not bad for a first year apprentice aye

**the fabricator** · 23rd December 2011, 10:52 PM

i have nearly completed my first year of my apprenticeship as a fitter and machinist. just thought i'd share a couple of photos of some of my best jobs of the year

thought you guys would like this one

this is a wrapper roll i made for Bluescope Steel, one of my better jobs i've done, note the ends of the OD are tapered ( 3 degrees )

this is a view inside the wrapper roll, bearing journals at each end, just a rough clearence bore through middle to clear the shaft ( i forgot to get pics of it ) and a counterbore at each end

this is the wrapping surface of the roll and so it had to be very good finish

this is a michelle housing i had to bore out on our large manual lathe, note how it completely takes over the chuck, and also how i had to use my dial indicator as an x axis DRO

if anyone read the "carbide tooling help" thread, this is the coupling i was talking about that weighed 370kg before i started ( solid bar K1045 )

this is the coupling with the bore finished ( 0.02 mm tolerance ) on my usual machine ( brand new ) and i had to sue the older one in the above pic for the oil grooves in the bore

this is a fun job that comes in every now and then, it is two big bushes made out of UHMW plastic, a 300mm peice spinning at 800 rpm and a 0.4mm/rev feedrate acheives these floating shavings

this is a bronze bearing a turbine for Bluescope Steel, i only did the turning as the milling requires a 4 axis cnc mill and i dont know how to do that

this is the sketch i did of the sample that was given to me. the diameters are very accurate ( i did the bore with a digital bore mic, my new fav. tool ) this turbine runs at a high speed so i wanted perfect sizes and NO marks or scratches on it at all

this is a submerable motor shaft that i made out of 316 s/s, a very creamy job on a very clean, new lathe with a brand new box of Mitutoyo micrometres.

two diameters had an .04 tolerance, two diameters had an .02 tolerance, with an imperial thread on it, two of the journals had keyways milled into them on the cnc mill

that's all i got, althought i didn't take a photo of every job i've done. and i apologize for the bad photo quality

**Stustoys** · 23rd December 2011, 11:18 PM

Hi fabricator,
Some good looking work there, most of which would weigh more than everything I've turned this year put together.

Now its time for your pay rise.

Stuart

**Steamwhisperer** · 23rd December 2011, 11:22 PM

Hi fabricator
If you ever get bored you can come work for me
Some good work there

Phil

Dave J · 23rd December 2011, 11:37 PM

Thanks for the pictures.

Good to see all is going well and your enjoying it.

Dave

**.RC.** · 24th December 2011, 06:31 AM

Very nice..... That brand new Hwacheon is a very nice machine, it would be one of the best new manual machines you can buy today and priced accordingly...

**Bryan** · 24th December 2011, 08:58 AM

Tidy work. Great to see an employer who puts some faith in a young feller, and a young feller who deserves it. Some of us backyard tinkerers would be a bit envious.
That's a neat trick with the emery tape. I'll remember that one. And thanks RC, you saved me asking what the lathe was. But can you pronounce it?

**.RC.** · 24th December 2011, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Bryan

And thanks RC, you saved me asking what the lathe was. But can you pronounce it?

Easily.. They are a licensed copy of the Japanese Mori Seki lathe made in South Korea... They have been making them for at least 30 years... At one time they were badge engineered as I have seem the same lathe here with the Scruttons name on it.. Scruttons were a company like Hare and Forbes is today....

In the US where their lathes have the saddle traverse handwheel on the incorrect side they were sold as Whacheon, I guess to differentiate between the two models...

You would not get much change out of $40 000 for one of them new in Au today.. I remember pricing one way back in the early naughties, and had to sit down after I got told the figure... But then $40 000 is what a new car would cost you, and this lathe is going to last longer then a new car will...

**RayG** · 24th December 2011, 10:40 AM

Hi Fabricator,

Nice work for anyone, let alone a first year apprentice.

I like the picture of the UHMW, I must try that trick, for me it usually comes off in a continuous ribbon and winds itself around the work...

Regards
Ray

**new_guy90** · 24th December 2011, 11:58 AM

Nice work mate

**steran50** · 24th December 2011, 02:09 PM

HI

,
Very Nice Work

. May all Your Turning be Good Turning.

**bwal74** · 24th December 2011, 03:04 PM

Good work. Very envious. Nice machine too. Your work and machines make my work and little hercus look very tired. Merry Xmas.

**Grahame Collins** · 24th December 2011, 03:36 PM

First rate stuff.

You have done well

Its great to follow the progress of young fellows as they progress through their trade. It only follows if they show interest, the bosses will show interest in them.

I have to ask though, about pic 1, the tool post also has a bit of a taper on the closest corner.

Obviously someone else or course,but there must be a good story there somewhere ?

**the fabricator** · 24th December 2011, 08:55 PM

thanks guys, the Hwacheon's are very nice lathes, our's was $57,000 but well worth it. put a good live centre in it and you can turn a shaft to within 5 microns of taper, which is quite good compared to our other two, and older Hwacheon's ( same model, just had ten years of apprentice's on them ) and they still turn paralell, very accurate still so i have no complants about them.

and Grahame, that was one of the guys in the office that did that when he was an apprentice. haha did i mention that shower drills are absolute hell to use because thats the tool that snapped the corner

i read in a very old tafe book of mine " a clean and organised area will inspire confidence in the tradesmen and will generally be given the best work " and so far has proven true.

this is why i keep my lathe ( the new Hwacheon ) so spotless and i have all my spanners and chuck keys neatly arranged on the top of the headstock, my swarf hook and 600mm verniers at the end of the bed with the tailstock,

i have my rough centre ( used for pushing heavy blanks up against the chuck and whatnot ) and my precision centre ( gets kept in a oily bag in my toolbox as it is mine and our centres get treated like s&*T ) drill chuck, centre drill holder and sleeves under my trolley with my toolbox on top with the 0 - 150 brand new box of Mitutoyo micrometres which i claimed for my lathe ( haha, the other apprentices don't like that i do this, but they are still leaving our manual lathes mics on the headstock so i keep away from them )

tidy and organised is the way i like to work and that is also the way i like to produce my work

**Steamwhisperer** · 25th December 2011, 05:31 AM

I withdraw the offer for you to come work for me.... I want you to be my son instead.
You won't go wrong with a work ethic like that
Well done again.

Phil

**welder** · 25th December 2011, 10:16 AM

Nice work there that is some pretty big stuff. I always try to keep my work area clean and tidy.

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