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Other machinists machining solo at home shops?

Cranky

Cranky

Banned Henchman #27
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Always had it drilled into my heeeead about not machining solo but there's not much choice when you're living solo. Didn't do much anyways but needed to make a new pin for my rear end spreader :)D) which I've never used after having it for nearly 10 years lol. Why not start using it, right!? It won't be dirty for long....

IMG_20190204_184257766.jpg
 
Self-employed machinist here, and I work all day alone unless there are customers. When I retire and move my crap to the new home shop, I will still be machining alone.
 
While not a machinist I do everything solo. I have a family but no help.. lol I was once in the garage messing around with an old CRT monitor that was messing up. So I decided to crack it open and have a look. I apparently touched a transformer inside an nearly knocked myself on my ***. I go stomping up stairs mad as hell. I yelled at my wife and said "DAMN IT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE COME CHECK ON ME".
 
Have a home/solo shop and just follow the basic rules. Eye protection and sleeves rolled up. The best rule is if you are struggling with a part/job, just stop and walk away. Machine tools will take you for a ride if you are careless.
 
BeepBeepRR said:
While not a machinist I do everything solo. I have a family but no help.. lol I was once in the garage messing around with an old CRT monitor that was messing up. So I decided to crack it open and have a look. I apparently touched a transformer inside an nearly knocked myself on my ***. I go stomping up stairs mad as hell. I yelled at my wife and said "DAMN IT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE COME CHECK ON ME".
Click to expand...
LOL... Stay away from the Tripler, and the CRT anode, 23-26Kv there...
 
I think my wife still cares, she cracks the intercom on between house and shop to see if I'm still swearing or not and knows all is good!
:steering:

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Don't know that I'd say a solo machinist but do work alone almost 100% of the time and do have a small machine shop. Safety can be a problem, I was once using a router with a raised panel cutter in it not knowing there was a super thin shim laying under the bit! It got sucked into the bit and chucked right at me, fortunately it hit my forearm.... yeap it needed stitches.
 
Maybe installing a camera in the shop may not be a bad idea for us with some one else in the house.
 
I work alone, yeah
With nobody else
I work alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah, you know when I work alone
I prefer to be by myself
Now every morning just before breakfast
I don't want no coffee or tea
Just me and good buddy Wiser
That's all I ever need
'Cause I work alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah, you know when I work alone
I prefer to be by myself
Yeah, the other night I laid sleeping
And I woke from a terrible dream
So I caught up my pal Jack Daniel's
And his partner Jimmy Beam
And we work alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah, you know when I work alone
I prefer to be by myself
Yeah, the other day I got invited to a party
But I stayed home instead
Just me and my pal Johnny Walker
And his brothers Black and Red
And we work alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah,…
 
BeepBeepRR said:
While not a machinist I do everything solo. I have a family but no help.. lol I was once in the garage messing around with an old CRT monitor that was messing up. So I decided to crack it open and have a look. I apparently touched a transformer inside an nearly knocked myself on my ***. I go stomping up stairs mad as hell. I yelled at my wife and said "DAMN IT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE COME CHECK ON ME".
Click to expand...
:rofl::rofl:And what's she's got to do with you being nosy.
 
Had a car fall over and shove a bumper jack through my hand and tear off my middle finger. Was pretty far out in the country and had to wait an hour for my uncle to take me to the hospital. Luckily finger was put back on, and feeling came back 2 years later.
Still work alone, but something to think about.
 
I own a large machine shop. My therapy is working on my personal projects on the weekend and at home on my cars. Bigger isn’t always better
 
i have worked alone at home shop for most of my life. Now 6 years on my 68 Roadrunner resto-mod. Almost every evening and Saturday. my wife has helped me maybe total of 10 hours since i started on the car. yeah, i get upset and even mad sometimes, but just walk away instead of doing something rushed or stupid.
Been real careful since i was 16 and "blew" the toolpost carrage all the way off and into the floor on a Leblond Makino 16 inch swing lathe. i forgot to remove the chuck t-handle from the chuck when i started it. the lathe was where i was working part time after school. The owner (older guy) told me he guessed i got the shoot scared out of me and told me if i knew how to knock it off, i should be able to put it back! Not easy or quick, but i did repair it. Every time i start to turn on my lathe, this experience comes to mind before i pull the little level to start the chuck.
My lathe and Bridgeport don't know my name and are not friendly or forgiving if i do something stupid.
PT in Tennessee
 
mopar 3 B said:
Maybe installing a camera in the shop may not be a bad idea for us with some one else in the house.
Click to expand...
Good idea in theory.. But my show would be preempted by Real Housewives of some **** hole.. Id be laying there dead waiting on a commercial break.
 
I'm no machinist (probably like the anti-machinist - I can mess stuff up enough to need a machinist at times) but like you all, most everything I've ever worked on (including the GTX these last half dozen years), I've done alone.
My wife has learned to check on me once in a while (she witnessed my Ram slide off a jack stand and on to me once) and will begrudgingly help on the rare occasion I ask her to, but for the most part stays away while I'm in there.
All the vehicles, the tractor, small engine critters all get turns in the garage.

Speaking of which, does anyone else do this?
I tend to "talk" to whatever I'm working on, including cussing it real good if it needs it.
She used to find that sort of mental - now she knows it's just therapeutic. :)
 
I work by myself setting tooling and dies for a couple of 300 ton presses at my day job , I build my cars completely by myself to keep away from any drama or b.s. I may encounter on the home front. it seems to work pretty well.
 
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