Projects In Metal, LLC

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New guy from the Laval, Quebec region

June 20, 2011
5:09 AM

blue_luke

Laval, Quebec, Canada

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Forum Posts: 58

Member Since:
June 19, 2011

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Hi all, my name is Luc, ''blue_luke'' for internet friends.

This week I am taking the plunge and will fullfil a youth dream, I am buying a mill (G0704) and a lathe (G9602) and zillions of $$$$ in tools, or so it seems! :)

Ka-ching will go the little plastic card!!

When I was at the age that your dad starts to ask you seriously what you will do for a living. I was hesitant between a carreer in music or as a machinist. I had my parents support for any decision I would make but my dad told me one thing that I never forgot: '' Whatever you do, do it with passion, give it all your heart and don't look back''…. Good advice. And then my sweetheart of the time also told me '' machining is indeed interesting, but for you it will always be a hobby. You are a passionate musician, so go on and make us beautiful music!''

So I became a musician, but after 25 years at it I got so burned by the industries of the music, bad record deals, copyright stolen, countless unpaid gigs etc that I gave up and became an industrial electronic technician.

Hey! a a pay every week, what a concept.

In this trade, I was reintroduced to machining!

So the projects I have in mind are fabricating my own microphones and very high end recording studio equipment.

I will use the machines to make the capsules, body parts of the microphones, cases for my projects etc… and finish that CNC router I started 2 years ago, now that I have the machines to make some of the parts that MUST be more precise than what I can achieve with a hand drill!!

So there you have it, it's me, and I will turn 58 in 2 weeks.

Luc

June 20, 2011
5:41 AM

GarethBell

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Forum Posts: 384

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September 19, 2010

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Welcome to the site Luc,

You certainly have come to the right place, the site has a strong base of regular contributors, who are always friendly and willing to offer advice or help.

What sort of music did you play? I play all sorts from AC/DC to Steve Vai, and more mellow songs from Travis to Radiohead.

I hope your purchases don't make too much of a dent in you bank account, what tools will you be buying?

For me, the tools I use most often are:

Calipers, steel rule, 123 blocks, clamping kit, centre drills, and Hss toolbits.

Gareth.

Stand back.

June 20, 2011
9:00 AM

nick S

Manitoba, Canada

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Forum Posts: 118

Member Since:
May 25, 2010

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hello, and welcome to the site. there are lots of great folks here that are very knowledgeable. sounds like you are well on your way already :)
best of luck,
Nick.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;

an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Winston Churchill

June 20, 2011
9:27 AM

blue_luke

Laval, Quebec, Canada

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Forum Posts: 58

Member Since:
June 19, 2011

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Thanks guys, to Gareth, I am happy to have found this place. It is somewhat of a more human size compared to the CNCzone forum, which is way to big for me, but a formidable place to see!

For the tooling, I am applying what a machinist told me once, and it applies in photography and audio recording as well…

''you can do anything with good tools on a mediocre machine, but you will never achieve anything with bad tools, even on the very best machines''

That is thrue, in photography, it is the lenses that take the pictures, a camera is just a box that hold the lenses in front of the film… it's the microphone that records the music, any half decent recorder will make the music sound great.

So with this precept in mind, I already have good measuring instruments, Tesa and Mitutoyo calipers, Starrett and mitutoyo dial indicators, Brown &Sharpe micrometers and machinist square…

This week I am buying a 4'' vise, ER32 collet set and the 45degrees indexable facemill, an MT3 1/2'' drill chuck on a MT3 and another on a R8 holder(both integral) from Glacern.

From shars I am getting a set of parrallels, a 20 pieces kit of HSS 2 and 4 flutes end-mill for those first experiments and to determine what I will need, a set of inserts holders for the lathe, 1-2-3 block set, A quick change tool post, center finder, other small sundries.

My shop space is at a premium, so the base for the lathe will include many drawers and a cupboard section, good lighting. The mill comes with a base that I may use for something else…. will see…

My first projects will be machining all those parts I made for my CNC router table that I am not satisfied with, and make the others!

Thanks, Luc

June 20, 2011
12:44 PM

GarethBell

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Forum Posts: 384

Member Since:
September 19, 2010

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Workspace is always at a premium. No matter where you go. There is always something that you want but can't have because there isn't any space.

Sounds like you have got a good set of starter tools, I'm sure you will be able to turn out some really nice things.

Stand back.

June 20, 2011
1:52 PM

Tenn

Linden, TN USA

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Forum Posts: 164

Member Since:
April 19, 2011

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Way to go Luke ! I'm a tool enthusiast myself, I love to get new tools and good quality ones !!

I had this bit of advise from a machine shop owner friend of mine that has proven true in many instances; Buy the tool you "need" rather than buying a "set". He said when you buy a "set" 9 times out of 10 you only use a few of the pieces and the rest sit and collect dust while they take up valuable shop space.

On the other hand you can't use something that you don't have…. so I've sort of took a middle of the road approach, sometimes I buy the set and sometimes I buy the individual tool or bit.

~Chris

The man who will not share his wisdom, however foolish it may seem, For the betterment of his peers and the improvement of his trade, Is not worth his weight in swarf ! Learn from others mistakes, you probably won't live long enough to make them all yourself. But I do think I'm making progress on a lot of them ;~) ~Chris

June 20, 2011
4:27 PM

sasquatch

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Forum Posts: 33

Member Since:
February 16, 2011

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Welcome to the site Luke, great to see another canuck here.

Your'e G0704 mill, i,m also just purchasing that almost identical mill , only from "King Industrial", appears to be only a slight difference between the two, i,m also purchasing the stand as for the price one couldn,t build a decent looking one as the factory one by the time one bought the steel etc.

I too am just placing an order for a bunch of tooling and stuff for mine.

June 20, 2011
5:48 PM

harborfreight8x12

Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA

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Forum Posts: 124

Member Since:
July 18, 2010

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Congradulations. You'll like this site. This is one of the most knowledgable and polite groups you'll encounter on the net. Believe me when I say that there are no "Dumb Questions" here. The worst question is the one you don't ask.

Regards, Al

June 20, 2011
6:19 PM

blue_luke

Laval, Quebec, Canada

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Forum Posts: 58

Member Since:
June 19, 2011

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Thank you all for the warm welcome :)

To Tenn, I agree completely with you, but in the beginning, when you do not really know what you need, 'sets' are a good starting point I think. It allows one to evaluate the capabilities of different cutters and other tools. Then, once decided, I will stick with the best.

To Gareth, I forgot to answer, I play guitar, jazz, classical and blues, and I wrote many songs and film music that you never heard!! :) I also build some very weird instruments and musical 'sculptures' with…. pfff…. what I can find in a scrapyard!

A gamelan set made with trucks, buses and car brake drums, (really beautiful sound! ) An octave of 'ding' made with discarded circular saw blades, a xylophone made with broken hockey sticks on an old machine cast machine base as a resonator.

These instruments were used in concerts and performances.

I also made with a sculptor, instruments in installations at the Montreal museum of fine arts…. Now, THAT was weird!!

Luc

June 21, 2011
9:57 AM