Tools vrs Projects

[Evan]

One thing I have noticed about using "hard corps industrial machines". Tooling is a pain. I "don't just buy" something off the shelf but rather have to have it custom ordered and custom made.

Try working on a 1929 shaper. The "custom ordered" part does not apply, unless you can find me a time machine. I have most of the bugs in the machine worked out but now I have to make tooling and work holding parts for it.

[Michael Moore]

I especially like to make things that are either better than what is available commercially or are unavailable commercially or both.

A friend of mine has the philosophy of "buy the things you can buy, and spend your time making the things you can't buy".

That of course doesn't address making things just because you want to make them, but it seems to make a lot of sense as far as "not reinventing the wheel". I've only got a limited amount of time available to accomplish things, and, within reason, it often makes more sense just to buy something off the shelf and get on with the rest of the project.

cheers,
Michael

[Mike Burdick]

...A friend of mine has the philosophy of "buy the things you can buy, and spend your time making the things you can't buy"...

Michael,

It's interesting to observe how attitudes are formed by the times we live in. I grew up on a ranch (circa 1950's) and in those days if the local implement dealer didn't stock the part (and he seldom did) one would have to make the part, as it would take over a month to get it by freight. No Fedex or UPS overnight in those days - even a letter would take two weeks to deliver! That's why we had a basic machine shop and that is why I sometimes make some things I could more easily buy. I still find myself looking at new equipment with the thought in the back of my mind, as how hard would it be to repair or make the critical parts. Sheesh... my pickup doesn't even have simple cranks to roll up or down the windows.

In those days "Blacksmiths" were common and they all had a huge forge heated up and ready to go. Most of them had machining equipment too. Now days if one was to look under "Blacksmiths" in the phone book they would either get a reference to an "artist" or maybe a shoeman for horses.

I'm not saying those days were better - because they're not! We just had to be practical!

[IOWOLF]

"In those days "Blacksmiths" were common and they all had a huge forge heated up and ready to go. Most of them had machining equipment too. Now days if one was to look under "Blacksmiths" in the phone book they would either get a reference to an "artist" or maybe a shoeman for horses."

Farrier !

[lane]

A lathe or mill without tooling is useless. Part of the fun of being a HMS is tooling up your machines.If a lathe cost $ 3000.00 you need the same in tooling Same for any thing else .You can buy it all and go broke are try to save some money and make a lot of it . One thing for sure the more you got the easer things will be to do when the time comes.