EDM

Reminds me of a story.....

About 24 years ago, when I was an apprentice, and about 17 years old, we had a Handsvet that would drift (the ram would go down) sometimes. We had made this aware to the boss on multiple occasions, but he was too cheap to fix it. I had my Mititoyo indicator in the ram to indicate a part, and needed a rubber hammer from the other room to adjust the plate I was working on. I went to get the hammer, and when I came back, the machine had smashed my indicator. I was pretty ticked. After all, I was making all of about $3.35 per hour, and tools were hard to come by for me. I stomped into the bosses' office, and demanded that he get my indicator fixed. I was kinda shocked. Not only did he send it off to get fixed, he loaned me his Best Test to use until mine came back. His indicator was rather special to him. He had even memorized the serial number on it because it ended in 187. He called it his

3/16ths indicator.

A couple of days later I was using his indicator to straighten a plate on a mill. I couldn't get that stupid plate to move, so I rared back and gave it a good whack with the rubber hammer. You guessed it, I missed the plate completely and nailed his indicator. Pieces flew all over the shop. I was shocked, and scared. There was no way I could afford to replace his indicator, and there weren't enough pieces left of it to have it repaired. My mind kept playing back the little fit I threw when "his machine" broke my indicator.

I found a small paper sack, and gathered all of the pieces. I carried it into his office, and handed it to him. I offered to replace it, but he refused. I thought he was going to cry.

Roll the clock forward about 18 years. I had since left that shop, and worked at a couple more. I was contemplating starting my own, so I went back to my old boss to ask for some advice. He was still running his little shop, and things hadn't changed much since I was there last. As we talked, I followed him into his office. There on the back corner of his desk was an old brown paper bag that he wanted to show me. Sure enough, inside the bag were crumpled pieces of his old indicator. He had never taken it off of his desk!

He still won't let me buy that thing from him, and everytime I see him, he points the bag out to me again.

:)

Reply to
Dave Lyon
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memorized the serial number on it because it ended in 187. He called it his 3/16ths indicator. <

I checked my Starrett and found it has no serial number. Sorry I can't help.

dennis in nca

Reply to
rigger

Ok I think I have an equivalent story There is some metal content here so just bear with me I am prone to rambling One of my First jobs was in a small sign shop in Michigan. We made mostly traffic signals and some neon We had been working on these these multicolor sign faces for an Ice cream shop that had moved into an abandoned gas station.Nice folks anxious to get their sign up finally . So we truck the thing a few blocks to the Ice Cream shop and get set up to hang it up on the pole They're excited and so am I and I wanna get the project over with So as my superior is consulting with the shop man i proceed to untie the the new doubluble sided sign from the bed of the boom truck, Lets just say gravity was not my friend that that day This brand new sign came crashing off the truck and shattered into alot of pieces. I think my life and maybe some other lives flashed before me in slow motion. I knew I was was screwed and was prepared to quit. We picked it all up and went back to the shop. I told my big boss that it was all my fault and he should fire me right then and there. Well he had been there before and tried to calm me down with a story of his own mistakes Sees one day they got a delivery of aluminum sheets. They were suspended on an overhead trolly crane. He was a good rigger and a master welder but on this day he may have been distracted and didn't notice that his fathers new Cadilac was parked a little too close to this hanging bundle of aluminum Gravity takes over as it always does and the metal crushes the car. Father : not happy Son : scared Other people: laughing their asses off, which probabaly didn't help He kept me on for a few more months we repaired the ice cream sign and the man was pleased but he went out of business a few months later Nobody wants to buy softserve in the middle of winter

Reply to
daniel peterman

Construction company owner visits the job site where motor scrapers are being push loaded in the borrow pit. Unfortunately, he hops out of his Caddy in the wrong place and the pusher dozer nails it broad side on his way back (in reverse) to pick up the next scraper. The only comment was "I guess I picked a bad place to park". Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

Thanks Ed. A few clues to get me started anyway.

Steve

Reply to
Steve Smith

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