machinist tutoring

Permit me to offer a suggestion:

Here in the San Jose area, we have several clubs which attract people of varying skill levels. I helped organize one of them a few years back. We get together once a month and, if someone has a problem, someone else usually has a solution. People talk about/show what they've been doing, the problems they encountered and how they solved them. People often get together "in between times" to help each other out, borrow an odd-ball tool or try out a machine before investing in one for themselves. And, looking at one another's work does provide a "frame of reference...

We started out by "advertising" on this NG, which got the interest of about a dozen people, most of whom showed up for the first meeting and about half of whom stayed active. Beyond that, we've gained members, mostly by people bringing friends along.

Check out any "live steam" clubs in your area. Or there may be people in woodworking clubs that are trying to branch out into metal. Etc.

There are a lot of folks out there who would appreciate you sharing your skills. But a lot of them are afraid to ask...

Jerry

I don't know of any metalworking groups in my area , and not looking to join as my hobbies run to the automotive and computer , the post was more in the realm of a somewhat maintained list of people that are readily available to mentor or tutor a new hobbyist who will benefit from someone experienced

this newsgroup and magazines are a great help , a little one on one coaching can usually provide leas and bounds of skill level

for instance we have a new apprentice at the shop , mechanically inclined , have had him running the flywheel lathe and doing some simple jobs on the surface grinder for about two months , got a hold of him this morning at

6:30 and had him chasing what we consider really nice threads in just a few hours by lunch we had threaded standard and metric , precision bored a really large diameter bearing fit , ground a toolbit for cutting retaining ring grooves , after lunch he repeated all of the morning exercises alone and in half the time ., while I cleaned in my tool box , keep in mind this is on manual machines of dubious quality

Monday we will turn a 3 foot long shaft with several bearing fits and features , he will be getting a pay raise after one month on the front lathe and a big raise after a month with no killed work

just a few hours of careful teaching can make the difference between somebody keeping at this hobby and regretting ever buying that 9x20 mini lathe

I guess I will build a list , so if your willing to make new friends and burn off some of your sinning with a few good deeds , send me an email with your availability times and area of expertise , I personally am looking for an AutoCAD 2006 tutor

I don't usually follow this group so this is news to me. I assume you are talking about San Jose, CA. That's where I live.

More details in this thread or email to

rex at xertech dot net

would be appreciated.

So true. A close friend of mine moved recently, and sold off his seneca falls lathe which was in pretty functional shape. He said he really had no idea how to run it and it was just too frustrating.

He needed to adjust the play in his motorcycle wheel bearings which means making a spacer to set the preload. I did this for him while he was watching, and you could see the wheels going 'round in his head - he was asking all the right questions.

It's no suprise given the amount of 'little fiddly stuff' that machining requires that apprenticeship was the way it was always taught. There's only so much that book learning can do for this kind of skill.

Jim

Im in So. California and the Central Valley. Id be glad to pass on what little I know.

Gunner

"Considering the events of recent years, the world has a long way to go to regain its credibility and reputation with the US." unknown

I have to fix my Toy and was talking to an auto machine shop and they said they don't have anybody that knows how to run their crank grinders. I asked if they would sell them and got an immediate no. They seemed receptive to train someone, wonder how much I could get vs. how much it would be worth. Better give me someone that's bright and can catch on real fast. The place is maybe 2 miles away so it would be easy to drop by in the afternoon and crack the whip, I mean show encouraging instructions.

Talk to the guys at Golden Gate Live Steam over at Tilden Park in Oakland (they're doing an open house this weekend...) or come down to a meeting of West Valley Live Steam, held in the Orange Room at SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) in Palo Alto on the 4th Friday of the month. One of them might be what you're looking for or they might know of something else closer to your interests... Or you could talk to the volunteers doing the re-build work on the locomotive at Golden Gate Railroad Museum (on the old Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco). They're usually around on weekends and might be able to point you to something.

Jerry