My machine shop

[Abom79]

Hello everyone. Im new to the forum. My name is Adam and Ive been a machinist now for nearly 14 years. I started Just before graduating high school in 97. Lucky for me, my dad owned and run his own machine shop that my grandad started back in 72. Fast forward to 2009. Bad economis times forced me to take a job at Motion Industies as the lead machinist rebuilding hydraulic cylinders. This has been a great opportunity for me and I love being with them. Since then I still worked part time for my dad helping him with the family buisness. In late 2010 he retired and I took over the family shop for myself. So now I work full time at Motion, and also work part time running my own machine shop. I wanted to post some pictures of some of the jobs I have done and the machines I own. So enjoy, and I hope to find lots of usefull and interesting info on the forum. Feel free to post up any questions or comments you may have.

Heres some of of my 30" Monarch. In the pictures I was machining a 4" prop shaft. I had to machine it from the chuck end because the shaft was longer than the bed....ha ha!

Milling the keyway in my Acra 10x54 mill.

I will keep updating with more pics. Im sure that some of you machinists that have love for the older machines and tooling would love my place. My grandad bought alot of things from navy surplus back in the 70's and 80's.

 

[Abom79]

This is me and my dad standing in front of the Acer mill be bought new back in 2007..

 

[CBlair]

Looks like fun, also looks like sweat city.... thanks for sharing, nice looking lathe you make me have long bed envy.

Charles

 

[bryan_machine]

Great pix, especially with the creative adaptations for length!

 

[Abom79]

Looks like fun, also looks like sweat city.... thanks for sharing, nice looking lathe you make me have long bed envy.

Charles

Thanks, and its funny you mention about the heat because Im currently installing a 7.5 ton air conditioner right now! This summer its going to feal soo much better working inside the shop.

 

[Abom79]

Great pix, especially with the creative adaptations for length!

I machined that shaft several years ago and I remember asking my dad how the hell I was going to do it. But like a father with experience and knowledge he told me what to do and I made it happen. He has taught me alot of what I now how to do on these machines.

 

[Abom79]

I have a H.W. Kearns horizontal boring and facing mill that Id like to share some pictures of. This has been an awsome machine that is capable of doing lots of different machining operations. Whats funny about this mill is that all the language is in foreign launguage and we had to learn how to oporate many of the controls by just playing with it. But It didnt take long to figure it out and I now use it for alot of boring, drilling, and facing operations. I can even set up like a lathe and turn large parts.

 

[Abom79]

Heres a couple of pictures I took at my other job. This is a telescopic cylinder that we rebuild at Motion. Theres alot of machine work involved in rebuilding one of these correctly, including welding up the bronze wear bands and machining back to tollerance, and machining all new brass packing glands after the tubes are sent out to be rechromed. This one is a 5 stage that extends to nearly 50'.

 

[Abom79]

Heres some pictures of the biggest and heaviest shaft I personally have ever machined. It was an 11" 1045 grade and about 10' long and weighed close to 5000 lbs. I used the boring mill to drill the centers before going in the big Monarch for turning. Its a scary feeling to watch a 5K lb shaft turning in your lathe with only a center holding up one end. But it turned out great.

 

[btm]

Hi Adam,

Great looking shop and equipment. I like the way you have used some ingenuity to expand the capacity of your machines.

How has that Acer mill performed?
I'm considering buying a new Acer sometime later this year, but I don't have much experience with them.

btm

 

[Abom79]

Hi Adam,

Great looking shop and equipment. I like the way you have used some ingenuity to expand the capacity of your machines.

How has that Acer mill performed?
I'm considering buying a new Acer sometime later this year, but I don't have much experience with them.

btm

Thanks. Yea sometimes you have to get a little creative with the set-ups.

As for the Acer, we love it. It is soo quiet because of the electronic frequency drive motor. All you do is a simple twist of the knob to change your rpm's. We also had a Servo Turbo Drive installed on the knee which is great too.

 

[Krutch]

Is that H. Mill outside? How do you deal with the rain. Looks like it is an interesting place to work. Imagination is the key there.
Krutch

 

[Ox]

WOW!

The whole concept of being able to run a machine outside all yr long just has me .

We had one or two big Acmes setting outside under tarp and would run them when the weatherman allowed, but by Thanksgiving the oil would git too thick and would be a horse to start in the mornings and had to find a way to git it inside before it got real cold!


---------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[RC99]

Beautiful pictures.... Love your shop....

 

[A_Pmech]

Nice place you have there! I don't think I'd mind working in a "sweat shop" right now. It's 40F and raining. Blah!

Keep up the good work!

 

[Abom79]

Is that H. Mill outside? How do you deal with the rain. Looks like it is an interesting place to work. Imagination is the key there.
Krutch

We bought the mill from an auction about 12 years ago. Its actually taller than the rafters of the building soo we set it outside on a fresh slab with hopes of enclosing it off. But we never have gotten that far. I've always kept it covered with a tarp to keep the rain off. But when its raining I cant use it.

 

[Abom79]

I like sharing pictures of some of the jobs Ive done. Guess I found a good place to post them.

Trunnion mount I fabbed for an emergency rush job.

These are some 3" thick press plates I machined for a 150 ton roll bed press that we use at Motion. I had a fun time torching them out too!

 

[Abom79]

This was another interesting job. The part wasnt availible anymore from the factory soo I fabbed a new one from steel. Its a bearing housing off a big piece of construction equipment.

 

[matthew_g]

Please keep posting, I really enjoy your photo's. I love getting to look into other peoples workshops especially when they are on the other side of the world where you would normaly never get to see..I wish you luck with your business.
Matt

 

[beaverracing]

Very nice work, keep sending more pics!
I have an Acer mill like yours and it has given good service. Also put the Turbo Drive on the x axis.
Jim