Understanding machinist layout with DRO better

[justin1]

@Susquatch @phaxtris

Ye math is somthing I want to get better at I have found the need for it at work many times and with the access to online calcs and having a cellphone in pocket it's easy to get what you need but not understand any of it.... It's very easy to get a number that's wrong and roll with it. Another thing I want to learn is SOLIDWORKS I feel like it could improve my output on building stuff. Less drawing a full size staircase handrail layout on floor to make sure I got my angles right and to verify cut lengths before cutting hundreds of pickets. And would make it faster to figure stuff like these scissors things to lift carboys up for grandma rather then draw it out till I got desired height and base ratio.

I wish I had paid more attention in school now as I find the need for it. but I didn't have any interest in anything but wood and metal class. That and because my memorizing wasn't great I was kinda left behind and the kids that struggled just got put in classes that let them pass more or less. I was in "essentials math class" till grade 10 if I remember correctly then didn't have to take math after that. We didn't learn trig or any of that fancy stuff.

@curmudgeon

Ye it's pretty neat what dro can do the DRO that I came with my mill doesn't have much functions but it's does have the bolt hole circle and running measurements does mm and inch. When I was on YouTube watching others dro man you can get some smart DROs also thank you for the help I'm currently trying to find resources that teach math to book dumb welders so I can figure out how it's all works I'm more of a picture learner then writing.

As far as the tax thing goes it is nice to make more money but I would rather work less hours to make more per hr then just live at work. I don't mind working but I enjoy my free time.

 

[curmudgeon]

I'm currently trying to find resources that teach math to book dumb welders so I can figure out how it's all works I'm more of a picture learner then writing.

I wish learning to weld well was as easy for me as learning trig was...

You already know the 3-4-5 rule for right angle triangles - this explains and expands on that: https://www.mathsisfun.com/pythagoras.html

The basic sin, cos and tan trig functions are laid out in: https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/trigonometry.html

There are links to more in that series, but those two cover the principles used to layout the positions of the stud and cam holes.

Don't be reluctant to ask for help with these things; it gives some of us with book skills and little practical skills a chance to contribute.

 

[phaxtris]

getting the higher than average dollars to work so you can have more time off is kind of a catch 22.....to get the higher dollars you have to be good (in any field), and to get good you have to put in the time, once you've gotten good enough to get the higher than average dollars so you can work less...you're in demand, and now its even harder to take time off!

What a scam!

staying medium is the only option it would appear

 

[justin1]

I wish learning to weld well was as easy for me as learning trig was...

Don't be reluctant to ask for help with these things; it gives some of us with book skills and little practical skills a chance to contribute.

Haha fair welding almost came as second nature to me during my C/B/A tickets I was top of class for all of them in the practicals and got passing marks for the written stuff....

If you were in the Okanagan would trade you welding learning for some tutoring in a heart beat lol. Welding is more of a muscle memory and repetition skill. Best way to get good at it is burn rod after rod untill you get desired result then pick a different position and do the same thing.

Fair everyone has something to contribute even the worse guy on the crew can have a good idea from time to time. It's just nice to figure out how to do it get that a ha moment and then just get the answer sometimes. I did start the thread in hopes to learn some tricks with the DROs

 

[justin1]

getting the higher than average dollars to work so you can have more time off is kind of a catch 22.....to get the higher dollars you have to be good (in any field), and to get good you have to put in the time, once you've gotten good enough to get the higher than average dollars so you can work less...you're in demand, and now its even harder to take time off!

What a scam!

staying medium is the only option it would appear

You hit the nail on the head with that. Being in the middle is the best spot most of the time when you work for big companies because when you want to take month off or more they don't put up much of a fight. But in the industry I currently hanging out in you can be the worse employee and still get work they just need billable bodies and it's very annoying to get pulled off good job to get throw on shit jobs because management trusts you can pass the x ray first time and on unreasonable time frames. But they pay you the same as the worst guy.


Had 3 of these joints to do like this worse part is there is more pipes directly under it couple inches away from pipe. So only 65% of the root was easily accessible.

 

[curmudgeon]

Had 3 of these joints to do like this worse part is there is more pipes directly under it couple inches away from pipe. So only 65% of the root was easily accessible.

wow - amazing that anyone can weld those

 

[phaxtris]

Had 3 of these joints to do like this worse part is there is more pipes directly under it couple inches away from pipe. So only 65% of the root was easily accessible.

Eek! pipe/boiler work! didn't take me long to figure out I didn't like that work! Being the small guy with lots of tig experience i had the pleasure of getting stuffed into every shitty, cramped, dirty little hole that none of the other guys could get into, did a coil once where i had to crawl in arms/torch first and get drug out by my feet. Boiler plates, the bigger diameter stuff, to much welding! I dont know how you pipe guys weld in circles for days on end, ive had my fill by the end of the first day!

But at least now with blue tooth headphones you can hide them easily enough and listen to audio books or music all day on your cell phone, a Walkman on your hip with corded headphones would have got you busted pretty fast when i was doing that kinda stuff.....made for some long days!

So hey, kudo's to being able to hack that day in and day out!

 

[justin1]

wow - amazing that anyone can weld those

As long as you can get your hand in there you can weld it sorta...

Eek! pipe/boiler work! didn't take me long to figure out I didn't like that work! Being the small guy with lots of tig experience i had the pleasure of getting stuffed into every shitty, cramped, dirty little hole that none of the other guys could get into, did a coil once where i had to crawl in arms/torch first and get drug out by my feet. Boiler plates, the bigger diameter stuff, to much welding! I dont know how you pipe guys weld in circles for days on end, ive had my fill by the end of the first day!

So hey, kudo's to being able to hack that day in and day out!

Ye pipe work isn't for everyone that's for sure you can end up in some pretty tight spots we have some CCO lined pipes that come up every year you have to crawl down them and repair the CCO. And ye once you get past 10" sch 40 gets pretty boring. Don't care most for just being a rod burner that's big reason pipeline never interested me. At least with plant work your all over the place with different stuff some pipe some structural then just random crap. I enjoy building stuff just not in full time shop setting that and locally the shops are hit and miss and generally don't pay well.

Ye some days just have to set stinger down for bit and go for walk lol before you bounce head off the steel

 

[phaxtris]

once you get past 10" sch 40 gets pretty boring

This is the closest i have come to pipeline, had to build these two bridges in the ditches alongside stoney trail, it came as sections of with the virtical pieces already welded in, the lower horizontals are like 36" or something and the upper horizontals are something like 24", with 5/8 or 3/4 wall, i dont remember exactly, it was a long time ago. That was all backing plate, but still UT with a max inclusion size of .1mm, it was fun for like a day, then spending a whole day welding one joint + grinding flush in 30 degree heat was pretty lame (umbrella of course). I dont know how those big bore pipe guys do it.....counting the dollar bills in your head is probably the only thing that keeps a guy sane

At least with plant work your all over the place

I have also done quite a few plant shut downs, thats always interesting, i usually do the welder thing for the first week, and when they run out of welding and send most of the welders home i get to play millwright for the last, but its been a few years since ive done one

 

[Janger]

Interesting gents.

 

[johnnielsen]

I did thousands of hours welding small pieces together in jigs. I kept my sanity by zoning out, my body was there but my mind was elsewhere.

 

[Susquatch]

I did thousands of hours welding small pieces together in jigs. I kept my sanity by zoning out, my body was there but my mind was elsewhere.

I worked on an automotive assembly line before going back to school. I totally understand what you are saying John. For those who need it, it's a raw survival skill.