r/Machinists

I work in DOD contracting and for the most part our work is simple as heck. All straight line cuts, occasionally get some work with features like chamfers and radiuses. The place itself is a massive disaster but it works. The processes are slow and taken “one step at a time” meaning one machine might cut a part to width and send it to the next for a feature.

We have some smaller work centers where you program by hand on tiny one-off parts but even that is simple as heck. A lot of the processes and setups are totally proprietary to our industry. I’d wager I know a little more than the average person out of school but I’ve seen some stuff posted here that really makes me wonder.

It feels a lot like being an imposter as a machinist. I think on a daily basis the most intense thing I deal with is indicating a part, making sure my set up is rigid, and then selecting tools for what are usually very simple processes. The components are of course valued at $500K-$9million in cost a piece. Most of the work is production meaning your work center will have about a dozen types of parts run on it regularly but they are all for the most part the same. You have peer-checkers who make sure your parts are setup right before you run them for the high $ stuff and sometimes rely on quality control for the same thing.

I’m not complaining, but it does sometimes feel like I am imposter. If you put me in a job shop it’d be like learning from scratch. I went to school and did all the cool stuff like making gyroscopes and derby car using CAD/CAM and now I’m on a manual machine from 1965 running straight line 1hr long cuts or simple radiuses we’ve already refined.

I’ve been doing this for 5 years. I’ve got a pension with the company, 401K match, make 96K base pay a year (120K after overtime usually). The only catch is they work the absolute hell out of is (as in constantly around the clock schedule you mandatory overtime with about a weekend off every month). As far as I know this sounds like typical DOD work. Also worth noting the turnover rate here is freaking insane, like we’ve lost 100+ machinists to either quitting or internal transfers over the past 5 years and we have a total of about 220 machinists at any given time. The place is desperately trying to hire but can’t find anyone competent enough to even do basic tasks without being juvenile and getting fired. Also everyone here hates their lives and wants to quit. To be fair we get jerked around by management for really stupid reasons and it’s almost like they want you to hate the place.

Anyone have a similar experience? I want to continue learning but I don’t think it’ll happen at this employer, and I’m making so much money doing easy work that I don’t think I could ever leave unless it was for a job that offered similar pay with more time off. I’m not posting to complain, I just want to hear other people’s thoughts.

I ask this because I am looking at a King Canada mini mill. But it says "Drilling capacity in steel 1/2 inch".

The machine is only about $1,600 (US dollars), but 1/2 inch does not sound like a lot. Is this normal for machines at this price, or is this bad?

Anybody out there have experience turning Hastelloy? I just wasted 2 days trying to make a Hastelloy version of a 316 VAR part that I literally make by the 100,000s. Same exact dimensions out of 2 1/2" bar stock. Got different inserts, switched the few HSS drills needed to carbide, went by the manufacturers recommended speeds/ feeds. Id get 2 or 3 parts out of a a side of an insert, and then everything took a shit all at once. We're not even removing that much material. Turning, boring, drilling, od threading threadmilling, its all shit... Tore it down and went back to the usual stuff. Not sure what to do now.

I’ll preface by saying I finished my Manual and CNC schooling this year a bit early, and was able to get a job in the aerospace industry. It’s only been 4 months into the job. They started me just shadowing, note taking and operating. Slowly given me simple dovetails, and now onto very simple parts and fixture jobs.

I’m loving every single minute of it, even if it’s just inspecting and operating some times. I am constantly learning and furthering my experience everyday, but I feel like it’s at a snails pace, since nothing compares to real work experience and problems. Is there anything at all I can do to continue to hone and grow my skills at home? What can I read? Watch? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Hey guys,

I make a lot of random API pins and boxes on CNC. All the IF, FH etc. I've been making them for a long time and now I cut my threads at around 200 SFM for 4140 and 150 or so for crappy stainless pipe. .002 depth of cut with no spring pass. I can thread it in about 15 mins with reruns. I gave up a long time ago trying to do it heavy and quick. I've always wondered if I was being a ..... about the whole thing.

Anyone else do this kind of work?