Machine shop?
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Machine shop?
by Dave Paper
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Hola, Anyone have a recommendation for a metalwork shop in the area? Coworker is looking for a place that would, idealy, also teach some of the skills on how to use the tools. He already knows how to weld. He's looking to get some custom furniture pieces made. ObMoto: When your inner poser sees the light of day and its time for LED replacements for tail lights and brake lights, ignore the instructions when they say you need a resistor per circuit. Apparently, you really need one per bulb. -dave '96 vulcan with fresh lights! -- Dave Paper "Hello, I must be going." --Groucho _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by matthew patton
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> Anyone have a recommendation for a metalwork shop in the
> area? define 'area'. I had good work done by a metal shop next door to the Fredericksburg airport. > Coworker is looking for a place that would, idealy, also > teach some of the skills on how to use the tools. good luck with that!! Nobody in NoVA let alone the rest of VA appears to offer such courses anymore. You can MAYBE find a class in Baltimore or Virg Beach but the mechanical skills trade is utterly dead around here. Even in Chicago, I lived only 1 mi from "machine shop central" and they were going out of business left and right. You couldn't find a machine shop class for any kind of money. I only wish I could have gotten into a class at PTEC (pinellas county FL) because that was the last operating shop class in that whole mid-state region. There too the over hundred (literally) machine shops were closing up one by one. I tried for a year to get into a CAD/CAM class and it never got off the ground for lack of interest. > He's looking to get some custom furniture pieces made. There might be a non-engine machine shop in springfield or Alexandria but I haven't found it yet. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by mike b.-4
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matthew patton wrote:
>> Coworker is looking for a place that would, idealy, also >> teach some of the skills on how to use the tools. > There might be a non-engine machine shop in springfield or Alexandria but I haven't found it yet. I doubt he'd like the cost, and they don't teach, but the capability and quality are top notch at Metlfab in Frederick, MD (http://www.metlfab.com/). They do a lot of mil-spec metal fabrication for government contractors and can do pretty much anything you want done. I've seen their facility...it's seriously impressive. They have half a dozen CNC mills, a laser cutter, a water jet cutter, two turret punches (huge ones), brakes, shears, several vertical milling machines that they just use as drill presses (drill presses have too much runout in the spindles to suit them), a CMM for quality control (all work is done to something like 2 thousandths of an inch tolerances), a 6' flatbed scanner, plating, paint and powder-coat shops, assembly area (some of what they do involves things like adding gaskets and grommets, putting on labels, attaching subsystems, etc.) and about 85 employees. All jobs get tracked by bar-codes so they can tell where any given job is and whether it's on schedule or not. It's well-run, capable, probably well out of your friend's price range, but you never know until you ask I guess. -- Mike B. -- '04 FLSTCI (H-D Softail Heritage Classic with EFI for the non-Harley folks) Learning from your mistakes is good. Learning from someone else's mistakes is better. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by Dave Paper
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On Aug 28, 2008, at 10:29 AM, matthew patton wrote: >> Anyone have a recommendation for a metalwork shop in the >> area? > > define 'area'. I had good work done by a metal shop next door to the > Fredericksburg airport. > Anything in the DC-Metro Area, including exurbs, so Fredericksburg counts. >> Coworker is looking for a place that would, idealy, also >> teach some of the skills on how to use the tools. > > good luck with that!! Nobody in NoVA let alone the rest of VA > appears to offer such courses anymore. You can MAYBE find a class in > Baltimore or Virg Beach but the mechanical skills trade is utterly > dead around here. Even in Chicago, I lived only 1 mi from "machine > shop central" and they were going out of business left and right. > You couldn't find a machine shop class for any kind of money. > I'll point him in both directions then. It's his gas, not mine. > I only wish I could have gotten into a class at PTEC (pinellas > county FL) because that was the last operating shop class in that > whole mid-state region. There too the over hundred (literally) > machine shops were closing up one by one. I tried for a year to get > into a CAD/CAM class and it never got off the ground for lack of > interest. I've found welding (several types) of classes at the manassas campus of NoVa CC, but never a metalshop class. >> He's looking to get some custom furniture pieces made. > > There might be a non-engine machine shop in springfield or > Alexandria but I haven't found it yet. > Yeah, neither has he. He's been looking for a while to find someplace that does work AND teaches. -dave -- cerberus@... "The only contributions France has given to popular culture in the last 50 years is Gerard Depardieu and that horny skunk." --SNL _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by Dave Paper
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On Aug 28, 2008, at 10:51 AM, PenguinBiker@... wrote: > > >>> Anyone have a recommendation for a metalwork shop in the >>> area? > >>> He's looking to get some custom furniture pieces made. > > What skills/tools? Are you talking, lathe? Torch? BFH (Big F king > Hammer?) Etc? > All of the above -- Metalshop 101 (for learning) on up would be ideal, but so far, doesn't sound promising. If that isn't going to happen, he's looking for a place to take stuff to have it made. -dave -- cerberus@... "The only contributions France has given to popular culture in the last 50 years is Gerard Depardieu and that horny skunk." --SNL _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by Dave Paper
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On Aug 28, 2008, at 10:54 AM, Mike B. wrote: > matthew patton wrote: > >>> Coworker is looking for a place that would, idealy, also >>> teach some of the skills on how to use the tools. > >> There might be a non-engine machine shop in springfield or >> Alexandria but I haven't found it yet. > > I doubt he'd like the cost, and they don't teach, but the capability > and > quality are top notch at Metlfab in Frederick, MD > (http://www.metlfab.com/). They do a lot of mil-spec metal > fabrication > for government contractors and can do pretty much anything you want > done. > > I've seen their facility...it's seriously impressive. They have > half a > dozen CNC mills, a laser cutter, a water jet cutter, two turret > punches > (huge ones), brakes, shears, several vertical milling machines that > they > just use as drill presses (drill presses have too much runout in the > spindles to suit them), a CMM for quality control (all work is done to > something like 2 thousandths of an inch tolerances), a 6' flatbed > scanner, plating, paint and powder-coat shops, assembly area (some of > what they do involves things like adding gaskets and grommets, putting > on labels, attaching subsystems, etc.) and about 85 employees. All > jobs > get tracked by bar-codes so they can tell where any given job is and > whether it's on schedule or not. It's well-run, capable, probably > well > out of your friend's price range, but you never know until you ask I > guess. > So far, this has been the best hit yet. Thanks Mike! I'll probably suggest he ask these folks (while he's having stuff made) if they know of anyplace in the area that teaches this kind of stuff. Google has been an utter failure so far. Thanks guys! -dave -- cerberus@... "The only contributions France has given to popular culture in the last 50 years is Gerard Depardieu and that horny skunk." --SNL _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by matthew patton
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there is an outfit out of California or Wash state that is trying to revive the "community workshop" wherein they stand up a machine shop staffed by local veterans/nominally paid volunteers and you pay a small fee to 'rent' the equipment by the hour and have them look over your shoulder and teach you as needed. The name is escaping me at the moment. they have plans supposedly to build them in NC, Baltimore, and Richmond etc. but they've been "planning" for some time now and no progress.
If I can somehow figure out what the name of the place was, I'll post. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by matthew patton
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I just remembered another local outfit. he's a one-man band on Telegraph Road on the right hand side (south bound) just a touch north of where it dead-ends into US1. This is a little bit south of the Lorton Tank Farm. I hope he's still there.
The Gas and Water works on Backlick just north of the 495 overpass has a master machinist who teaches but apparently mostly to employees. I'll try to dig up his information. Near the FFX bus and county veh depot (again across the way from the Tank Farm) has a couple of machine shops up on the hill come to think of it. One is called JSK Machine - nice folks. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by mike b.-4
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Dave Paper wrote:
> On Aug 28, 2008, at 10:51 AM, PenguinBiker@... wrote: > >>>> He's looking to get some custom furniture pieces made. >> What skills/tools? Are you talking, lathe? Torch? BFH (Big F king >> Hammer?) Etc? >> > > All of the above -- Metalshop 101 (for learning) on up would be > ideal, but so far, doesn't sound promising. If that isn't going to > happen, he's looking for a place to take stuff to have it made. An alternative is to get some books, get some tools, and try it. I expect there are folks on this list, and I know there are on metalmeet.com, who can answer specific questions or offer basic safety information so he doesn't lose body parts, or dwellings, in the initial stages. I've been teaching myself to weld that way, and it's slow, but it's working. Started with O/A (because you can weld, cut, bend and braze with the same equipment), and then got a MIG welder (a little 110v unit, which is adequate for what I want to work with and cost a lot less than the 220v units). There are some decent books that will take you from lighting the torch (without blowing yourself up) through cutting, brazing and welding. Doesn't make you an expert, but it does let you stick metal together well enough for home use. At this point I'm willing to make things for myself so long as a failure of the weld won't hurt anyone (i.e. nothing structural, and nothing on the bike that's critical...flag holder? Ok. Brake bracket? No, not yet.) A guy down the street from me is building bikes in his garage and got himself a Smithy machine (combination lathe and vertical mill). It seems to work well enough, and he's teaching himself machining with it. It's not cheap (about $5k), but compared to tuition at a college, it's not bad and you own the machine and can make things with it rather than pay someone else to make them for you. He does things like wheel spacers, knurling, etc. Nothing super complex so far. Just an alternative to consider. -- Mike B. -- '04 FLSTCI (H-D Softail Heritage Classic with EFI for the non-Harley folks) Learning from your mistakes is good. Learning from someone else's mistakes is better. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by Thomas Jordan
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http://www.techshop.ws/
On Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 11:20 AM, matthew patton <pattonme@...> wrote: > there is an outfit out of California or Wash state that is trying to revive > the "community workshop" wherein they stand up a machine shop staffed by > local veterans/nominally paid volunteers and you pay a small fee to 'rent' > the equipment by the hour and have them look over your shoulder and teach > you as needed. The name is escaping me at the moment. they have plans > supposedly to build them in NC, Baltimore, and Richmond etc. but they've > been "planning" for some time now and no progress. > > If I can somehow figure out what the name of the place was, I'll post. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by Dave Paper
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Matt, Mike, Thomas, Ya'll rock. All of the info today has been sent over. Mmmm metalworking. I this all this discussion has got me back into the mode of wanting to mess w/ this stuff again. -dave -- cerberus@... "The only contributions France has given to popular culture in the last 50 years is Gerard Depardieu and that horny skunk." --SNL _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by mike b.-4
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W.S. wrote:
> MDO Cycles, mostly HD, up near Battley's, lists Heli-Arc welding and Custom > Fabrication on their business card. From what I've heard from folks who know (a guy at Bethesda Iron Works) he's a very well qualified welder, not a self-taught hacker. Not sure what sort of fabrication they can do...I know they've done some bike-related fab work...there was a partially finished custom on the showroom floor when I was there a couple of years ago, and a number of the parts weren't catalog order, like the sissy bar. -- Mike B. P.S. I believe "heli-arc" is also known these days as "TIG" welding. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by mike b.-4
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PenguinBiker@... wrote:
> -------------- Original message ---------------------- > From: "Mike B." <omni@...> > >> P.S. I believe "heli-arc" is also known these days as "TIG" welding. > > > Night and day my man, night and day. > Heli arc is automatic wire and inert gas feed with the wire itself electrified. (It is very _very_ easy.) > Tig is more like acetylene welding with the arc (and inert gas) coming from a separate handle and the wire fed in by hand like acetylene welding. (Not so easy.) MIG and TIG are very different, as you say, but you have MIG and TIG reversed with respect to Heliarc (no dash apparently). Check here: http://www.daytonamig.com/faq.htm "What is TIG Welding? TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas welding. Also called GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) and Heliarc® which was Linde's trade name for the TIG process when it was introduced many years ago." That matches what I've read in books too. MIG is the one with the wire feed (I have one of these), and TIG is, as you say, a bit harder to do and more like O/A gas welding (with a foot pedal thrown in to up the difficulty level...and to control the arc current). -- Mike B. -- '04 FLSTCI (H-D Softail Heritage Classic with EFI for the non-Harley folks) Learning from your mistakes is good. Learning from someone else's mistakes is better. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by mike b.-4
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PenguinBiker@... wrote:
> -------------- Original message ---------------------- > From: "Mike B." <omni@...> > >> P.S. I believe "heli-arc" is also known these days as "TIG" welding. > > > Night and day my man, night and day. > Heli arc is automatic wire and inert gas feed with the wire itself electrified. (It is very _very_ easy.) > Tig is more like acetylene welding with the arc (and inert gas) coming from a separate handle and the wire fed in by hand like acetylene welding. (Not so easy.) MIG and TIG are very different, as you say, but you have MIG and TIG reversed with respect to Heliarc (no dash apparently). Check here: http://www.daytonamig.com/faq.htm "What is TIG Welding? TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas welding. Also called GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding) and Heliarc® which was Linde's trade name for the TIG process when it was introduced many years ago." That matches what I've read in books too. MIG is the one with the wire feed (I have one of these), and TIG is, as you say, a bit harder to do and more like O/A gas welding (with a foot pedal thrown in to up the difficulty level...and to control the arc current). -- Mike B. -- '04 FLSTCI (H-D Softail Heritage Classic with EFI for the non-Harley folks) Learning from your mistakes is good. Learning from someone else's mistakes is better. _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by Dale Horstman
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Dave Paper wrote:
> I've found welding (several types) of classes at the manassas campus > of NoVa CC, but never a metalshop class. > Funny that you mention it. I just started taking a TIG welding class at the Manassas NVCC campus this past week. We've only had one class so far, but it involved a tour of the metalshop - there is some serious equipment there. It is kind of a shame that they don't have a metalshop class, I'd love to learn more about that stuff as well. I noticed several project cars & engines there, so somebody is using some of that equipment, at least. I'm really pumped up about the welding class - but then came down to earth when I started pricing TIG welders. Ouch! Spendy, way spendy... Oh well. Hork -- Dale Horstman - horkster@... Manassas, Virginia, USA, Earth '98 Kawasaki Concours - BugSlayer '82 Suzuki GS850G _______________________________________________ dc-cycles mailing list dc-cycles@... http://dc-cycles.org/mailman/cgi-bin/listinfo/dc-cycles |
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Re: Machine shop?
by mike b.-4
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