Often we forget...

[Bruce Kanzelmeyer]

Often we forget, in the rush of daily activity, the wonder of it all; that when we manipulate a graphics file a little, and click on a few buttons--thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of flawless lines of code miraculously appears--and our machines are humming away, producing parts that a few years ago would have stumped even the most adept of machinists...

[gcode]

[andate caga]

The other side of that coin is that we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Look at the sr71. No CNC, thousands of hand made titanium parts. I often think "how in the hell did they make this without?" when looking at stuff like the turbopumps for the Apollo program.

[shazam/TPP]

^^^ no foolish requirements (as9100, nadcap....etc...) so the smaller shops with the skill level were making these. a lot of capable shops but don't want to deal with the red tape, and bureaucracy. jmho

[BenK]

The other side of that coin is that we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Look at the sr71. No CNC, thousands of hand made titanium parts. I often think "how in the hell did they make this without?" when looking at stuff like the turbopumps for the Apollo program.

 

My grandpa is a retired machinist and he still does machining at home at 84. Watching him work shows me how we were able to do things like that, truly skilled craftsman.

[Trevor Bailey]

i was trained/started at a shop owned by a Yugoslavian guy. the guy could do basic trig in his head and could damn near mill a perfect circle on a manual mill. some of the fixturing he had me do by titling the heads and using angle plates where the best lessons i could have ever received. i go into shops now and some guys tell me they are stumped on how to fixture parts. i just laugh inside to myself. seems like most people i come in contact with as of late cant think for themselves any more.....not all, but most...

[Thee Awbade™]

I sometimes feel like a wizard or a conjurist.

 

Makin' stuff appear out of thin air.... Or solid blocks of stock

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

[Tyler Robertson]

that is a GREAT picture - printed and going on my wall

[Thee Awbade™]

Yeah that picture is awesome.

[Mick]

I had the privilege once of being able to examine a barrel off a 1917 Le Rhone radial engine. These engines were used in the Sopwith Camel during World War One. The machining detail on this barrel was fantastic, considering the equipment that was used back then.

 

It is good to look back what was once was, to appreciate what has become

[Newbeeee™]

that is a GREAT picture - printed and going on my wall

Tyler - that pic and some other great ones were posted over on Practical Machinist.

[kunfuzed]

Could you post a link newb? I love that stuff!!!

[kunfuzed]

The other side of that coin is that we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Look at the sr71. No CNC, thousands of hand made titanium parts. I often think "how in the hell did they make this without?" when looking at stuff like the turbopumps for the Apollo program.

 

Plus 1-effing-000!!! My company re-manufactures Sikorsky S-64 Skycranes (designed and built in the '60s), and I tell you holly crap, from the design, to the drafting, to the machining, these people were freakin genius's!! I have nothing but the utmost respect for that era, or before! I think someone else who said this was right, alot of machinists these days, self included, are nothing compared to what they were back then! What I would give for a time machine to go back and watch these processes! Does anyone know of any good site/thread for photos like that?

[Newbeeee™]

Will do - PM's down at the mo, when it's up I'll do it.

[Bill H]

I wonder if fifty or sixty years from now, guys will look back on what what we're making with the same sort of awe and respect as we have for our predecessors?

[Newbeeee™]

Done a bit of digging around this morning

 

This one is very similar (maybe identical machine) with a different job on it. SMED anyone???

http://ia600502.us.archive.org/0/items/C-1945-10126/1945_10126.jpg

 

Link to a lot of good stuff here http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22NASA%2FGlenn%20Research%20Center%22&sort=-downloads

 

PM Link with some great pics

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/more-nasa-machine-shop-111671/

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-history/historic-nasa-machine-shop-photos-113353/

 

Enjoy!

[J Coulston]

SMED = Single Month Exchange of Die

[Guyinthedesert]

The other side of that coin is that we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Look at the sr71. No CNC, thousands of hand made titanium parts. I often think "how in the hell did they make this without?" when looking at stuff like the turbopumps for the Apollo program.

 

 

SR71 parts were a long way from being hand made. Before CNC there was NC, and hydrotels

[Pilot Plant Supervisor]

Occasionally when quoting a job, I can't see a good way to machine it with all our equipment and software, and I have to think, how would they have done this back in the day. I'm still thinking about one that came across my desk two weeks ago. Would be a piece of cake if I had a boring mill with tailstock.

[taperlength]

I used to work in a shop that was still using a hydraulic tracer. I programmed their new cnc machine and obsoleted the other machine.