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Where to learn machining?

drummerdimitri

Plastic
Joined
Feb 23, 2020
Location
Beirut, Lebanon
Hello,

I am new to this forum and my reason for joining is that I am interested in learning machining or become a machinist since I have prospects of starting my own metal fabrication shop selling my services to the local market(Beirut) as there are few players in the market that offer such professional services.

There are no machining schools where I live so I'd most probably have to travel to another country to learn and have a hands on experience machining parts using traditional methods (Lathe) and also learn CNC work.

What would be the best way to achieve this? Coming from a business background, I am not a fresh graduate (29 yrs old) and time is against me so I cannot afford to spend years learning a new trade from scratch so a course of a year long at most would be ideal in my case.

Let me know your thoughts thanks!
 
I spent 30 years in the printing industry. Then at 42 years old I completely changed careers and started to become a machinist. I've now been doing it for myself for 20 years.

My point? For you to say that at 29 time is against you is an escape from reality. Young man you have all the time in the world and then some.

I hate to say it but you're sounding like a lot of young people who think they get to be a machinist (or anything) without taking any time to get there. Becoming a machinist takes years. Lucky for you that you have so many to spare.

Don't worry... time is completely on your side. Yes become a machinist. It's great fun, but give yourself time to learn. :-)

I'll let others fill you in as to how. I'm simply here to clear your head first.
 
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a course of a year long at most would be ideal in my case.

Apprenticeships were historically 8,000 hours long. Working hours. Not calendar. Four years and a bit. Not one.

And that was just the basics for a sound beginning.

If you have a bizness background?

And are any GOOD at it? As a "merchant"? Have the credibility and connections - family perhaps - to raise CAPITAL? To "find" honest work from customers who are themselves reliable, CAN pay, WILL pay? Fabbing rockets of war can have unpleasant side-effects, for example.

Learn as much as you can about how to select machinists as STAFF who are already qualified craftsmen but do not want to take their hands off the machines and metal to find funding, deal with customers, see that tooling , machines, and materiel are where they need to be, when they need to be, meet a payroll, deal with permits and regulations, nor do paperwork of any kind?

Then you can start a bizness as benefits all hands.

Customers first.

Nothing else matters if you fail at THAT part.
 
You may want to contact ex Mayor Mike Bloomberg. He said he could teach anyone to be a farmer. He also said that being a machinist only required the person to stand in front of the lathe and turn the handle in the direction of the arrow!!! And he wants to run the country!!!!
 
You may want to contact ex Mayor Mike Bloomberg. He said he could teach anyone to be a farmer. He also said that being a machinist only required the person to stand in front of the lathe and turn the handle in the direction of the arrow!!! And he wants to run the country!!!!

Lebanon's curse is they've had scores of years being "run" by folks as would make Bloomburg look a - what's the other guy's term? "Stable genius".

Also past his sell-by date, retroactively.

The historical attitude in the Levant of "live, let live, just make a living, and enjoy life" sort of unraveled several "human generations" ago.

More's the pity.
 
I served a decent apprenticeship of five years. When I " came out of my time " at 21 I knew just enough to to be slightly dangerous. Then the real learning began. If there were short cuts to mastering a trade such as machining everybody would be doing it. Or would they ?

Regards Tyrone.
 
I served a decent apprenticeship of five years. When I " came out of my time " at 21 I knew just enough to to be slightly dangerous. Then the real learning began. If there were short cuts to mastering a trade such as machining everybody would be doing it. Or would they ?

Regards Tyrone.

No Fine Way, USA.

Here, the "shortcutters" try to pass themselves off as "gunsmiths". Which - done PROPERLY - by REAL ones - has 'bout the same apprenticeship needs.

UK? "Shortcutters" are classed as "Merchant Bankers" .... or sumthin' that at least SOUNDS like it, yah?

:)
 
In this world of you-tube and plenty of sites of how to do it I wonder if you can become a machinists on your own.
Start with a mill drill and tiny lathe, break lots of tooling, learn, move up a baby step at a time.
Confusing advice for sure bit even in a 4-5 year apprenticeship you are going to get conflicting advice and opinions.
Schools pop up here all the time to teach you to be a machinist in 6 months to a year. CNC orientated, state funded to some degree and most stay alive as long as that funding holds out.

For a local service shop I wonder if the dive in, make mistakes, google it and try again approach would work.
Sort of jump in the water and learn how to swim with the exception that you have lots of info out there when you start to sink.
I wonder if some here are "I learned it myself" machinist. Maybe where part loaders and went on or just grabbed a machine and tried with perhaps help from the net.
None of that was information was available to me as a young punk ass kid. It is a so different world now.
Bob
 
Got more replies than I expected, that's a good start!

I only said 1 year as my parents will be funding my business and they've already put me through college once and they're the ones who think I'm wasting my time changing careers at this age. Since time=money and it's theirs I guess that's a fair point.

I'm willing to do what it takes to get enough experience to start my own shop and become an expert at what I do as I am very passionate about working on things I enjoy which was not the case in my previous career(Insurance) hence the change of path.

Regarding the apprenticeship, where should I start looking?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
 
I'm willing to do what it takes to get enough experience to start my own shop and become an expert at what I do,

You will never become an expert. It is like taking a step one half distance to the wall.
You never get there and those who think they "made it" are fools to be avoided.
Try to be decently good at the skill and capable of helping customers.
Bob
 
You will never become an expert. It is like taking a step one half distance to the wall.
You never get there and those who think they "made it" are fools to be avoided.
Try to be decently good at the skill and capable of helping customers.
Bob

An expert by definition is: "a person who is very knowledgeable about or skillful in a particular area".

Not sure why that can't be achieved. We're not talking about perfection here but thanks for your input.
 
You may want to contact ex Mayor Mike Bloomberg. He said he could teach anyone to be a farmer. He also said that being a machinist only required the person to stand in front of the lathe and turn the handle in the direction of the arrow!!! And he wants to run the country!!!!
I learned machining by working in machine shops.

In those days we didn't have Mr. Magoo to tell us how it's done!
 
As Carbidebob speculates that path is exactly how I started on a path to be a machinist.
I have always been mechanically inclined,influenced by my father,an USAF mechanic.So when I started doing machine work the mechanics of metalworking somewhat made sense and that helped.

Being a hotrodder and trying to modify or make different combinations work always requires some machine work.
Most machine shops hate hotrodders(I fully understand why)so whenever I needed machine work done and went to a machine shop they did not want the job(not enough money in it) or priced the job ridiculously(Kinda like I used to say"I'm proud but I can be made").

So I bought a 1924 Dalton Combination lathe / mill in '69 and a lot of machining texts and went to town.Soon a few people in the hr community started requesting machining services.As a side business with little over head it was quite profitable.

Twenty years later when I decided to make my last career change to the thing I liked doing most,machining,I landed the job I now have.Still learning by the way.

I bet that there is a large percentage of machinists that never went thru a formal apprentice program,especially in the South.
 
Hello,

I am new to this forum and my reason for joining is that I am interested in learning machining or become a machinist since I have prospects of starting my own metal fabrication shop selling my services to the local market(Beirut) as there are few players in the market that offer such professional services.

There are no machining schools where I live so I'd most probably have to travel to another country to learn and have a hands on experience machining parts using traditional methods (Lathe) and also learn CNC work.

What would be the best way to achieve this? Coming from a business background, I am not a fresh graduate (29 yrs old) and time is against me so I cannot afford to spend years learning a new trade from scratch so a course of a year long at most would be ideal in my case.

Let me know your thoughts thanks!

You are young enough and have a business degree. You have a desire to learn the trade - go work for a machine shop that needs a good business manager. Very few good machinists are good businessmen, I know some lousy machinists who are good businessmen and make a very good living owning a machine shop. Find a good machinist that needs your skills, build a strong business learning from each other - Or learn enough that you start your own machine shop.
 
I learned machining by working in machine shops.

In those days we didn't have Mr. Magoo to tell us how it's done!

i had no formal training in anything - just picked it up and figured it out. when i started my business 40 years ago (on a shoe string) i had big hurdles but the biggest was employees. took longer to figure them out then how to do stuff. people have different skill capabilities i guess.

my uncle couldn't fix anything but he could manage (use) people and get them to do stuff for him (for free) :-)
 
An expert by definition is: "a person who is very knowledgeable about or skillful in a particular area".

In the Levant, maybe. In the USA "X" is the unknwn. "Ex" is "former"."Spurt" is a drip. Under pressure. So an Ex-spurt is a "formerly unknown drip, under pressure".

:)

It can be done, yes. But if you can do that sort of thing, and well? By age 29 - or nearly fifteen YEARS younger, you already know you can learn new things that rapidly, and don't NEED to ask.

You'll ony scare reg'lar folks and make enemies by discussing it.

Just quietly go and do it.
 
I am surprised you can't find a "short" course ...

In my neck of the woods there are introductory courses - especially CNC - that last 6 to 8 months. It was designed to get people into the workforce.

If you already have business schooling in administration, just find a short course, it has to exist.

Good luck

Sent from my SM-T590 using Tapatalk
 
You may want to contact ex Mayor Mike Bloomberg. He said he could teach anyone to be a farmer. He also said that being a machinist only required the person to stand in front of the lathe and turn the handle in the direction of the arrow!!! And he wants to run the country!!!!

I caught that Bloomer about running a lathe but the news but the news did not make a big deal..just as tough as farming IMHO.
*To the OP an apprentice is very good, trade school in Germany likely very good. On your own with years of hobby machining is fun but won't get /rate a job in a decent shop. *You might pick up a side job in your country to see if you like the machining trade. A good machinist enjoys the trade...others call it work.
 
What exactly is the business you want to do ?

You indicated "Metal Fabrication".

What does this entail ?
 








 
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