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Blanket Orders
Could you quote for the material and labour separately? All of my material suppliers are only holding material prices for 24 hours. It doesn't usually go up if I order a few weeks or so later but at the start of COVID prices were doubling at times which was crazy and I got stung a couple of...- Sam I
- Post #8
- Forum: Shop Management and Owner Issues
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Coolant Through Lathe Tooling Pressure
I'm not sure what pressure my lathe has (standard HAAS coolant pump) but I use it for boring and drilling where I can - it makes a huge difference. I ran a 200 mm long 8mm drill through a stainless part a while ago and it was a breeze although the chips did start to block the flutes near full...- Sam I
- Post #16
- Forum: CNC Machining
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When is a customer not worth it anymore?
It sounds like you need to have a conversation with your customer. I've had a few repeat jobs that after a few tries I'm not really making money on so I've gone to the customer and explained why I'm going to have to re visit pricing for future orders. I try to give them an opportunity to...- Sam I
- Post #8
- Forum: Shop Management and Owner Issues
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Making a DRAW TUBE for hydraulic chuck.........where to start
They can drill a hole through solid and hone to tighter tolerances if required is what I was meaning. New liners would probably be the easiest way, plus you'd get a tiny bit more spindle capacity which could come in handy. I would have thought the wall thickness would be alright based on the... -
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Making a DRAW TUBE for hydraulic chuck.........where to start
I've subbed deep hole boring / honing to Hone All Precision in the UK in the past and have found them to be reasonable. You could get the exact bore you need then and not have to shim the drawtube. That being said, by the time you source the pipe / bar and live with their delivery plus machine... -
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Renishaw Probe Crash costs
I've been lucky enough to only crash a probe once and even then I don't think any system would have prevented it. I set a work offset wrong and plunged a face mill into a part. I managed to hit E-Stop before it plunged too far into the part. I didn't know it at the time but the spindle belt...- Sam I
- Post #15
- Forum: Shop Management and Owner Issues
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How do you handle tooling cost when quoting for a job
A lot for me depends on the tooling required. My "standard" hourly rate covers normal tooling wear and tear. But if I've got a deep pocket and will be using super long end mills that are probably going to chip whilst getting it dialled in on a low volume part then I'll charge 100% of the...- Sam I
- Post #32
- Forum: Shop Management and Owner Issues
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Manager okay with letting suppliers rip off the company
I'm not sure about your contractor but your tooling provider may have simply supplied an alternative due to stocking issues. It's happened with me a few times where I've spoken to my tooling rep, ordered a drill for a job that's in the machine tomorrow morning. Their stores identified a...- Sam I
- Post #80
- Forum: Shop Management and Owner Issues
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Degree vs. Knowledge
I agree that a degree gets you in the door so it's probably of little use to you as an employer unless the employee feels more valued because of it. But a degree takes up a lot of time. I did my engineering degree part time around work. At the start it's all fun and games but by the end both...- Sam I
- Post #12
- Forum: CNC Machining
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Shop Pet Peeves
It's the main workshop roller door rather than a personnel door (which is located around 10' to the side and leads into the office rather than the workshop). The chain is relatively new. I bought it around a month ago thinking "surely this will stop people wondering in". I wonder what they'd... -
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Shop Pet Peeves
I'm a one man shop and my biggest peeve in the shop is customers / couriers / sales men etc sneaking up on me whilst I'm working. My shop has a large shutter door that I keep open slightly in the summer to air the shop and keep it cool. To stop people wandering in I have a red and white chain... -
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How to pace prospecting to match shop capacity?
It could be that you need to decide on the type of work you are needing and shut out as much of everything else as possible. I know it's easier said then done but in the 5 years I've been running my own shop just about every time I've taken on a POS job to keep me and the machines busy I end up...- Sam I
- Post #20
- Forum: Shop Management and Owner Issues
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Poor facing surface on lathe
I wonder if the noise is caused by tight changewheels. I've got a manual in the back of the workshop and it can be quite fussy with the spacing. Try loosening them slightly. One trick is to put a sheet of paper between the gear teeth before meshing then tighten everything up. That should... -
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Preventing rust on on machines parts inventory ?
The paper is called VCI paper and should be good for up to two years. It doesn't require the parts to be cleaned prior to use so is quite good for parts that are going direct to the end user. It can be fairly expensive though and time consuming if you've got a lot of inventory to wrap. I make...- Sam I
- Post #21
- Forum: Shop Management and Owner Issues
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Slow down G00 speed
I don't use SolidCam but Fusion 360 allows you to set rapids as feed moves or G00. I'd be surprised if other software systems don't offer the same. Just set the machine's maximum travel speed at whatever you want the rapids to be and you're good to go. Just bear in mind the 5,25,50 % rapid...- Sam I
- Post #16
- Forum: CNC Machining
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Head phones, ear buds...
I've been using over ear bone conducting headphones in the workshop for a couple of years now and they've been great. They don't actually go in your ears so don't affect your ability to hear machines / coworkers etc but you can still hear your music just fine. In noisy environments I use ear...- Sam I
- Post #36
- Forum: CNC Machining
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Inspecting NPT Threads
Thanks for all the replies. I ended up quoting a longer lead with a gauge and a shorter "make it fit" lead with the mating part. Unfortunately I'm in the UK so McMaster isn't a viable option although prices for the gauge are similar over here. I'm reluctant to buy used gauges. Did that when...- Sam I
- Post #22
- Forum: CNC Machining
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Inspecting NPT Threads
It's not something I have considered however I would still need to inspect the thread after to make sure it's within tolerance.- Sam I
- Post #3
- Forum: CNC Machining
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Inspecting NPT Threads
Is there a way to inspect an external NPT thread without the use of a gauge? I've got a customer who wants me to machine a 2" external thread on a part but it's a pretty urgent job and the lead time on a ring gauge is too long. Is it possible to accurately measure the threads without the use...- Sam I
- Thread
- Replies: 30
- Forum: CNC Machining
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New mini-lathe, tailstock question
You are right - there should be full contact on the flat faces. There is no real easy fix for this other than to enlarge the Vee groove in the tailstock. Personally, even though I have a few mills in the shop I wouldn't be attempting a repair on that unless it's something I acquired for...