Sorry for the upcoming rants, it's been a trying week. Hope to make you chuckle.
It's been 12yrs since I programmed and ran a CNC router; but has anything changed in this time frame that any of you guys would route steel on your money maker?
I'm a one-man band loosely associated with a group of independent guys we call the 'usual suspect's' a good group that help each other out when needed, moving equipment, rarely lone each other an esoteric tool, etc. Well, we have and infiltrator in our midst, who has asked 3 times for me to run some parts for him on my old ragged out Bridge Port - well I gave in. I had warned him it's a 1966 well used machine w .040" backlash w/o a DRO gibbs maxed out and I'm fine with it. I have gone from .003" CNC tolerances' in my CNC past to can't see it from my house +/- a black hair w/ the BP. When this guy got to the shop first thing I did was hand him w/ my fixed cost spread sheet and went over with him line by line that is $15.71/hr for me to open the doors then lead him down the sheet to the labor and variable cost & said this is you last friends and family discount - your on the full dole going forward. The set up he wanted to do did not work with my ways too worn in the middle over his 36" travel length and threw in the towel. He asked how can we fix it? I said take your parts to a surface grinding shop or someone who has a Blanchard Grinder, I'm done!
Get this, as we are tearing the set-up down he tells me he's wanting to route steel on his CNC he's building - he's seen a couple guys... He tells me his specs - 3hp air cooled ... & I'm like you won't be running 1/2"dia full pass bits with it in wood let alone. I'm passed pleasantries and said people jump of the San Francisco bridge to but I wouldn't do it. I replied to the best of my knowledge you could run steel at 1,000rpm w an 1/8"bit, but then you also have clamping forces to deal with and anything larger will produce so much heat & it will transfer up into you spindle & fry your bearings. He kept going - to my reply "stupid is a stupid does". It took 2hrs to boot the guy and as he's leaving "Since we couldn't run any parts today do I still a friends and family raincheck" Aurgh NO!!!!!!! I guarantee he'll reappear!
Only, this was the second time black hole this week! I kicked an interior design group to the curb, but that's more of a metal related story; so if your on Instagram and want to go further down my time suck rabbit hole go to IG ThomasMDiel A couple of the 'usual suspect's' consoled me w lunch yesterday and one suggested I need a PR firm as I'm sounding crotchety on social media, my reply I need a gate keeper!
Bless your hearts