[anchange]

I'm a college student spending the summer back home in northern California (SF bay area / Palo Alto). I want to spend the summer learning how to mill / lathe. Does anyone know of any classes I might be able to take at a community college?

I have to take units over the summer for my degree so I'm hoping I can find something at a community college so I can get credit for it. But more then anything I just want to learn so any resources that you know of would be great!

Thank you for your time,

Brad

[ckm]

I know that City College in SF has some classes, but perhaps more interesting would be classes at either the Crucible in Oakland or TechShop in Menlo Park. I would look for an internship as well, even if you don't get paid.

chris

[Zumba]

Sign up for the manual and CNC courses at De Anza College in Cupertino. They have a good program.

[anchange]

thanks for the help! De Anza is very close to me. You recommend the program? I'm having a really hard time figuring out what courses they offer from thier website/catalog would you know course numbers or class names by chance?

[TKBuisan]

Go to the following link:
http://www.deanza.edu/appliedtech/manufacturing/
You can also stop by during the day. Ask for Mark (tool room guy) or for Mike (instructor).
TKBuisan

[anchange]

simply awesome. thanks for the help!

[beez9]

Hi, total NOOB here, been lurking and doing a LOT of reading threads on the cnczone. Really excited to get started! I would like a class or a mentor in the east bay, I'm in Oakland. I looked at Laney, but it seems like I'd have to enroll. True?

I'm also considering just diving in and buying one of the 7x12 mini lathes and a training DVD or two. Minilathe.com seems to have the good poop on which lathe to get. What training DVD(s) would be good for a noobie like me?

Thanks!
Chris
:withstupi

[anchange]

check out http://techshop.ws/
they have beginner classes that will teach you what's what and give you a better idea of what you need before you start buying anything. Those minilathes are crap by the way.

[beez9]

Great advice, I looked at the TechShop, so much so that my wife bought me a gift membership for xmas! ;-))

However, There's nothing like a real mentor, and something closer would be better for me. I live in Oakland and work in Vacaville so Menlo Park is the wrong direction.

However, I've been studying a lot on cnczone, which I found through five bears. I believe I will get some small "starter" machines and bootstrap myself up into a design like the one Swede did.

Can anyone recommend any beginner training materials? Also, if anyone is able to take me under their wing, I'll be forever buying the lunch/dinner/beer or whatever else )
Thanks!
Beez

[ckm]

Terrible advice, actually. Techshop is terrible and the classes are even worse. I have a paid-up-front membership and would never use the place.

If you really want to learn something and are in East Bay, try the Crucible instead. Much, MUCH better classes and a much higher level of knowledge in general. It does have a bit of artist arrogance, but if you can get past that, you'll learn a lot.

Chris.

[ckm]

Oh, and learn how to use a lathe first. I've spent a lot of time and $$$ on mills, and I actually find that the a lathe is much more useful on a day to day basis. It's also easier to grok than a mill.

If you're ever around San Francisco, give me a shout, I'd be happy to get together.

[123CNC]

The MIT videos and free online courses have been linked to in other threads on the Zone.

The price can't be beat, and they are worth your time. Most in manual machining, but still appropriate.

http://techtv.mit.edu/genres/24-how-...machine-shop-1

Grab some popcorn and enjoy.

[awerby]

and enrollment is a bargain. They (and the Community College System in general) are a remnant of California's long-lost commitment to low-cost higher education for the masses. They are well-equipped with solid manual machines which you can use to master the basics of set-ups, machining operations, and blueprint-conversion. I took some machine-shop classes there (after graduating from UC Berkeley) and learned a lot while spending little. I'm sure it's more expensive now, but it's still a good deal.

What is it that you want to learn - lathe operation? What are you wanting to make?


Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

Hi, total NOOB here, been lurking and doing a LOT of reading threads on the cnczone. Really excited to get started! I would like a class or a mentor in the east bay, I'm in Oakland. I looked at Laney, but it seems like I'd have to enroll. True?

I'm also considering just diving in and buying one of the 7x12 mini lathes and a training DVD or two. Minilathe.com seems to have the good poop on which lathe to get. What training DVD(s) would be good for a noobie like me?

Thanks!
Chris
:withstupi

[beez9]

I want to make Robots!
I'm actually retired from software engineering where I worked for about 18 years doing robotics and automation ( embedded programs mostly ) and systems integration.

I love to make stuff! My robot designs are way more complex then a lot of the hobby robotics you may have seen with a couple gearmotors and wheels, or a bunch of hobby servos. What can typically hold me back right now is the tooling and knowledge to make machined parts.

I agree that a lathe is the first tool to acquire, and I'm thinking small and cheap, one of the sieg clones we see so much I guess. Then a small mill.

I do want to go CNC but it seems like the way to go is manual first, to gain the skills and understanding.

Finally, I'd like to build my own CNC tools because I'd like some production capacity, even the simplest of my robot designs has many copies of the same or similar parts. Also because CNC tools can do many things that I can't easily do with manual, circles on the mill, spheres on the lathe ( I know, I can do that with special tooling ).

Really Finally, , I like CNC because it's cool and they are robots!

Thanks for this great community!
Chris

[beez9]

Ok!
Well I watched all ten videos, what do I win?

Anyone have any more interesting videos like that, either free or otherwise?

I thought that was very instructive if a bit uneven in level of detail. A couple of questions linger.

1) He emphasizes safety, that's cool, esp, not putting the part into the belt sander or buffing wheel "uphill". At the same time, he shows grinding a lathe tool on the grinding wheel, and he's definitely going "uphill". Is this safe? Is it because the wheel is so hard it's not as likely to grab the part and drive it down like the soft wheel or abrasive belt? Or is it just that you have to do so to get a sharp edge and the benefit outweighs the risk?

2) Anybody else cringe when he's pointing out the surface finish right next to the running boring bar? Maybe it was just the camera angle that made it look more dangerous than it was. I guess he's a pro and still has ten digits!

2.5) He shows how to align the head to the bed, and square the vise jaw to the head. Is this the same as "tramming" the mill? Are there other reference materials to teach this important task? Are there similar operations that must be done with the lathe? He only shows squaring the cutoff tool. While he mentions the threading tool must also be square, he doesn't show how.

3) He has a super well equipped shop. I'm guessing I"m not going to rush out and buy a Wilton drill press, Bridgeport mill, and whatever that lathe was, plus all the tooling right off the bat. Although I would like to, my wife's insurance policy is not that much. So, I already have a band saw and a bench grinder. I have a large collection of woodworking tools, and I've been told I can get metal cutting blades for the radial arm saw and that might be handy. I guess I will get a lathe, I'm thinking one of the sherlines or the standard import "mini-lathe". The sherline is USA made and that's appealing but it's mighty small. The import is bigger but possibly less accurate and more design-compromised. With the import I am told I will have to spend significant initial work just to make the lathe work right. With the Sherline I'm betting I can just get to work learning how to make stuff. Oh, I think the import is less expensive even though it's larger.

Also, what tooling should I get? I KNOW I will need a dial indicator with some accessories. I already have a dial caliper, in .001s, but it's from Dillon, for reloading, is that going to be sufficiently accurate? Should I get a micrometer? What else?

I have 1,000,000 questions, but I guess I'll stop there for now. :rainfro:
Advice?
Thanks!
Beez

[longbill76]

Hi everyone, I really need help setting up my Syil X4, I have absolutely no knowledge of CNC, if anyone on the bay area is willing to lend a helping hand then please email or PM [email protected]


Thanks,
Brandon

[beez9]

I can try to help you a bit, I'm super handy with computers and automation etc.

I also have some machining experience with mills from way back, and a recent introduction to turning on a lathe.

Am also a newbie with CNC though.
Can you be specific about what aspects you need help with?
Where are you located in the BA? I'm in Oakland.

Did you check out the "MIT videos" cited earlier in the thread?
Those are really neat if you lack general machining knowledge.

I've also recently discovered jjjtrain.com which has a much more extensive online training curriculum from cerritos college down by LA. It has a CNC section that I have not looked at yet. Check it out!
Chris

[fignoggle]

hello all-

we are looking for an intern for our shop. we're located in the san francisco bay area, close to public transportation (bart, muni, caltrain). ideally, if you're currently enrolled in one of the city college machining classes and would like to supplement that with real world machining (manual and cnc), please PM me.

thanks!

[Joe S.]

Ok!
Well I watched all ten videos, what do I win?

Anyone have any more interesting videos like that, either free or otherwise?

I thought that was very instructive if a bit uneven in level of detail. A couple of questions linger.

1) He emphasizes safety, that's cool, esp, not putting the part into the belt sander or buffing wheel "uphill". At the same time, he shows grinding a lathe tool on the grinding wheel, and he's definitely going "uphill". Is this safe? Is it because the wheel is so hard it's not as likely to grab the part and drive it down like the soft wheel or abrasive belt? Or is it just that you have to do so to get a sharp edge and the benefit outweighs the risk?

2) Anybody else cringe when he's pointing out the surface finish right next to the running boring bar? Maybe it was just the camera angle that made it look more dangerous than it was. I guess he's a pro and still has ten digits!

2.5) He shows how to align the head to the bed, and square the vise jaw to the head. Is this the same as "tramming" the mill? Are there other reference materials to teach this important task? Are there similar operations that must be done with the lathe? He only shows squaring the cutoff tool. While he mentions the threading tool must also be square, he doesn't show how.

3) He has a super well equipped shop. I'm guessing I"m not going to rush out and buy a Wilton drill press, Bridgeport mill, and whatever that lathe was, plus all the tooling right off the bat. Although I would like to, my wife's insurance policy is not that much. So, I already have a band saw and a bench grinder. I have a large collection of woodworking tools, and I've been told I can get metal cutting blades for the radial arm saw and that might be handy. I guess I will get a lathe, I'm thinking one of the sherlines or the standard import "mini-lathe". The sherline is USA made and that's appealing but it's mighty small. The import is bigger but possibly less accurate and more design-compromised. With the import I am told I will have to spend significant initial work just to make the lathe work right. With the Sherline I'm betting I can just get to work learning how to make stuff. Oh, I think the import is less expensive even though it's larger.

Also, what tooling should I get? I KNOW I will need a dial indicator with some accessories. I already have a dial caliper, in .001s, but it's from Dillon, for reloading, is that going to be sufficiently accurate? Should I get a micrometer? What else?

I have 1,000,000 questions, but I guess I'll stop there for now. :rainfro:
Advice?
Thanks!
Beez

First tool to get is Get on ENCO's mailing list, good news it's free.
They sell a set of 3 mics for about $40 US when on sale. Truth is they will do much more accurate work than you will right now, and if you tear them up, no big deal. Harbor freight has some cheap stuff, I bought a little drill press for $50, I use it to drill PC boards and deburr parts, works great, just don't think of swinging a big drill bit into anything as I can stall it by hand, Their digital calipers are a value when on sale too. A drill press will allow you to drill and tap holes strait using a spring center for the tap. A Radial arm saw in dangerous enough in wood as it is normally assigned to climb cut, if you elect to cut metal or dados in wood,(I hope you don't) push the blade into the work, if it jams it will kick back, in normal use the blade sucks into the work. I really dislike that particular saw for safety reasons. Enco sells a rather nice Band saw for about $800, walks through Stainless, Aluminium, steel . . .
Adjust it correctly it cuts pretty straight too, much safer than that RA Saw. I have cut Aluminum, Magnesium with a skill saw, it works but it is a much over rated experience. Wood routers and carbide bits work well in alum. & Mag. (I work a lot of Mag.). Hardest thing to do on a lathe is adjust the tail stock so you do not cut tapers when turning. Easy way to check tool bit for center is put your pocket scale between the tool and stock and look to see if it is straight up and down.(Spindle Off of course).
Wood working bandsaw runs too fast for metal unless you put a speed reduction and oil is a killer on it's rubber tires.
Go to your Community College and enroll in Metal Shop, the money you spend will be saved in burnt and broken tooling, and you can use Real Mills, Lathes etc for free basically.
Do not forget Safety Glasses and hearing protection, Never wear gloves or loose clothing or loose hair around rotating machinery, Rings are also taboo in the shop, really good finger amputators. Put together a first aid kit for your shop, and advise your Wife/Mother/Significant Other what to do if you get hurt. It happens. Do not hurry your work, think out each step before doing it, think of what could go wrong, odds are in favor it will.