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OT - Watch out guys, I'm pretty sure today is 'one of those days'...

aarongough

Stainless
Joined
Oct 27, 2014
Location
Toronto, Canada
I tripped over this morning while putting on underwear... I should have taken that as a warning and stayed home... :angry:



Backstory: I came in this morning with the first item on my to-do list being to take the head cover off my VMC and check the spindle drive belt. It was making a 'ticking' noise and I wanted to make sure nothing was damaged. Turns out the belt was rubbing on the flange of the pulley. I re-aligned it, put the head cover back on and thought I was good to go.

Unfortunately while putting the head cover back on I must have bumped the Z axis alignment flag that's on the right hand side of the head. The bolt must have been loose and the flag turned in such a way that it collided with the way cover on the first tool change, resulting in what you see above. I just bought that way cover as a replacement for the original which was worn... Haven't run the machine for more than a couple of weeks with the new cover :( :( :(

Luckily I was able to fix it fairly cleanly and quickly. I took the bolt out of the 'ear' holding the side of the way cover in place and drilled a few holes through it. Shoved the cover back into alignment and held it there while I threw a couple of plug welds through the ear and into the cover. Got the alignment flag bent back into shape, was tightening it back up when I slipped and dropped a wrench down in behind the Z way cover. :bawling:

I was honestly pretty tempted to just leave the wrench there and buy a new one. Taking the Z way cover completely off really sucks as a one man job. In the end I was able to just take the bottom off and grab the wrench with a magnetic grabber.



I'm back up and running, and it definitely could have been worse, but it feels like a stupid waste of a morning!

Anybody else got a good 'today must be one of those days' story? I'll get the popcorn and try not to break anything else for the rest of the day :crazy:

-A
 
I've had one of those weeks..

I knew I had a job coming up that I was going to need to use a ton of air blast,
so I decided it was finally time to mount the new motor to my big compressor, its
only been sitting around for a little over 4 years.

Made up a whole new mounting system that came out pretty good. I had re-done all
the plumbing 4 years ago. New check valve, new pressure switch. I thought I was
good to go.

Nope.. Had to do a bunch of re-wiring because it was a mess, not that big of a deal.

Found out that my mount had bolts that were not easy to get to when it was all assembled.

Finally get the damn thing running, and there is a ton of leaks. OK... More teflon tape,
new compression fittings. And its still got a leak.. I went through almost half a bottle
of 409 trying to find it before I mixed up some Dawn.. Still couldn't find it, it was only
when the compressor was running..

Screw it, let her come up to pressure, and the pressure keeps going and going and going..

Lets adjust the pressure switch, finally got it to turn off at 120-125 or so, but then it
would never turn back on. Messed with it, Messed with it, Messed with it.... And the best
I could get was 75-125.. I wanted about 90 - 115... Whatever, the Fadals can change tools
on 75psi...

Get the material that I need the air blast on.. And its doing fine.. Except for the HUGE air
leak that I can not find. Then my new check valve craps out. Pull it ALL apart again, and
the flapper fell off the arm (Nobody told me not to use a flapper in an air compressor)..
Now that the check valve is a mess, air is leaking back to the compressor head, and I was actually
able to find my leak.. The copper line going to the pressure switch runs the length of the compressor,
underneath the mounting plates.. Apparently years of vibration wore right through the copper line.

Fix the check valve with some c-clips. Get back to running. No air leaks!!!!!! And the check
valve craps out again. This time the arm broke. So I send my helper out to find a check valve,
and while I'm trying to figure out how to make one, because I know she won't find one here in this
one horse town.. I come across another check valve (flapper style) in an old pile of pipe fittings.

Perfect. Sounds like crap, but I'm back up and running. CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK... And then
its stops sealing, but its not completely open. I can still run.

Sent my helper to the big city the next morning to drop some money in the bank, and to pick up a check valve.

Now my compressor is happy. Its quieter than its ever been, I think its because the new motor is lighter than
the WWI surplus motor that was on there, and the compressor is spring mounted. ZERO air leaks. Now I just have to wait
for my new pressure switch to come in.. Pumps up quicker than it ever has. From about 77-122ish in 1:55. filling
140 gallons of tank plus lines. I don't know if that is acceptable or not for a 5hp compressor, but its
the quickest its ever been.

And then the wires going to my air blast valve shorted out and I blew a relay, one of the domino ones,
but naked. And I destroyed a part off tool. And my cleaning guy had a stroke, and when I went to bed
last night, my dog left me a nice big gross wet spot where she was licking her paw.

Its just been one of those months... But my way covers haven't fallen off yet.

Sorry for the long story, its just been a week and a half of non-stop fighting with that
damn compressor.
 
I've had one of those weeks..

I knew I had a job coming up that I was going to need to use a ton of air blast,
so I decided it was finally time to mount the new motor to my big compressor, its
only been sitting around for a little over 4 years.

Made up a whole new mounting system that came out pretty good. I had re-done all
the plumbing 4 years ago. New check valve, new pressure switch. I thought I was
good to go.

Nope.. Had to do a bunch of re-wiring because it was a mess, not that big of a deal.

Found out that my mount had bolts that were not easy to get to when it was all assembled.

Finally get the damn thing running, and there is a ton of leaks. OK... More teflon tape,
new compression fittings. And its still got a leak.. I went through almost half a bottle
of 409 trying to find it before I mixed up some Dawn.. Still couldn't find it, it was only
when the compressor was running..

Screw it, let her come up to pressure, and the pressure keeps going and going and going..

Lets adjust the pressure switch, finally got it to turn off at 120-125 or so, but then it
would never turn back on. Messed with it, Messed with it, Messed with it.... And the best
I could get was 75-125.. I wanted about 90 - 115... Whatever, the Fadals can change tools
on 75psi...

Get the material that I need the air blast on.. And its doing fine.. Except for the HUGE air
leak that I can not find. Then my new check valve craps out. Pull it ALL apart again, and
the flapper fell off the arm (Nobody told me not to use a flapper in an air compressor)..
Now that the check valve is a mess, air is leaking back to the compressor head, and I was actually
able to find my leak.. The copper line going to the pressure switch runs the length of the compressor,
underneath the mounting plates.. Apparently years of vibration wore right through the copper line.

Fix the check valve with some c-clips. Get back to running. No air leaks!!!!!! And the check
valve craps out again. This time the arm broke. So I send my helper out to find a check valve,
and while I'm trying to figure out how to make one, because I know she won't find one here in this
one horse town.. I come across another check valve (flapper style) in an old pile of pipe fittings.

Perfect. Sounds like crap, but I'm back up and running. CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK... And then
its stops sealing, but its not completely open. I can still run.

Sent my helper to the big city the next morning to drop some money in the bank, and to pick up a check valve.

Now my compressor is happy. Its quieter than its ever been, I think its because the new motor is lighter than
the WWI surplus motor that was on there, and the compressor is spring mounted. ZERO air leaks. Now I just have to wait
for my new pressure switch to come in.. Pumps up quicker than it ever has. From about 77-122ish in 1:55. filling
140 gallons of tank plus lines. I don't know if that is acceptable or not for a 5hp compressor, but its
the quickest its ever been.

And then the wires going to my air blast valve shorted out and I blew a relay, one of the domino ones,
but naked. And I destroyed a part off tool. And my cleaning guy had a stroke, and when I went to bed
last night, my dog left me a nice big gross wet spot where she was licking her paw.

Its just been one of those months... But my way covers haven't fallen off yet.

Sorry for the long story, its just been a week and a half of non-stop fighting with that
damn compressor.

Talk about things going south … that's where my bad luck went ...south - to NM! Thanks Bob!
 
Days like those I find it's best to shut it all down and take a 12 pack to a drunk's place I know and listen to him talk about how great his shitty messed up life is. Nothing will cheer me up quicker than a guy who can piss himself drunk at 10AM, run over his own dog on his way to get beer and is beyond thrilled his dick doesn't work anymore so he doesn't have to screw his girlfriend that's uglier than a mud fence.
 
I spent literally an hour and a half last night trying to put a new 4mm probe tip on my Renishaw OMP40 since the 6mm tip is just a hair too big. I've done Haimer tips, Tschorn probes, the old Metrol in my machine... but never a Renishaw. It kicked my ass in a complete god damn goat rodeo.

We all have these days!
 
I'm feeling embarrassed that the only thing upsetting me was that I'd been boring an aluminium part up to a saddle stop and the swarf was packing around the tip and the boring bar as the diameter increased. So I rotated the top slide and reset the tool's radius to give it some more clearance. I forgot to re-adjust the saddle stop/Z position. First pass and the insert wipes itself out on a chuck jaw. The (carbide) boring bar survived after slight dressing of the insert seat. Chuck jaws might need a bit of ginding...
 
I tripped over this morning while putting on underwear... I should have taken that as a warning and stayed home... :angry:

.
.
.

Anybody else got a good 'today must be one of those days' story? I'll get the popcorn and try not to break anything else for the rest of the day :crazy:

-A

Meahh... not for the first time in me old age, got a greasy thumbprint on my watchmaker's 8X eye-loupe, such that when I got the Henry N. Mann "AA" tweezers to pull out the remains of my putz to take a whizz, I grabbed an ingrown hair instead and then wet meself, messing up undershorts I hadn't yet gotten a full week's wear out of. And then.. sometimes shit does NOT happen.

You youngsters still ABLE to go to work in the same direction one day after the next and even remember WHICH direction are spoilt rotten...
 
you only lost a morning? well, I'd call that lucky! spent the last 3 days f***ing around trying to weld/braze/solder some zinc that I'm going to get maybe 80 bucks for. I'm just stubborn and wouldn't give up, but also, have had this problem before, and need to get this figured out...
 
The thing I like to remember when things start going south is that no matter how bad you think it is, it can always get worse.
 
Nothing to do with machining but was mowing the lawn this afternoon next to some bushes. The mower made a very unfamiliar bad noise telling me I had run over something. Looking back I saw debris over about a 5 foot square area of grass. It took about 5 seconds to realize that it was my wallet and it's contents. Pieces of credit cards and membership ID cards. The wallet was a Christmas present from my wife. The third wallet of my adult life since 1961. Fortunately the medical IDs, drivers license, truck registration and CCW permit survived. Replacement credit cards ordered. All the credit card company employees laughed.

Bob
WB8NQW
 
I've had one of those weeks..

I knew I had a job coming up that I was going to need to use a ton of air blast,
so I decided it was finally time to mount the new motor to my big compressor, its
only been sitting around for a little over 4 years.

Made up a whole new mounting system that came out pretty good. I had re-done all
the plumbing 4 years ago. New check valve, new pressure switch. I thought I was
good to go.

Nope.. Had to do a bunch of re-wiring because it was a mess, not that big of a deal.

Found out that my mount had bolts that were not easy to get to when it was all assembled.

Finally get the damn thing running, and there is a ton of leaks. OK... More teflon tape,
new compression fittings. And its still got a leak.. I went through almost half a bottle
of 409 trying to find it before I mixed up some Dawn.. Still couldn't find it, it was only
when the compressor was running..

Screw it, let her come up to pressure, and the pressure keeps going and going and going..

Lets adjust the pressure switch, finally got it to turn off at 120-125 or so, but then it
would never turn back on. Messed with it, Messed with it, Messed with it.... And the best
I could get was 75-125.. I wanted about 90 - 115... Whatever, the Fadals can change tools
on 75psi...

Get the material that I need the air blast on.. And its doing fine.. Except for the HUGE air
leak that I can not find. Then my new check valve craps out. Pull it ALL apart again, and
the flapper fell off the arm (Nobody told me not to use a flapper in an air compressor)..
Now that the check valve is a mess, air is leaking back to the compressor head, and I was actually
able to find my leak.. The copper line going to the pressure switch runs the length of the compressor,
underneath the mounting plates.. Apparently years of vibration wore right through the copper line.

Fix the check valve with some c-clips. Get back to running. No air leaks!!!!!! And the check
valve craps out again. This time the arm broke. So I send my helper out to find a check valve,
and while I'm trying to figure out how to make one, because I know she won't find one here in this
one horse town.. I come across another check valve (flapper style) in an old pile of pipe fittings.

Perfect. Sounds like crap, but I'm back up and running. CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK... And then
its stops sealing, but its not completely open. I can still run.

Sent my helper to the big city the next morning to drop some money in the bank, and to pick up a check valve.

Now my compressor is happy. Its quieter than its ever been, I think its because the new motor is lighter than
the WWI surplus motor that was on there, and the compressor is spring mounted. ZERO air leaks. Now I just have to wait
for my new pressure switch to come in.. Pumps up quicker than it ever has. From about 77-122ish in 1:55. filling
140 gallons of tank plus lines. I don't know if that is acceptable or not for a 5hp compressor, but its
the quickest its ever been.

And then the wires going to my air blast valve shorted out and I blew a relay, one of the domino ones,
but naked. And I destroyed a part off tool. And my cleaning guy had a stroke, and when I went to bed
last night, my dog left me a nice big gross wet spot where she was licking her paw.

Its just been one of those months... But my way covers haven't fallen off yet.

Sorry for the long story, its just been a week and a half of non-stop fighting with that
damn compressor.


... But. Did. You. Die?

No? Quitcher bitchin'. ...'s'work to be done... ;)

Better days ahead. Don't get th' rona.
 
Fifty years of doing this has generated a big pool of "stories"--biggest problem now is just remembering the
damn things. :(

Got a recent one, though, so memory isn't an issue. Couple days ago my bro welded up a broken leg section
on one of those cast iron garden bench end frames. Usually not worth messing with but this one was older and
a bit more substantial looking and, to boot, the customer said it had some sentimental value and really wanted it
fixed.

Bro did a nice job on it using silicon bronze with the tig torch--took his time letting it cool and peening it a lot to
keep it from cracking. Couple hours later it was done with a couple of nice, clean, solid looking welds. Left it
leaning up against the corner of a bench and went home.

I came into the shop yesterday morning to find it lying on the floor with the leg broken off. Two nice clean, fresh
breaks right beside the welded joints. All that's left to do is call the customer and tell him we spent 180 bucks on
his leg but if he wants it to work we're going to have to do it all over again. Shoulda called him today but just
didn't have the heart for it...
 
weld/braze/solder some zinc that I'm going to get maybe 80 bucks for. I'm just stubborn and wouldn't give up, but also, have had this problem before, and need to get this figured out...

Like mixing oil and water and as the zinc vaporizes the fumes will give you metal poisoning.
John
 
If it makes you feel better yesterday I put a $400 cutter body and about $30 in inserts right into my brand new vise jaw and carrier ($320 replacement).
 
Horizontal directional drilling for 4" conduit on the new property and on the pullback the damn reamer got stuck. Apparently 10' down there is dense clay and the mud wouldnt move out of the way.

Had to dig pot holes all over the place to relieve the pressure. 380 feet later we have 4" conduit for the new transformer.

Time to fill in 6 potholes 10 feet deep [emoji849]
3de4644be2e96055859a50e08efcc362.jpg


Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 
... But. Did. You. Die?

No? Quitcher bitchin'. ...'s'work to be done... ;)

Better days ahead. Don't get th' rona.

I didn't.. But seems everybody else has...

10/3 My Dad got himself some stage IV cancer.
12/12 My aunt died,
4/1 My grandma died.
5/1 My better half's relative that I really liked died.
5/11 My Mom's Jewish mother died
5/9 and my cleaning guy had a stroke. which is bugging me
since he is still in the hospital. He wasn't old, he was in
good health. Been keeping in touch with his family, and
paying his wife for the hours he would have worked. 2 stints
in the brain, and the docs say he should have a really good
recovery, not too much damage done.

It just keeps coming, and it keeps coming faster.
Pretty soon there will be nobody left around me to die.

My grandma was 92, and she was ready. Sad, but not devastating.

My aunt was early 60's, but she had massive
brain damage from an accident in '81. Car
went end over end 7 times and then the ambulance
rolled twice. Sad, but not devastating.

Better half's relative, early 60's, healthy, athletic,
and cancer just kicked his ass quick. Pretty sad, not cool.

My Mom's Jewish mother, 90's, alzheimers. Sad but not devastating.

My Dad's cancer. Prostate with bone metastasis. He wouldn't go
to the doctor. Ended up 5 days in the hospital. So much cancer
on his bones that his RBC count fell to the point they had to give
him transfusions. He was so weak that if he went down stairs, he
had to rest for 2 days before he could do it again. He lost about
40 pounds, and would puke every time he tried to eat.

How's he doing? Not too bad, he blew the motor in his riding mower
last week, so he mowed the whole lawn with the push mower, and its
a BIG yard. Almost all the cancer on the bones is gone, RBCs back
up to normal. No surgery, just a pill a day, and a shot every 3 months.
He's a little radioactive and has to stay away from women of child
bearing age for a week after he gets his shot, but that one didn't
turn out too bad. Modern medicine is amazing, 10 years ago they
would have sliced him and diced him and sent him home to die.
 
15 pcs into a 90 pc order, 304 stainless.
Stopped in the middle of a tool to check something. Forgot to turn the coolant back on.
Ran the rest of the part.
a2.jpg a3.jpg

Ordered new drills, closed up, went home. :wall:
 
15 pcs into a 90 pc order, 304 stainless.
Stopped in the middle of a tool to check something. Forgot to turn the coolant back on.
Ran the rest of the part.
View attachment 288559 View attachment 288560

Ordered new drills, closed up, went home. :wall:

Apologies in advance.. but that terse sequence ..and then the pics - drills most of all.. just made me laugh out loud!

Life is GOOD when yah realize yah still ain't the ONLY guy who has ever f**ked-up the basics...

Thanks for sharing that!
 








 
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