Machinist Classes

[hrearden]

Ok guys, Ive decided I really want to get into classes that will up my skills with machine tools and also get into CNC operation. I graduated Colorado School of Trades with a degree in gunsmithing back in 2008 and breaking into that field (doing actual gun work) has been next to impossible without ones own tools and the skills to use them. I did well at the machining tasks asked of me while I attended class, but I have not done any work like that since and my skills are sorely lacking. I was wondering who on this forum has taken machining/CNC classes in the Indy area (Boone County would be even better) and where they recommended I take classes. Also, if anyone has a good source of used machine tools, that would be greatly appreciated. I probably wont be ready to buy anything until June or so, but I would like to know where to start shopping.

 

[pinshooter45]

Check out IVY Tech. Only about $120 a credit hour and you do not have to get a degree. You can just take the classes you want, or seek a certificate, or an asso degree. They have a pretty good machining program, almost did that before I went with IT graduating this past may.

 

[hrearden]

Cool, thank you.

 

[cedartop]

pinshooters advice may be your most realistic bet. What would be better but maybe hard to do is find a part time job in a Tool and Die/Machine shop. You would learn a ton this way. The problem with that is the trade has changed so much that they just don't teach the same way anymore and you are expected to produce right away so it would be tough to find someone who would take you on.

 

[pinshooter45]

pinshooters advice may be your most realistic bet. What would be better but maybe hard to do is find a part time job in a Tool and Die/Machine shop. You would learn a ton this way. The problem with that is the trade has changed so much that they just don't teach the same way anymore and you are expected to produce right away so it would be tough to find someone who would take you on.

One of the reasons I went with IT. I was afraid that with the advancement in technology that things will get to a point where they will be able to train nearly anyone to do these things. Pop a blank into a machine, insert a flash drive close the door and push a button and the part get made. However there will always be a need for people who can do it from scratch...just not as many. Good Luck! I may go back for some classes in machining just in case I get a chance to retire and do a little gunsmithing on the side. Just have to afford the equipment!

 

[lovemachine]

One of the reasons I went with IT. I was afraid that with the advancement in technology that things will get to a point where they will be able to train nearly anyone to do these things. Pop a blank into a machine, insert a flash drive close the door and push a button and the part get made. However there will always be a need for people who can do it from scratch...just not as many. Good Luck! I may go back for some classes in machining just in case I get a chance to retire and do a little gunsmithing on the side. Just have to afford the equipment!

Never happen. There's still a need for old school machinists.

 

[cedartop]

Never happen. There's still a need for old school machinists.

I know i am drifting this thread a little. There is still that need lovemachine, but it is less and less. Most shops in our area employ only a few of these guys (I am one of them) and a whole bunch of lower payed button pushers or programmers. It has gotten to the point where I mostly dislike this trade anymore and only do it for the paycheck. That is one reason why I enjoy teaching the gun stuff so much, I don't make a ton of money doing it, but I enjoy it so much.

 

[tws63]

i remember in the late 70s we started phasing out our turret lathes for NC machines which then got phased out for CNC machines.
the better understanding of old school manual machines WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER CNC machinist.
NC/CNC came in and guys got lazy and stupid. cnc is only as smart as the programmer/operator.

 

[LarryC]

i remember in the late 70s we started phasing out our turret lathes for NC machines which then got phased out for CNC machines.
the better understanding of old school manual machines WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER CNC machinist.
NC/CNC came in and guys got lazy and stupid. cnc is only as smart as the programmer/operator.

Agree with you 100%. I am Retired Engineer that worked in a factory that had a fairly large tool room which built and maintained injection molds, transfer molds, Screw machines, stamping dies, lathes, centerless grinders, etc. We had many very experienced tool and die makers. I learned a great deal from them in the 39+ years I worked with them. Today the mentality is such that the computer knows it all. I have seen the old guys make cutters that would do work no "off the shelf" tool could do. I have seen them work in dimensions as tight as .00005 with mills that had .010 backlash in the feed screw. Although I could (and did) do some machining myself, I couldn't ever hold a candle to most of them in either speed or high accuracy.

It is tough today to get an "apprentice" type job in a tool shop. Mainly due to the fact so much of our manufacturing, die and mold making has been outsourced to overseas. I know several toolmakers with experience that are working in other fields - they would be the first ones to be hired by a tool shop if help was needed (and rightfully so).

 

[Stubz]

The better understanding of old school manual machines WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER CNC machinist.
NC/CNC came in and guys got lazy and stupid. cnc is only as smart as the programmer/operator.

This. I work in a machine shop and the majority of the CNC op's can do three things: put parts on the loader, push the start button and replace carbide inserts. Other than that, it's page someone else. We have maybe 4 people who can actually run a real lathe and they've all seen 50 years.

 

[lovemachine]

I've been a machinist for 16 years now. We do every thing old school, only having 1 CNC mill. We've looked into getting more, but we can do better work old school.

Although there are a lot of jobs we simply cannot do without the CNC mill.

 

[ttrimcobra]

If you are serious about this then pony up and go to Vincennes University and take the precision manufacturing program. You will build several dies and injection molds and learn how to actually machine FAR before you ever touch a CNC machine. It's one of the few places left that can actually show you how to be a machinist not just a button pusher!

 

[cedartop]

If you are serious about this then pony up and go to Vincennes University and take the precision manufacturing program. You will build several dies and injection molds and learn how to actually machine FAR before you ever touch a CNC machine. It's one of the few places left that can actually show you how to be a machinist not just a button pusher!

Didn't know that. It is good to hear.

 

[BE Mike]

You might look into Prosser. They offer adult classes. :: Prosser Career Education Center :: Adult Ed :: Technical Classes ::

 

[hrearden]

If you are serious about this then pony up and go to Vincennes University and take the precision manufacturing program. You will build several dies and injection molds and learn how to actually machine FAR before you ever touch a CNC machine. It's one of the few places left that can actually show you how to be a machinist not just a button pusher!

I didnt know this either. That IS what I want to do. I plan on buying my own tools anyway. I have a very good knowledge of the firearm field and the machining involved thereof, however, I want to learn to do it better. I am delving into a lot of things this year since life has been a little less hectic and I have been able to spend time on research/networking involved with the vast field of firearms/ammunition (not just gunsmithing). I think the US, and the Midwest in particular would benefit from more small startup manufacturing businesses that make a quality product even if they only sell local or to adjoining states.

 

[Shootin'IN]

If you get good at CNC programing you would be saying goodbye to gunsmithing, or save it for a hobby.
What is in real demand is the old type machinist, the CNC guys are good for multiple pieces but to make just one piece or repair something you don't want to run an all day program for a half hour job. That is where the manual machinist does his best work. I have been in tool & die repair for over 25 yrs. & our co. can't get enough good repairmen, they all want to use CNC and sit on there A$$ while the program is running.

 

[bdybdall]

If you get good at CNC programing you would be saying goodbye to gunsmithing, or save it for a hobby.
What is in real demand is the old type machinist, the CNC guys are good for multiple pieces but to make just one piece or repair something you don't want to run an all day program for a half hour job. That is where the manual machinist does his best work. I have been in tool & die repair for over 25 yrs. & our co. can't get enough good repairmen, they all want to use CNC and sit on there A$$ while the program is running.

What he said. I've got 30+ years in tool & die / special machining and I can do jobs on a rotary cross-slide that a new graduate would swear had to be made on a CNC. I'm proud of what I got to do but don't want to work in a CNC shop. Saying that, if you're not close to Ivy Tech's N. Meridian campus, perhaps you can find classes at Walker Career Center (Warren Central) or Central Nine down south.

 

[walt o]

Being a machinist is more than running different machines it is a mind set that can problem solve , make decisions ,save the shop $ & time on a 1 of job and do things right without shortcuts . I have noticed that many small to medium businesses will have a machinist as the manager of the business ,because of the above trates. One of my close friends runs a 1 man shop that does quite well. he has people that can help when needed GOOGLE gbi1 he does a little of everything without CNC.

 

[CathyInBlue]

I'm about to start a self-directed course leading to an Associate's degree in machine tool at the Terre Haute campus. I'm also looking for my own set of tools. One classic manual milling machine/lathe and a full CNC set, or else a manual machine with CNC stepper motors and sensors attached.

 

[bluewraith]

It's been said before, but worth saying again. Try and find an entry level apprentice opening. Don't go walking into the biggest shop you see and ask about it, but rather find a small shop with maybe 5 or 6 people in it at most. I walked out of a traveling management position job into the machine shop and havn't looked back since. I love it!

I started working in a 3-man shop with zero experience a little over two years ago. No CNC at all.. but we do run sinker EDMs. All electrodes are made in house on good ol' fashioned surface grinders, vertical mills, and lathes. Lots of new stuff to learn just about every day. As far as tooling goes, keep an eye on craigslist and ebay. Head out to auctions. Stuff sells for a fraction of the price used, and there is more of it every day. Sadly, the old-school machinists are starting to die off. If the tooling isn't passed down in the family, it gets sold. I just bought close to $8k worth of tooling for $1500 by buying out a coworker when he decided to retire. Gotta keep an eye out for the deals.


You can jump right into a CNC course at a college, but without knowing the fundamentals of how the machine works or why it works in the way it does, you won't fully understand it. There is a lot more to running a CNC then just pushing the big green button and catching the parts. Having even a small background on manual machinery will help greatly in the job search.