Who here machines for a living?

[hickstick_10]

Im kind of curious who here machines for their bread and butter. Besides John Welden and a couple others I have no idea who here machines for a living and who is a hobbiest.

If you do feed yourself by cuttin' metal, please sound off and tell me/us about what you make and how you like it.

Doesn't matter if your self employed, papered journeyman or self taught. As long as you are CURRENTLY USING MACHINE TOOLS FULL TIME and SOMEONE IS PAYING YOU to do it, Id like to hear it.

I am talking about guys who are going to work and know they will be machining something or doing something machine tool related such as repair or programing. Sorry for the long winded explanation but I know sooner or later someone whos pulled over to take a dump at a Haas dealership will be posting about his machining experience unless the criteria are specific.

 

[csharp]

I do it for a living and have for about 12 years. The last 7 on my own. Supporting a family of 6 with no outside income. Started from scratch for 20K and a $500 a month building lease.

 

[manualmachinist]

I've been putting the food on the table carving stuff out of metal and stickin it together with heat since 1978 full time. The trade has been pretty good to me. I can say that I'm one lucky guy to have worked for others for a fair wage, and never been out of work and it looks like I can retire in a few more years.

 

[behindpropellers]

Self Employed.

98% Design Engineering Income 2% Prototypes

 

[Screwmachine]

Self employed watch prototyper here. Make the parts and then put the watch together- I'm a trained watchmaker and well-mentored machinist. Haven't had an endmill in the machine over .3mm in the last 4 days, very small stuff. Tolerances on the prints plus/minus 3 microns all over the place. Turned parts are all manual, milled parts are done in a small CNC. Working like crazy, might just dig out of the hole created in '09 if this keeps up a few more years.

 

[jkruger]

I started at age ten working for my Dad in 1964 and have been doing this for a paycheck since then except for twenty years from "72" to "92" when I went down the automotive avenue. Took over my father's job shop in "94" and ran it until he passed a couple years ago. Now I work for someone else doing prototyping and I love it still. I have stuff I made in the deepest parts of the ocean and on several other planets. Worked on the Predator, and several other projects that nobody knows about yet. It's in my blood.

 

[Heavey Metal]

Self employed job shop owner. We build from hydraulic lifter components to oilpress extraction screws. We repair excavater booms, wheeloader articulating joints and

dozer finaldrives (line boreing /repair sleeves) ,rock crushing and clayprep equipment, and hydraulic cylinders and pumps. Also do welding and presswork and if

thers any time left latemodel dirt cars(for fun).

 

[CarbideBob]

It's possible to actually make a living at this?
What am I doing wrong.......
Bob

 

[winger]

I work in a maintenance shop and have a shop at home that brings in enough to by more toys.
Dave

 

[oldster]

I made myself unemployable over 30 years ago. Been making and selling by own stuff even before then. Currently machining and assembling parts along with supervising three employees. Usually 7 days a week, although took off early Friday nite to take my everloving and incredibly forgiving wife of 34 years (second time around for us both) to dinner at Manresa in Los Gatos.
The present product is jewelry and woodworking hand saws. Selling around the world, including two distributors in Germany.

Lee (the saw guy)

 

[NodecoMachine]

Workin about 5 years now just me and my dad. My dad started the business probably close to 30 years ago. We do prototypes and low volume work. Lately a lot of new to me odd stuff thats making it very interesting to work.
Scott

 

[kpotter]

I machine full time making my own products they are used by jewelers and metalsmiths I have my own shop and work alone e
Lone unless afriend stops by to help.

 

[wgnrr1]

Started my own shop full time in May 2012. Before that worked a few different shops, and as a locomotive mechanic. Now I do repairs and prototypes for several large companies around here.

All manual machines, and I love what I am doing, even on the bad days.

Josh

 

[JS]

I have been machining for 15 years.

10 years pump manufacturing
5 Mine maintenance / repair machinist/ millwright

 

[Krovvax]

ive work since 3 year now in a place where we do piece for food industry we also do alot of repair work for the local road builder, gaz, and quarry company so we are busy having enought of work for 6 guy but only have 4 working full time so the job is never missing and i can make my sons ans my wife happy with it has long you love your job and you come back happy at home everything is fine to me.

 

[Long Tom]

Worked in protyping and makin' parts 20+ years ago. After some twists and turns I decided to close up a business and sell the gear and make parts again. A company I worked for back then had offered me about half a job worth of work for 2012. I did that work and spent the other half of the time learning.

2013 started with a bang; mostly industrial parts for filters made from PVC, aluminum, and stainless. I worked every day for a couple months straight; I'm caught up now. There's some parts spec'd to press fit but mostly I've got +\- .003" to wallow in.

The challenge ahead is to diversify. I've got my eggs in one basket. I'm continuing to tool up the machines to pursue more general business, and learning new tricks just as fast as possible for this old dog.

 

[aerodark]

Machining has prevented starvation for me for the last 25 years. Onesy-twosey, toolmaking, and short-run stuff, mostly close tolerance, lathe and mill. Currently run/program Trak lathes and mills. Surface grinder occasionally.

I love challenging work that many cannot do. .0003 tolerances on the lathe, fifth axis holes on the mill, etc.

There are a LOT of hobby guys on here. Some give advise as if they are seasoned toolmakers. Quite a guise............

 

[67Cuda]

Besides John Welden and a couple others I have no idea who here machines for a living and who is a hobbiest.

John Welden works for a living?

Tom

 

[bebop]

Ive been feeding myself and family for 33 year as a tool and gage maker for a large aerospace company, good work when you can get it :-} and I've been scraping and rebuilding metal working machines on the side for 20 years or so, I have no idea why but for some silly reason I enjoy scraping, I find it relaxing.
Cheers Don

 

[duckman]

Does machining, welding, and doing machinery repair, count if it does then I've been doing this for 40+ years and haven't starved yet, some times it's a can of beans other times it's a nice big t-bone it has it's ups and downs but I wouldn't have it any other way.