Top manual machinist skills needed to get the job.

What are the top 3 traits or skills every manual machinist must have to excel?

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your manual machinist expertise?

Host said: What are the top 3 traits or skills every manual machinist must have to excel?

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your manual machinist expertise?

Own your own tools. This shows:
(a.) dedication to this line of work,
(b.) experience with said tools,
(c.) saves company tooling expenses for
a new employee,
(d.) workers who own their own tools
tend to equally respect the tools
of others.

Oldschool, is what operators call me, but will there always be some need for manual machinist, with the old skills?

Machines are changing to do more and more; but they will always need that tooling removed,.. sharpened,.. and reset.
New people are coming out of these C.N.C. schools, but they leap frogged ahead and often don't know how to do what a manual machinist learned to fix from previous head aches.
A manual machinist should be able to apply for a job and have that over all experience from his years of experience that will save a alot of time (a.k.a. money)

A manual machinist, as another mentioned, should have a good assortment of his own precision measuring tools. Secondly be well versed in vertical mills and engine lathes as well as the use of all the ancillary equipment for those machines. Thirdly have strong experience with the correct processing of components to machine them with quality and productivity in mind.

A manual machinist needs to be detail oriented, meticulous, and
alert for mistakes on engineering drawings.
The engineers that are graduating now do cad/cam it's not like
the old days when done on a drafting board and they'd catch their
own mistakes. I don't know how many errors and butt's i've saved
reveiwing in detail their blueprints!

Millhonky in Tampa, Florida said: A manual machinist needs to be detail oriented, meticulous, and
alert for mistakes on engineering drawings.
The engineers that are graduating now do cad/cam it's not like
the old days when done on a drafting board and they'd catch their
own mistakes. I don't know how many errors and butt's i've saved
reveiwing in detail their blueprints!

I started serious machininst work in a tool shop in 1980. When did we EVER start a machine without checking the prints ??

I am currently up grading my skills to c.n.c In every class I've had in this course I am the only person with any hands on experience. I own my own tools and these people have only just learned to use a micrometer. People out of school are no threat at all. The only serious competition for the jobs out there are the experienced people who were laid off,.. no fault of their own.
All parts wear out sooner or later so we will be needed again eventually. In about 18 months things should start to improve. Hang in there ! We'll be looking at seroius overtime by the time we can'y afford to retire.

I don't know if its true for the rest of the country, but they stopped training machinist a few years back in trade schools, and colleges in Utah. There just was not enough interested. Its caused a demand, though not as strong right now, but, its a welcoming feeling to know there could be another job to step into, if the one your working for closes. Which has been happening in Utah and the rest of the country I guess. Its still fun to machine, so I sure like seeing it coming back.

imagination,confidence,and endurance

please consider me for the machine shop jobs.i have the akill and the experience and very reliable thank you.

Host said: What are the top 3 traits or skills every manual machinist must have to excel?Math,Q.C,Time

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your manual machinist expertise?

aside from being able to run at least mills&lathes,probably two other machines, such as grinders, boring mill and/or vtls,jig bore,gear hobber. job shops offer the best experience. They most often do the hardest work and for less. Large industries always keep the cream and have alot more over head than a job shop.

cnc opperators are not machinist. they are button pushers. i have 20 plus in the shop and as a field machinist which uses portable machines. like to see if cnc opp could set one of those up and hit a + - .001 tol

My boss bought the shop 3yrs ago that i've worked at for 17.
This is a small job shop, me being the only current employee.
He was an engineer and had no background in machining.
He thought buying a C.N.C would eliminate manual positions.
Every day he's breaking tooling or crashing parts!
Eventualy letting me do the jobs manualy. (PRINT PERFECT)
Keep up the good work boss! HA

larry averett in Springville, Utah said: I don't know if its true for the rest of the country, but they stopped training machinist a few years back in trade schools, and colleges in Utah. There just was not enough interested. Its caused a demand, though not as strong right now, but, its a welcoming feeling to know there could be another job to step into, if the one your working for closes. Which has been happening in Utah and the rest of the country I guess. Its still fun to machine, so I sure like seeing it coming back.

Minnesota the same, the sold all the machines off too, got a good deal on a 1942 Navy Spec Reed Prentice Lathe $995 with taper Att. Cool part is the trade school never even cut a thread on it, the cosamaline was still on the lead screw.