Becoming a lost skill?

[dschwandt]

Very impressive Bob!!
Thanks for posting!!
I guess I won't posting a pic now of the oversize shoulder bolt for the 2 Haban 374's I am rehabbing!!

I used to haul stuff like that all the time and got to see some pretty big machines at work.
Hauled excavator cutting blades from Bucyrus Ohio once and got kind of a tour of the place. They were punching square holes in 4" thick stock. The whole building shook when that monster press hit home and the slugs came out red hot!.

 

[RAllison]

Very impressive Bob!!
Thanks for posting!!
I guess I won't posting a pic now of the oversize shoulder bolt for the 2 Haban 374's I am rehabbing!!

I used to haul stuff like that all the time and got to see some pretty big machines at work.
Hauled excavator cutting blades from Bucyrus Ohio once and got kind of a tour of the place. They were punching square holes in 4" thick stock. The whole building shook when that monster press hit home and the slugs came out red hot!.

Oh I'll bet...that stuff is fascinating. Post your pics,I like seeing what you're up to!

 

[dschwandt]

Well, Bob....
I've been off the road now for 10 years so all I have are old pictures of a younger trucker and old (now) equipment!!
Oh, you mean my measly shoulder bolt???

 

[Neil Mullins]

Here is one of my Horizontal Boring Mill parts. 1941 3” Lucas

 

[Neil Mullins]

And here the making parts for a new blade spindle for my CC 106.
I turned the spindle & blade mount from 2 1/4” 1045 CRR. Single point threaded on lathe for blade nut. The debris collar was a piece of sch40 2 1/2” black pipe turned & bored to size then welded on

 

[mfrade]

Wow, a lot of nice work in this group recently! Even shoulder bolts count! A lot of times the smaller items are harder to produce than larger pieces... a least for me. I've been tied down with covid but I have been trying to catch up on projects that have fallen behind.
I did get over to a fella that was selling some "chinese'um stuff" that was his grandfathers who had passed. He was trying to raise money for G'ma's bills.. so I bought some odds & ends... As I was packing up to leave he hands me an indexable shell mill and says "here take this too"! Brand new, in the box, MT2 with carbide inserts! I asked are you sure??? He says yes and I was floored! Made for a good deal!

 

[Todd]

I guess there're some pretty impressive postings in this thread but my real notice is that.... I like naps!

Todd.

 

[charles germer]

spoiled? guess mine are also.
real machinist? dieing breed for sure, too much CNCing for today me as my dad was a old timer working for farris engineering till he retired , crazy what he could do with a engine lathe and a bridge port

 

[RAllison]

I think what humors me the most Charles is that these guys actually kinda look down on me and my skills simply because I can't run a computer program...baffles me!

 

[charles germer]

personally i would have to say they look down because your a real PRO mechanist ,same today with auto mechanics, they can read the computer to find a bad part and replace it but can't overhaul a engine,trans or drive axle, heck they can't even cut a valve seat and lap a valve back in. us old timers call them parts changers.
i had a young self called auto mechanic ask me in my garage last year what this motor was?

 

[RAllison]

personally i would have to say they look down because your a real PRO mechanist ,same today with auto mechanics, they can read the computer to find a bad part and replace it but can't overhaul a engine,trans or drive axle, heck they can't even cut a valve seat and lap a valve back in. us old timers call them parts changers.
i had a young self called auto mechanic ask me in my garage last year what this motor was?

You know,I never thought about that from the view of the mechanics eyes. Technology has actually dummied down the work force.

 

[charles germer]

has it ever done that!!! i was taught both mechanics and auto machining, can run almost every engine machining tool ,, bore. line bore, install valve seats, guides , cut valves, assemble motors, rebuild trannies and rears. cut drums and rotors,
todays mechanics only change the part with a exchange

 

[RAllison]

has it ever done that!!! i was taught both mechanics and auto machining, can run almost every engine machining tool ,, bore. line bore, install valve seats, guides , cut valves, assemble motors, rebuild trannies and rears. cut drums and rotors,
todays mechanics only change the part with a exchange

A disposable and wasteful way of doing things

 

[charles germer]

yet even auto machinist are a dyeing breed, the boring bars i used have been replaced by computerized machines, one sets the size of the re bore and walks away, up side to those is when a plate is used the bore is 100% round .

to much parts exchanging today is my feeling , even in OPE work, blow the motor, min is replace the short block, no cutting of the crank, boring the cylinders .burnt valve install a new head assembly. carb leaks replace it,

 

[RAllison]

Have you been to a salvage yard lately,it's mind blowing the vehicles in there! Entire autos scrapped.

 

[charles germer]

yes just 2 weeks ago looking for a rebuildable 350 chevy for a hot rod job, sadly not one could be found within 150 miles

 

[bwstevens]

You will have to hit the swapmeet circuit. small block chevy is so out of date. Just think my Brockway truck is seventy five years old this year

 

[RAllison]

You will have to hit the swapmeet circuit. small block chevy is so out of date. Just think my Brockway truck is seventy five years old this year

Lets see an EV do that!

 

[charles germer]

yes old school but they fit in a model a ford with zero issues . if i was using a small block ford like the 1966 HIPO 289 i have there's motor mount and exhaust issues to work out

 

[bwstevens]

crate motors are about the same money as finding a machine shop. The bearings for a tractor engine we are doing are two thousand dollars an the shop to turn the crank is 4 hours away.