# Tips and tricks



## mklotz (Oct 27, 2008)

I suppose that, as a moderator on this forum, I shouldn't be recommending you to go look at other forums but this is just too good to not pass along.

A recent discussion on the Practical Machinist forum referred to an old thread that is a collection of tips and tricks submitted by the members there. Although the guys on that board are mostly "professional" machinists (and rather intolerant of amateurs such as we), many of these tips are just as useful to the amateur as they are to the egomaniacs.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/showthread.php?t=96842


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## Maryak (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks mklotz,

Some good tips there, I was wondering how I was going to support the syphon tube in the carburettor, now I know - broken centre drill :bow:

Regards
Bob


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## Seanol (Apr 29, 2009)

Just to add to an old topic, try this NASA doc: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=1...=all&Ntx=mode+matchall&Ns=HarvestDate%7c1&N=0
or do a search on the NASA site for Selected Shop Techniques.
I found this going through the thread Marv posted.

Thanks,
Sean


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## Holescreek (Apr 29, 2009)

> Although the guys on that board are mostly "professional" machinists (and rather intolerant of amateurs such as we)



C'mon Marv, you're not as amateur as you pretend to be. And as for me, I spend way too much time on the PM site but haven't thought of myself as "elitist". From some of the work I've seen on this site, members here have nothing to fear from the PM people. But this does bring up a question that I have been trying to figure out an answer to.

I have a couple friends local to me that are budding amateur machinists that oddly enough, I met through the PM board. They all started by emailing questions privately, then one or two bought some machinery, and it all kind of starts snowballing for them from there, having caught the old iron fever. I keep what I like to call an "open shop". (I work nights so I am out in the shop most mornings and 4-8 hours on weekend days I'm not off 4 wheeling with my wife.) Friends are encouraged to stop by and bring their projects to work on if they don't have the right equipment or tooling or just want to hang out and watch what I'm doing that day. 

So here's the question: If one wanted to start a local "machinists club", how would one go about it?


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## mklotz (Apr 29, 2009)

Holescreek  said:
			
		

> So here's the question: If one wanted to start a local "machinists club", how would one go about it?



Build it and they will come.

Meeting place:

A local community college loans us one of their classrooms for a few hours on Saturday. It's right next to the machine shop so, although we can't use the machines without signing up for courses, we can interact with the students. The instructor, a club member, appreciates our efforts.

Other possibilities are public rooms in local libraries, town halls, senior centers, museums, etc..

Organization:

Begin putting together a set of by-laws as early as possible. Attempting to operate without some minimal structure will lead to failure.

Advertising:

Get a web page set up as soon as possible (see link to ours in my sig). It's your surest way of connecting with potential members.

Free in HSM magazine - see last page in any issue.

Leave flyers at metal/tool suppliers, hobby stores, high schools, votecs, etc..

Demo your engines and projects at local fairs, car shows, science fairs etc. to reach recruits. Offer to provide a one hour technology demo to local middle/high schools (parents invited) to get the word out.

I'll be glad to help wherever I can. My email addy is in my profile. Where are you located?


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## John S (Apr 29, 2009)

There are quite a few clubs in the UK, being small and cramped does help in that you don't have to travel far.
The only problem I have found is they are all train orientated.
I have attended to two most local to me, <15 miles and a few members came up to make friends but as soon as you replied to there question of what engine are you building I was on my own again.

I have nothing again steam loco's but they just don't rev me up, I'm more a tools or ideas man [ after the big hammer that is ]

JS.


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## Holescreek (Apr 29, 2009)

> The only problem I have found is they are all train orientated.



See, that's kinda the problem. It's not so hard to rally around a theme, trains, models, or generally anything that can be carried. I used to get meeting minutes from NEMES due to a shaper story i submitted. They seemed like an active group but again, they do models.

I was thinking of something organized around teaching/learning the trade. On any given day I could be making a tool, gun parts, cutting gears...you get the idea. Nothing there to rally around yet there is (seems to be) a growing interest in learning the how-to's.


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## Lew Hartswick (Apr 29, 2009)

John Stevenson  said:
			
		

> I have nothing again steam loco's but they just don't rev me up, I'm more a tools or ideas man [ after the big hammer that is ]
> 
> JS.



That's me to a T. I wish you were closer to New Mexico John. 
  ...lew...


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## shred (Apr 30, 2009)

The group here (still very informal) started as a yahoogroup, then started holding meetings once a month at a local eatery with a bunch of tables in the back-- get some food, and have a sit down and chat about whatever with whoever else shows up. Bring something cool to show & tell if you can.


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