very rough sketch or a photo with no sign of a dimension anywhere, and no hidden details shown.

So gents, as in Andy's case, where he has kindly offered help, do consider the bits you never see. It can take many hours of grinding special tooling, making jigs to hold said parts. Any info that can be given helps in making his job easier.

I know for a certain fact, my local jobbing shop charges around £60 an hour for making one offs, so if it takes a man 3 hours to jig up and make your one little bit, it will cost you £180 (that doesn't include material costs and VAT). Most of us model engineers do it for the love of it, but sometimes a workshop donation goes a lot further than a quick 'thank you'.

I am just about to spend £10k on upgrading my workshop, purely for the love of machining and making things, and helping others. I will never be able to get that money back, so a reasonable offer of a donation goes towards keeping the place running, like buying a new end mill to replace the one that was broken or blunted while making your little one off, replacing, and now getting very expensive, raw materials. Postage and packing costs also drain the finances. If I have to buy in just one piece of material to fulfill your request, fuel costs to pick it up, or excessive postal charges all make the cost of making your little part a lot higher.

Machinists like ourselves, try to help as much as possible and keep the costs to youselves as low as humanly possible.
So if one of us says, that will cost £30 to make your little one off, don't jump back in horror. Do take into account what is involved in making the part. I am sure your local jobbing shop would be glad to help you in any way they can, if you can afford it.

Would you work for a pound an hour on your days off, I think not. But that is what is expected of us, to help make your modelling a lot easier.

John