Any machinists out there?

[Kyle_in_Tex]

The best CNC machinists are the old ones that were formally trained on manual equipment.

Been in it since 1978 and had 3 years of it in grade school before that. Became full time programmer in 1990. Nowadays, I run prototypes where I have full control over ordering stock, tooling, and make the parts myself in the best way I see fit with the machines we have.

I wish I had a Wire EDM with 5 axis in the barn. Just don't have the 150 grand needed to buy one. Slow, but sure.

 

[Chooglin]

I have been doing it for a little over 30 years now and have been running cnc vertical mills for the past 20 of those 30.I can honestly say,I dont get the satifaction of making parts with a CNC machine, like I did with the manual machines.

It has become difficult for these younger folks to come into a shop and get the training needed to become a good productive machinist.many shops dont support the schooling ,nor do they want to take the time to train them.

Although this country has lost much of our manufacturing out there,new machinist will still be needed for this trade in the future and I would hope that shops would be there to give them the support and schooling needed to get them there......................just my thoughts.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I have been doing it for a little over 30 years now and have been running cnc vertical mills for the past 20 of those 30.I can honestly say,I dont get the satifaction of making parts with a CNC machine, like I did with the manual machines.

It has become difficult for these younger folks to come into a shop and get the training needed to become a good productive machinist.many shops dont support the schooling ,nor do they want to take the time to train them.

Although this country has lost much of our manufacturing out there,new machinist will still be needed for this trade in the future and I would hope that shops would be there to give them the support and schooling needed to get them there......................just my thoughts.

The demand will increase as more "on shoring" gains ground on "off shoring" that has been a way of doing business for several decades. China inflation rate is eroding their labor cost advantage day by day thankfully bringing manufacturing back to the USA little by little. The same thing is happening to out sourcing software development to India.

Yes a machinist in the USA may not make the $$$ of the go go years in the USA today but still a few times more than min wage and these returning jobs help our tax base. While our spending has dropped the value of the US dollar it has in effect cut exports labor cost.

By the way a shaper is so slow and can be hard to mount the work piece but in their day they could do a lot of tasks with the right operators.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

There is a shop about 35 miles south of me that runs production work on CNC's. It is a new, modern, shop, deliberately put in a small town on I10 for the low labor rates by the locals.

I just talked to a buddy who knows of the shop. Here's the pay rates:
Operator -$9-11/hour
Set up man -$14/hour

Not sure of any health or other benefits, but this is not a "living" wage.

I can understand a "trainee" maybe at the low rate for a few months, but I find it hard to believe they can keep people at those rates.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Thats really pathetic - quite possible they cant afford more.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Thats really pathetic - quite possible they cant afford more.

I expect that is the case. What would an operater in China make per hour? We know it is getting high enough some are doing more on shore today.

We have to start thinking about pay on a global standard than the pay scale that drove jobs off shore initially.

 

[sweettractors]

IMHO, When we loses the ability to operate machine tools, We are just 1 step closer to being a "Non Player" in new Global R&D and future production of anything. We become a user/taker nation and not a producer nation. This is going to be a catastrophe for the economy and future military defense projects of our country. I mean, get a grip, do we really want China producing our aircraft, tanks, offensive and defensive weapons? Ken Sweet

 

[sal64]

The demand will increase as more "on shoring" gains ground on "off shoring" that has been a way of doing business for several decades. China inflation rate is eroding their labor cost advantage day by day thankfully bringing manufacturing back to the USA little by little. The same thing is happening to out sourcing software development to India.

Yes a machinist in the USA may not make the $$$ of the go go years in the USA today but still a few times more than min wage and these returning jobs help our tax base. While our spending has dropped the value of the US dollar it has in effect cut exports labor cost.

By the way a shaper is so slow and can be hard to mount the work piece but in their day they could do a lot of tasks with the right operators.

you are right, i am starting to see some jobs come back, i got back a couple of jobs i use to machine 10 yrs ago, the only thing is im doing them cheaper than ten yrs ago just to get work and beat china out. very little profit. should be fair trade not free trade.

 

[Bison]

There is a shop about 35 miles south of me that runs production work on CNC's. It is a new, modern, shop, deliberately put in a small town on I10 for the low labor rates by the locals.

I just talked to a buddy who knows of the shop. Here's the pay rates:
Operator -$9-11/hour
Set up man -$14/hour
Not sure of any health or other benefits, but this is not a "living" wage.

I can understand a "trainee" maybe at the low rate for a few months, but I find it hard to believe they can keep people at those rates.

I would not even come out of bed for that pittance

 

[czechsonofagun]

I know a local blacksmith, who outsourced his hand railing manufacturing to India. He designed it, but it is cheaper to do it this way and the housing market will never ask where it came from.