Thread: Protohawk Machine

Originally Posted by Conrad Hoffman

Do you work as easily with metric as US?

NO! (just sayin'......)

Honestly Ox with what I've seen in industry so far ("oh, just throw a radius on there and ship it we don't have time to wait for a tool") he asked the first question I'd ask a shop that was going to make parts for me.

That said, I used to make things like active pharmaceutical ingredients and I've seen what is necessary (from a systems perspective) to keep the best and brightest from making mistakes or taking shortcuts. I have been told "I overthink things" but I take the quality side of things very seriously and having the tools one needs, or knowing when you don't have the tools you need, is important to me. I don't ever want to get to a point where I am offended or taken aback when someone challenges my ability to meet quality expectations.

Originally Posted by wheelieking71

NO! (just sayin'......)

C'mon if you're tuning a 7 second turbo car you're gonna have to think in kPa.

Originally Posted by Rick Finsta

C'mon if you're tuning a 7 second turbo car you're gonna have to think in kPa.

kW if you want to stand out.

Originally Posted by Machinist_max

And don"t be surprised if you terms of "you get paid when I get paid"

And don't be surprised when I send them on down the road. Sure I limit myself.
But, it is possible to refuse to assimilate to the net-terms rat race. I am proof.
No, your not going to get aerospace work, or medical. But, I just finished up a sizable semiconductor job, and collected a check at delivery.
They didn't want to pay then. And, tried a couple different angles to not hand me a check @ delivery.
First day: "We'll send a courier for pick up, and I'll drop the check later." Uhh, NO
Second day: "Nobody here today can sign a check. Can we pick up?" Still NO
Third day: "No way we can arrange terms?" Nope, the quote stated COD. Those are my terms.
Fourth day: "I have your check on my desk." I'll be there in an hour.

As I was getting ready to hop in my truck and pull away: "Do you want me to load you back up with some more work?"
COD isn't always a deal breaker.

Yea, you need work! I get that (trust me, LOL, I get that!). But, you don't need stress. And, you are not a bank.
If you are going to work for terms, the margins need to be high, or they need to earn that "privilege".
I have exactly one regular customer that is net30. ALL the others are COD. Some pay for material up front.

Everyone does what works for them. My customers are Net 30/45 which often means 60 days. I really don't care as long as my pipe-line is full and I'm shipping every week. If a vendor insisted on cod every-time I wanted an end mill or a chunk of aluminum I'd be annoyed and go elsewhere.

Originally Posted by wheelieking71

And don't be surprised when I send them on down the road. Sure I limit myself.
But, it is possible to refuse to assimilate to the net-terms rat race. I am proof.
No, your not going to get aerospace work, or medical. But, I just finished up a sizable semiconductor job, and collected a check at delivery.
They didn't want to pay then. And, tried a couple different angles to not hand me a check @ delivery.
First day: "We'll send a courier for pick up, and I'll drop the check later." Uhh, NO
Second day: "Nobody here today can sign a check. Can we pick up?" Still NO
Third day: "No way we can arrange terms?" Nope, the quote stated COD. Those are my terms.
Fourth day: "I have your check on my desk." I'll be there in an hour.

As I was getting ready to hop in my truck and pull away: "Do you want me to load you back up with some more work?"
COD isn't always a deal breaker.

Yea, you need work! I get that (trust me, LOL, I get that!). But, you don't need stress. And, you are not a bank.
If you are going to work for terms, the margins need to be high, or they need to earn that "privilege".
I have exactly one regular customer that is net30. ALL the others are COD. Some pay for material up front.

Originally Posted by metal-ica

If a vendor insisted on cod every-time I wanted an end mill or a chunk of aluminum I'd be annoyed and go elsewhere.

They all have my AMEX on file. They aren't banks either. Makes it a whole lot easier at the end of the month.
I only have to pay one bill (to the bank) rather than stroke a bunch of checks to vendors.

Everything I buy, whatever work I have done, I pay on completion or pickup, or as soon as I get a bill. I have one supplier who the woman doing the books insists I USE the 30 days. I appreciate that, and sometimes do.

Get the wife/family stuff figured outNOW

I don’t say that rudely, but the rules need set at the beginning and you need to be consistent. A fellow I know locally, like us, started out in his garage. His kids and wife knew when he was in there, he was at work, and they didn’t bother him unless it was an emergency.

I took a more open approach because my kids are younger. The wife is the problem she calls me several times during the day from work, so her stopping in the shop to ask me a mundane question is irritating. Especially when I am dialing in the last passes on a 70 year old grinder trying to hold .0002”.

To your earlier comments, .003” is a wide open tolerance to me, even my terribly POS old VMC would hold .001” once I got it dialed in. Sometimes I had to be pretty creative. . .

Best of luck!

Good luck with it. I started myself almost a year ago.

It's hard work forsure.

I don't get the iso stuff you write thoug.

Most of my work is overflow work but I got a customer that has to much work and no people so I help them alot.

Give me some steady work but I don't forget to seek work myself.

Sendt fra min EML-L29 med Tapatalk

Originally Posted by memphisjed

kW if you want to stand out.

That is a measure of power! The Aussies and Kiwis I know use it and I have to convert. Not much use for power measurement in biochem so not one I've got stored away in my noggin'.

kPa is used for engine vacuum. Seriously, domestic V8 guys use inches of water (or maybe inches of mercury? Who does that use Torr or mmHg like everyone else if you're going to use a non-absolute measurement) and I have to convert to know what they are talking about, too.

The difficulty for the wife is actually when I'm in my office in the house; she has always respected the shop as a boundary because I've been doing race car stuff out there since she's known me and knows I often can't be interrupted ("honey, I don't care what you fix for dinner; I am trying to not drop a $2600 transmission on my face, potentially ruining a perfectly good transmission").

I'm going to need to move a laptop to the shop I think, or close the office door when she is home. She works much later in the day so mornings are hardest. We'll have to set a fixed time that I go to work; I've always had a flexible work schedule so a half hour here or there wasn't a big deal but now it is cutting into my productivity because there isn't a clear "getting in the car and driving to work" line.

I've supposedly got some RFQs coming in from a major cheese manufacturer so maybe instead of aerospace and medical I'll build a cheese factory maintenance business! LOL You know the market is good around these parts and worst case I can get paid in cheese and seriously lower my monthly grocery bill.

Originally Posted by Rick Finsta

I've supposedly got some RFQs coming in from a major cheese manufacturer so maybe instead of aerospace and medical I'll build a cheese factory maintenance business! LOL You know the market is good around these parts and worst case I can get paid in cheese and seriously lower my monthly grocery bill.

Oh-boy, food-service. That is always fun. Lots of nasty 316 stainless. Or expensive plastic. At least it pays well. Quote accordingly.

Rick Finsta,

Following along. It was a pleasure working with you the last few times at your ex-employ. If there is anything you need now that you're on this side of the fence, just holler. If even you just want to vent. There are some really solid people in our area that are in the same boats that we are. It is not uncommon for work to get shuttled around between us all, simply because one or another is better suited to that particular type of job. Make your niche, fill it well, and you shouldn't have any issues.

Cash, DaveK, Max, and several of us shop owners are right here, in the area. One of the things I value the most about this forum is the personal relationships with others (working the field and owning shops) that I've gotten to build and enjoy. It has been awesome and we've all helped each other out along the way. Just the knowledge and individual insights alone are valuable.

Too, I might suggest getting acquainted with the Tool, Die & Machining Association of Wisconsin. It's a good group of people. You never know what might happen.

Be well. Speak with you soon.

YES to the tdmaw, worked out really well for me.

I wouldn't worry about morning and family. I had to start working at night because I couldn't get anything done between phone calls, emails, deliveries, and ordering material. I now do 10-10.

kw is the turbo of ev's.

I do alot of food stuff. All 316 stainless.

I got a good customer that need stuff fixed or made new stuff.

Great work and good money

Sendt fra min EML-L29 med Tapatalk

You guys who do food grade, a friend of mine works at a place that does food stuff, they use tons of 420 Ramax (not sure spelling is right) but that stuff cuts wonderfully! I did a bunch of turning and milling on a piece and was very impressed.

It’s more expensive than 316, but is great to work with.

Funny I haven't had real issues with 316. 304 is the devil, but I think that is because the material I was given was always crap. You could go through a dozen bars in the swiss and then all of a sudden you couldn't get the next bar to run right! Cut a lot of 416 as well and that stuff was nice to work with. Unless you drop an allen wrench into the bowels of the machine since now you are contending with magnetic chips sticking to your extending magnet wand...

I've got a new grade of insert for the Seco Turbo mills I fell in love with at the old shop that is meant for stainless and exotics and it left great finishes in 316 but no idea on long term tool life. I had been cutting a decent amount for a new customer of theirs that made meat packaging and forming machines. Funny, they wanted brushed finishes on everything to I had to take my mirror-finished parts and then hit them with a DA sander to meet the specifications. Uniform appearance was EVERYTHING! I even had to hand scotchbrite a bunch of aluminum parts; they were beautiful beforehand, it kinda hurt to do it LOL.

I'd definitely invest in carbide drills for stainless work; I think the extra SFM for drilling applications would pay for itself in short order.

Man am I going to miss running TSC drills into aluminum at 180ipm.

Originally Posted by Rick Finsta

Funny, they wanted brushed finishes on everything to I had to take my mirror-finished parts and then hit them with a DA sander to meet the specifications. Uniform appearance was EVERYTHING!

Vibratory Finisher



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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

So... funny story but I think I should take a second to clear something up.

My name is actually Mike (Michael) Gallo.

"Rick Finsta" was a joke from a band I was in back in my college days and I have been using it as a forum name for like 20 years now. I was going to change it a few years ago but so many folks know me by this name from over the years that it may have been even more confusing. I actually have a few friends that I've known from auto racing forums from waaaaay back that will still call me "Rick" in person since they knew me by that name for so long before ever meeting in person.

So, apologies for any confusion, inconvenience, etc. I just figure that anyone who wants look back at the history of dumb shit I've said on the internet deserves to have an easy go at it, so I don't think my name is going anywhere. The much, much younger version of me that came up with using that as a screen name could not have imagined that it would be that much different than using, say "72OldsFan."

Here are a few pictures of me to prove I'm a real person:

Mohawks and cars:


See I was totally a scientist in a past life!


And the avatar I use on other forums where I'm not trying to whore out my business: