[sdiy] Is it me or...

[Tim Ressel]

$500???  I'm in the wrong business!  I could do that
job with a drill press and a set of calipers for less
than $500. If the "machinist" has a good mill with a
DRO, that job should take about 1/2 hour max. Cut the
metal, square it to the table and clamp it, 'find' the
edges, drill the holes. 

You didn't ask for triangular holes or something
equally bizarre, did you?

I suspect this guy might be one of the "new
machinists" i've seen: Hasn't a clue how to really run
a mill, but has a CNC package on it. So he does a 3D
CAD drawing and has the machine do all the thinking.
And charges you $500 for the programming.  Sigh. The
problem with these guys is if you ask for something
that has to be done by hand, they fall on their face.

My suggestion is: Keep looking!  Or buy a drill
press...

--TimR

-- phillip m gallo <philgallo at attglobal.net> wrote:
> While just about every machinist  will take work (we
> used to call these
> "G" jobs), i find "proto" machinists come in two
> varieties; expensive
> and not so expensive.  I've never found "cheap"
> unless it's somebody's
> brother and that has other issues that can often
> cost heavily just in a
> different form of currency.
> 
> I agree with Jim in that you need to go to a
> machinist a ask him what it
> is that "reduces" the cost.  Depending upon the shop
> this can be
> surprising (i.e. the implications of the drawing as
> you've note Jim).
> 
> As an example i had 9 rack shelves "drilled".  30
> holes each.  It cost
> me $25.00 per shelf (or $.83 per hole).   
> 
> This would sound expensive except from my accounting
> standpoint my time
> costs more than this, the accuracy was "perfect" (as
> mine would not be),
> the turn around was very fast (again would mine?), 
> but most
> importantly, my drawing was a "sketch" that told the
> machinist what i
> wanted, not a print of actual fixed locations.  
> This is why i work with
> this fellow, by indicating what i want, he advises
> me on what lowers his
> cost, what is easiest done, and then i just
> communicate my desired end
> product from a cosmetic/functional point of view, he
> does a 1st article
> and wham we are done.
> 
> Now this may not be the way to go for everyone,
> especially those with
> mechanical engineer skill. 
> 
> I am a product of the '60's educational system where
> i was sorted into a
> group that was thought to never need to get their
> hands dirty.
> I never had 1 minute of wood/metal shop,  I was able
> to fake things thru
> school as the small amount of mechanical engineering
> was conceptual, but
> once on the job i was the lowest class of rookie as
> i didn't know the
> simplest thing about a tool room, (there's this
> story about one of the
> guy's asking me to take a sheet of aluminum down to
> the tool room to
> "brake" with such and such a dimension...).  Luckily
> an old codger of a
> machinist (who delighted in my ignorance) took me
> from shearers to
> Mig/Tig welding.  But to this very day i value a
> talented machinist.
> 
> regards,
> p
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> [mailto:owner-synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl] On Behalf
> Of James Patchell
> Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2004 1:11 PM
> To: Peter Grenader; synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] Is it me or...
> 
> 
> If you ordered two pieces, it would probably still
> cost about
> $500....the 
> main cost for a machine shop is the setup.  Also,
> ask the person giving
> the 
> quote why it is $500.  Sometimes you may make a
> drawing that something
> on 
> it that is difficult to do which can really make the
> cost go up.  By 
> changing the drawing, in that case, you can greatly
> reduce the price of
> the 
> object...one common mistake, specifying too tight a
> tolerance...
> 
> At 12:25 PM 7/24/2004 -0700, Peter Grenader wrote:
> >I was just quoted $500 from a machine shop to cut a
> single piece of 1/8
> 
> >inch steel about 5 x 3.5 inches and drill 24 holes
> in it. OK, there are
> 
> >four drill sizes involved, but..
> >
> >GIVE ME A #*)#(*#()*@*&? BREAK!
> >
> >Is this what these guys are making nowdays?  I
> mean, is this normal?
> 
>          -Jim
>
***************************************************************
> http://www.oldcrows.net/~patchell
> 
>
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> 
> 
> 



	
		
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