This is how the old school fab/machine shops did it

[turbostang]

This blog/post/thread was WAY too good to pass up -

There's a lot more to these pictures here - http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides...turing_Process

FLAME cutting what appears to be 12" or thicker material (pretty common actually)


THIS is a machine shop!


For those who don't know, this machine is a shaper - it literally scrapes metal off of whatever part with a purpose ground bit (ses shavings near operator)

[streetdemon70]

kick ass post.

[lxturbo]

That is when things were made to last ,now everything is throwaway !

[bigshoe]

The flame cutter in the first pic is hardcore.

[Stunter Bob]

Awesome Post!
I love seeing that old school stuff.

[Blackout]

that is bad ass. kick ass post. thanks for shairing.

[Strychnine]

Pfffft. Who needs safety glasses?



Not those dudes.

[turbostang]

I figured it would be a hit here with the nostalgic types we have here among us.

There's no other way to describe it other than awesome.

From about 1990 to about 2002 I worked in a machine shop/fab shop that was largely 'old school' and I damn sure miss it - other than the non-climate controlled shop we worked in. lol.

We did a lot of what you see in those pictures - our own flame cutting on THICK plate. We did our own (manual) machine work. (I ran a 1943 model Lucas horizontal boring mill).

I miss those days, but now days the money is much better.

[longshot]

very old school, if you notice the flame cutter is actually working off a pattern on the table next to it.we use to call these pattern cutter, now days they are all cnc ran with a cobination of laser,flame and plasma cutters all in one rack unit.looks to be around 1940-50's . there is a shop in terrel called Vandarhorst that does ship engine cylinder re-lines that i have seen first hand that does this type of work on a smaller scale.i find this type of work very interesting and to see how far machining and fab work has came in such a short time . I have been in the fab business for over 20 yrs and still love to get up and go to work every day.

[turbostang]

Yes, you are exactly right longshot, they are working off of a pattern on another table.

I've seen those patterns made out of wood, sheetmetal, machined etc.. It's pretty cool to watch - but SLOW by todays standards.

The one I used a while back was much smaller and portable. It had a stylus on the top of an electric motor. Above that was a mounting plate. You simply mounted your pattern to that plate, put the magnetic stylus against it and went to town. The electric motor spun the magnetic stylus real slow which drove it around the part.

[Darren M]

Fugg'n awesome!

[TENGRAM]

We went to a place very similar to that in my Intro to Manufacturing class. I believe it was in Ft Worth. They still use all of that stuff.

[Darren M]

We went to a place very similar to that in my Intro to Manufacturing class. I believe it was in Ft Worth. They still use all of that stuff.

Hard to replace basic machining tools. Large lathe's, mills, etc.... That technology is kind of like the wheel. It's just the best we [man] has been able to develop and it just works. What I'd do with a good lathe, mill, and punch.....

[TINKRD]

From about 1990 to about 2002 I worked in a machine shop/fab shop that was largely 'old school' and I damn sure miss it - other than the non-climate controlled shop we worked in. lol.

this is why i thought you were a CNC operator for a long time.

[jw33]

No safety glasses on anyone...